Site of the Month for October 2011 relates to Health Directory. Information on this web site is provided for birth defects, blood disorders, diabetes, dyslexia, genetic disorders, hangover, insulin resistance, musculoskeletal disorders, pregnancy complications and much more.

The best way to prevent diabetes is to make some lifestyle changes:

* Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight raises your risk for diabetes. Calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) to see if you’re at a healthy weight. If you’re overweight, start making small changes to your eating habits by adding more whole grain foods, fruits, and vegetables. Start exercising more, even if taking a short walk is all you can do for now. If you’re not sure where to start, talk to your doctor. Even a relatively small amount of weight loss – 10 to 15 pounds – has been proven to delay or even prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.

* Eat healthy
o Eat lots of whole grains (such as whole wheat or rye bread, whole grain cereal, or brown rice), fruits, and vegetables.
o Choose foods low in fat and cholesterol. Read food labels. If you eat 2,000 calories per day, you should eat no more than 56 grams of fat each day.
o If you drink alcohol, limit it to no more than one or two drinks (one 12-ounce beer, one 5-ounce glass of wine, or one 1.5-ounce shot of hard liquor) a day.

* Get moving. Health benefits are gained by doing the following each week:
o 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity
or
o 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity
or
o A combination of moderate and vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity
and
o Muscle-strengthening activities on 3 days

Some suggestions for fitting physical activity in:
o Take the stairs instead of the elevator
o Take a brisk walk on your lunch break.
o Park at the far end of the parking lot and walk.
o Get off the bus or subway a few stops early and walk the rest of the way.
o Walk or bicycle whenever you can.