Bean those statistics
More and more adults are being diagnosed with diabetes—especially among older folks. A recent estimate shows that the number of patients over age 65 that have been diagnosed has increased 23 percent in less than 10 years.
That's a significant increase, and it corresponds to an aging population.
I know you don't want to be in that number, so listen up: You could actually reduce your risk of developing type-2 diabetes by more than 40 percent—just by increasing the amount of legumes you consume.
A study spanning almost five years looked at 64,000 women, analyzing what they ate and their corresponding incidence of developing type-2 diabetes. Those who ate a lot of legumes experienced a much lower risk of incidence than their non- legume consuming counterparts.
All of the participants were middle-aged women who had no history of diabetes or other health issues.
Based on food-frequency questionnaires, researchers concluded that a high intake of legumes accounted for a 38 percent drop in risk, and eating a lot of soybeans dropped risk by 47 percent.
The study was done in China, and I'm inclined to think that like the majority of Asians, any soybeans they consumed were most likely in fermented form (ex. miso soup and tempeh). If you are going to eat soy, I recommend sticking with this form and avoiding any other soy products.
Unfortunately, most of the soy products that we're familiar with (or are hidden in our foods) are overly processed and are not the healthy product they're touted to be. Someone reading this study may be confused and think this is the green light to eat all of the soy burgers they can hold. Nope. Stick with the miso soup.
As to legumes, you can include peanuts, lentils, dried beans, and split peas for starters. The options are vast, so you should be able to have a field day with meal planning.
It's a lot easier to fend off diabetes now than it is to manage it after the fact.
