Looking for the perfect gift this holiday season? Why not give yourself and your loved ones the gift of good health! By making changes – like eating better and being more physically active – you can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes, and have many more years to make memories with your family.

Type 2 diabetes is a serious disease that can lead to other health conditions such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease. One in three Americans has prediabetes, a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough yet for a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. You can have prediabetes for years but have no clear symptoms, so it often goes undetected until serious health problems show up.

The good news is that prediabetes can often be reversed by making lifestyle changes. As you plan for the holidays this year, think about how you and your family can fit some healthy habits into your celebrations. For example, you can:

  • Add a new healthy recipe to your holiday meal. In addition to your traditional recipes, try adding a new appetizer or side dish that includes vegetables. And for those family favorites that just can’t be missed, swap in some healthier ingredients or serve smaller portion sizes. You can find some helpful tips and suggestions here.
  • Try a festive activity that gets the whole family up and moving. Whether it’s enjoying a walk through your neighborhood to look at holiday decorations, having a family snowball fight, or playing an active game like charades, there are many ways you can make time to be active and have fun as a family.

This year, let healthy lifestyle changes bring comfort and joy to your holidays. But don’t stop there – better health is the gift that keeps on giving! Change Your Lifestyle. Change Your Life. (CYL2), part of CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program offers virtual classes that can help you learn more about how to get and stay healthier, and reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In the program, participants work in a group with a trained lifestyle coach to learn how to make long-term changes.

For more information, visit https://www.thewellnesscoalition.org/cyl2/ and give yourself and your family the gift of good health by preventing type 2 diabetes!

Are you at risk for prediabetes?

You and your family members could have prediabetes and be at risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke if you have any of the following risk factors:

  • Are 45 years of age or older
  • Are overweight
  • Have a family history of type 2 diabetes
  • Have high blood pressure
  • Are physically active fewer than three times a week
  • Ever got diabetes while pregnant or gave birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds

To find out if you are at risk, you can take a 1-minute prediabetes risk test at https://bit.ly/3iUzuEM.