Losing just five to 10 percent of body weight can greatly reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Studies show that lifestyle modifications that include dietary changes and physical activity can reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 40 to 60 percent. So make it a point to battle the bulge. You’ll be glad you did.

Sugary or Processed Foods

There’s nothing wrong with a sweet treat once in a while, but consuming excess amounts of sweets can increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. That’s because this habit directly interferes with the body’s ability to process sugar.

“When you eat something that is a refined or processed or sugary food, it will enter the bloodstream quickly and cause a spike in blood sugar,” Lund says. “Foods like these are what are called high-glycemic foods.”

Continuous consumption of these types of food can throw the body into unnecessary chaos. “To put it simply, your muscle cells and fat cells have insulin receptor sites. When your blood sugar spikes, your natural response is for insulin to be released,” Lund says. “When the muscles are full of what they can store, the insulin says, ‘Where am I going to store this?’ and stores the excess sugar in fat cells. As you eat these foods, you keep spiking blood sugar, and those gates become rusty.” As time goes on, the body can’t keep up. “The insulin stops being as effective of a carrier, and so that sugar ends up staying in the blood,” Lund says.

“Consequently, your blood sugar doesn’t drop after a meal. Or your fasting blood sugar will be very, very high. Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body doesn’t use insulin effectively, so it no longer carries the same message it once did.” One of the most effective ways to prevent Type 2 diabetes is to do a dietary overhaul. “Eliminating these kinds of foods decreases your risk for diabetes because you’re not constantly spiking blood sugar and requiring insulin to come clean up the mess,” Lund says. This means making “clean eating” a habit.