Here are 8 Tips for Preventing Diabetes

1. Exercise is extremely important for preventing diabetes.  You need at least ½ hour of exercise per day. That means vigorous walking to get your heart rate up or any other type of exercise that helps you to work up a sweat. One hour a day is even better. New clinical trials showed that when participants walked vigorously for 30 minutes a day 5 days per week and also lost weight in the amount of 5-7% of their total body weight, they cut their risk of developing diabetes by 50%.
   
   Not only will lots of exercise help in preventing diabetes, it also enhances your immune system by getting your lymph system moving, it builds muscle and bones, improves heart and lung efficiency, reduces stress, burns fat, raises your metabolism and generally keeps your body young. 
   
   Studies have revealed that exercise also lowers blood sugar and keeps it down for several hours after the exercise which also contributes to preventing diabetes.
    
2. Lose weight:  Weight loss is also extremely important in preventing diabetes.  About 80% of diabetics are overweight and excess weight has been shown to contribute to the development of diabetes. In fact just losing weight and exercising can often completely control all symptoms of diabetes.
    
3. Do not eat trans fats (hydrogenated vegetable oils) of any kind. They have been shown to contribute to heart disease and may also contribute to diabetes type 2.  Reduce saturated fat intake, newest research has shown that development of diabetes is associated with saturated fat (from animal products like meat and dairy).
    
4. Another important action in preventing diabetes is to avoid eating foods made with sugar, bleached (white) flour and other refined carbohydrates such as white rice and dry cereals in order to help in preventing diabetes. Processed and fried foods are particularly unhealthy and the fats and carbohydrates found in them undermine your health.  Stay away from high glycemic index foods.
    
5. Eat lots of fiber, which is found in raw fruits and vegetables, beans, whole grains and oatmeal or oat bran. Fiber will go a long way in preventing diabetes because it helps to buffer high amounts of sugar or carbohydrates in your diet, keeping your blood sugar even rather than having it gyrate wildly up and down.
    
6. Don’t smoke. Smoking is not only associated with the development of diabetes but it also contributes to heart disease and causes lung cancer.
    
7. Don’t drink alcohol. Preventing diabetes means cutting way back on alcoholic beverages which contain quickly absorbed carbohydrates.  This can contribute to the development of type II diabetes by quickly raising blood sugar to unhealthy levels.
    
8. Get a friend, relative or group of people to help you in preventing diabetes.  They can support you in sticking with your healthy new lifestyle.

This article covers some very useful steps you can take in the prevention of diabetes from Harvard University
Preventing diabetes – Harvard Medical School