A new study out of California reports that HALF of adults are now pre-diabetic or diabetic. Today, I’ll give you eight powerful tips that can help you protect yourself and your family from this raging epidemic.

I just saw an absolutely stunning report in the Los Angeles Times. According to researchers, 46% of adults in California are now pre-diabetic. This is a number almost impossible for me to wrap my brain around—especially when I add in the statistic that 9% of the population already has diabetes. In short, more than half of the people in this health-conscious state either have or are likely to develop one of the world’s most deadly diseases.

The director of the nonprofit California Center for Public Health Advocacy, which funded the research, comments, “This study is a barometer that’s telling us that the storm is coming.” Clearly, if you care about your health, you need to be aware of the growing threat of Type 2 diabetes. But how can you protect yourself and your family from becoming victims of this escalating epidemic? Fortunately, it’s simple to dramatically lower your risk of diabetes—and often you can even reverse it. Here’s how:

• Take preventive steps as early as you can. We used to think of Type 2 diabetes as an old person’s disease. Now, however, it’s striking children, teens, and young adults. So don’t put off taking action.
• Ignore advice to center your diet around carbs. Amazingly, many diabetes “experts” will tell you to include significant amounts of pasta, whole wheat bread, and other carbohydrates in your diet. This advice is what started our epidemic of diabetes. Eating lots of carbs makes you overweight (a huge risk factor for Type 2 diabetes) and leads to insulin resistance, the first step on the road to diabetes. The truth is simple: Lower your intake of carbs (especially grains and sugar), and you will lower your risk of diabetes. Instead, center your diet around high-quality proteins, non-starchy vegetables, nuts, and healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. The only carbs you should eat are small servings of starchy veggies like sweet potatoes and beets, small servings of fruit, and very small and infrequent servings of natural sugars like honey.
• Move. Exercise makes your skeletal muscle more sensitive to insulin and burns off blood sugar.
• Heal your gut. A healthy gut microbiome is associated with a lower risk for obesity and diabetes.
• Drink coffee.  Drinking caffeinated coffee can cut your risk of diabetes by up to half.
• Spice up your food. Turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne, and oregano are among the spices and herbs that can knock points off your blood glucose numbers.
• Cut your stress. Stress triggers your fight-or-flight reaction, causing your body to release a surge of sugar for fuel. If your cells are insulin resistant, that sugar will build up in your blood. So reduce your stress by meditating, doing muscle-relaxation and deep-breathing exercises, or doing yoga or tai chi. And as much as possible, simplify and de-stress your life.
• Live like Mother Nature intended. Get sunshine (vitamin D helps reduce your risk of getting diabetes). Get enough sleep. Play. Spend quality time with your “pack.” The more you follow your genetic blueprint, the lower your risk of diabetes will be. There are lots of things in your life you have no control over. Luckily, diabetes isn’t one of them! So don’t just worry about your chances of becoming a victim. Take charge with a natural, low-carb diet and a healthy lifestyle, and this is one threat you can cross off your list.