Diabetes Epidemic because of self-inflicted Obesity

Obesity, caused by our contemporary lives, is thought to be a major contributor to the type 2 diabetes epidemic.

Are you eating your way into type 2 diabetes?

Check to see if you have any of these four eating habits that may contribute to obesity and make you a part of the type 2 diabetes pandemic...

1) Mindless eating... No, I don't mean'sleep-eating' (is there such a thing?) I'm referring to eating without giving any conscious consideration to what is happening.

How frequently do you multitask while eating? What are you doing? Watching TV, reading a book, reading a magazine or newspaper, listening to music, a radio show, or conversing? If you're anything like me, it's probably a rare occurrence when you sit down to eat without interruptions.

According to a recent study conducted by Penn State labs, pre-school children who habitually watch TV while eating ate up to 33% more than they did when they had a meal without the TV on.

How much additional food do you consume without realizing it because you're engrossed in a book or a TV show?

2) Eating rate. Have you ever completed your dinner before the rest of the table? Have you ever gorged yourself and then felt bloated?

In a recent Sky TV show, Paul McKenna (the famous hypnotist) highlighted how the simple act of slowing down when eating, such as putting your knife and fork down between mouthfuls, may help you lose weight.

Consider this: if you eat more slowly, you will be able to tell when you are full. You won't be able to eat any more and feel bloated. And you won't gain any weight.

Watching the show gave me a 'Aha!' moment since it is precisely what my father has done his entire life. It's a running gag in the family that he eats his meals so slowly — he frequently finishes half an hour after everyone else. And guess what else? Yes, he's as thin as a rake. I wish I could say the same for myself.

3) Snacking... When you nibble, are you truly hungry? Or do you "simply want to get a bite to eat"?

Snacking is most likely one of the most significant contributors to weight gain. It's not so much what you nibble on as it is what you snack on! Cookies/biscuits, chocolate, cakes, and snack bars all contain a lot of sugar, which puts a strain on our immune system. If you overwhelm your system with sugar, it may be unable to cope, resulting in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

If you must snack, choose healthy, no-added-sugar or sugar-free foods.

4) Sugary beverages... Do you have a preferred soft drink? Is it a sugar-sweetened drink or a concentrated sugar-rich fruit juice if you do? And, on a hot day, how much of that favorite do you drink? Half-a-liter? Is it one liter?

It's all added sugar, which not only affects your weight but also your body's management of blood sugar levels.

A recent medical research in the United States found that drinking only one sugar-sweetened drink of fruit juice per day increased women's susceptibility to becoming part of the type 2 diabetes epidemic by up to 80%.

So, do you intend to contribute to the diabetes epidemic? OK, maybe you're not going to... However, it's possible that your unconscious eating habits have put you on the path to diabetes. A little thinking about what you eat, where you consume it, and how you eat it might help you lower your risk.