Imagine if half of all the Latinos in the United States came down with a life-threatening disease. You don’t have to imagine – it’s happening right now.

We’re talking about diabetes. Doctors are no longer calling it just a crisis among Latinos. Ruth Pupo, Nutritionist at White Memorial Hospital says, “It’s an epidemic and it’s on the rise. We’re looking at four to six out of every ten Latinos that will have diabetes. The national statistics are that by the year 2010, one in every three children that are born will develop type 2 diabetes. So, in Latinos, we’re definitely looking at genetics and ethnicity itself. A large part of this is our customs and our lifestyle.”

Among Latinos, studies show that Mexican-Americans are even more likely to become diabetic – in large part because of their traditional food. “Their diet does incorporate a little bit more fat than other Latino cultures,” says Pupo.

Dr. William Christian, from the Assil Eye Institute, treats diabetics when the disease threatens their eyesight.

He says, “I have personally had patients who have had early onset of diabetes, or a mild case of diabetes, who would just exercise and diet and they’ve lost their so called diagnoses of diabetes. So it can really improve the disease process.”

“The most prevalent type of diabetes, which is Type 2, has a lot to do with obesity and being overweight and the ability of the body to use insulin. So, as we lose weight and eat healthy, we start allowing the body to use more insulin and then the actual condition, which is diabetes, improves. And we find it very rare for patients with Type 2 diabetes to solely take medications and do well,” explains Pupo.

You should consult with your doctor or nutritionist for the right eating plan for you.

Here’s the good news – you don’t have to be on some special ‘diabetes diet’ to keep you blood sugar under control.

For the most part, eating the right proportions of the right kinds of food work best.    
You may need to count the carbohydrates or exchanges in your meal so you can be sure your insulin and exercise are on target.  

Healthful tips from the American Diabetes Association:

• Eat lots of vegetables and fruits of all different colors at each meal.
• Choose whole grain foods over processed grain products.
• Beans (like kidney or pinto beans) and lentils in your meals are a good choice
• Include fish in your meals 2-3 times a week.
• Choose lean meats like cuts of beef and pork that end in ‘loin’ such as ‘pork loin’ and ‘sirloin.’ Remove the skin from chicken and turkey.
• Choose non-fat or low-fat dairy foods such as skim milk, non-fat yogurt and non-fat cheese.
• Choose water and calorie-free ‘diet’ drinks instead of regular soda, fruit punch, sweet tea and other sugar-sweetened drinks.
• Choose liquid oils for cooking instead of lard, or solid fats that can be high in saturated and trans fats.
• Cut back on high calorie snack foods and desserts like chips, cookies, cakes, and full-fat ice cream.  

Try to stay away from too much fast food high in saturated fat… and try eating healthier versions of traditional dishes without lard.

Know that meals with too many carbohydrates like tortillas, rice, cereal, galletas, fruit, potatoes, and corn, can raise blood sugar levels.

The following ‘trick’ is from the American Association of Diabetes.  

Here is a simple trick to stay on track -  

When you sit down for a meal, draw an imaginary line through the center of your plate.  Draw a line to divide one section into two.  

• About one-fourth of your plate should be filled with carbohydrates, grains, or starchy foods such as rice, pasta, potatoes, corn, or peas.
• Another fourth should be protein -foods like meat, fish, or poultry.
• For the last half of your plate, you can fill it with non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, salad, tomatoes, and cauliflower.
• Then, add a glass of non-fat milk and a small roll or piece of fruit and you are ready to eat!  

Of course, your physician may have you take medication to help your body better process the blood sugar.

And then, experts say, find an activity you enjoy and do it for an average of a half hour each day.

It’s a pretty simple formula – take your prescribed meds, eat what you like, but with the right balance of carbs, fats and proteins, and push yourself away from the table before you eat too much.

Also, be sure to set aside a half hour for some not-too-strenuous exercise.

You’ll start feeling better right away. You’ll begin to lose weight and who knows, in time, most of your diabetes symptoms might go away.