Seventeen million Americans have diabetes. If that number doesn't give you pause, consider this one: An additional 16 million have pre-diabetes and will probably develop type 2 diabetes within the next 10 years. Pre-diabetes (when blood sugar levels are sometimes higher than normal, but not yet consistently high enough to diagnose diabetes) also increases the risk for heart disease. Add in the fact that our population is steadily gaining weight â€” a major risk factor for developing diabetes â€” and we've got an epidemic on our hands.

The exciting news is that recent research from the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) â€” a major clinical study from 1998 to 2001 that looked at diet and exercise versus medication for diabetes prevention â€” clearly showed that by making a few lifestyle changes you can decrease your risk of developing diabetes by 58 percent! Increasing exercise (150 minutes per week, or 20 to 25 minutes of moderate activity every day), changing eating habits and losing five to seven percent of your body weight are more effective than taking medication to reduce your risk of developing diabetes.

The DPP lasted six months, with follow-up for an additional six months. This means there is no quick fix, and that the changes you make need to be lifelong. Here's how following the Eat to Beat Diabetes Diet can help get you started:

• This meal plan will help you set goals for fat and calorie consumption â€” and help you stick to them. The DPP used these goals: