Eat Well, America! (SM)
Eat Well, America!(sm) That’s the American Diabetes Association message for this year’s American Diabetes Month®.
Every 19 seconds, someone in America is diagnosed with diabetes. Many of those who are diagnosed with this life-changing disease could have prevented it by eating a healthy diet that is low in saturated and trans fat, moderate in salt and sugar, with meals based on lean protein, non-starchy vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and fruit. Eating well now will also save you money in the long run by saving you a lifetime of medical expenses.
If you are one of the millions of people with diabetes, eating a healthy diet will help keep your weight and blood sugar under control.
Paying attention and knowing your own body is also important to staying healthy. These symptoms of diabetes are typical, but sometimes people with type 2 diabetes have symptoms so mild they go unnoticed.
- Urinating often
- Feeling very thirsty
- Feeling very hungry – even though you are eating
- Extreme fatigue
- Blurry vision
- Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
- Weight loss – even though you are eating more (type 1)
- Tingling, pain, or numbness in the hands/feet (type 2)
Are you at risk for Type 2 Diabetes? Take the test here. We also have test kits in our stores, so you can pick one up if you or a loved one are experiencing any of these symptoms.
Diabetes Facts:
- Diabetes affects nearly 30 million children and adults in the U.S. today—nearly 10 percent of the population.
- Another 86 million Americans have pre-diabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
- Recent estimates project that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes by 2050 unless we take steps to Stop Diabetes®.
- Every 19 seconds someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with diabetes.
- African Americans and Hispanics are almost twice as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites.
Diabetes and its Impact on Your Body:
- Diabetes nearly doubles the risk for heart attack and for death from heart disease.
- Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure.
- Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among working-age adults.
- The rate of amputation for people with diabetes is 10 times higher than for people without diabetes. Roughly 60 to 70 percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nerve damage that could result in pain in the feet or hands, slowed digestion, sexual dysfunction and other nerve problems.
The Cost of Diabetes:
- The American Diabetes Association estimates that the total national cost of diagnosed diabetes in the U.S. is $245 billion.
- Direct medical costs reach $176 billion and the average medical expenditure among people with diabetes is more than two times higher than those without the disease. Indirect costs amount to $69 billion (disability, work loss, premature mortality).
- 1 in 10 health care dollars is spent treating diabetes and its complications.
- 1 in 5 health care dollars is spent caring for people with diabetes.
Eating well — whether you have diabetes or not, is important to your overall health, lifestyle, and well-being.
Source: American Diabetes Assocation
