Are you at risk for Type II Diabetes?

Today is the American Diabetes Association Alert Day, created as a “wake-up call” for Americans who may be at risk for Type II Diabetes (also known as “adult-onset diabetes”), which encourages them to take 5 minutes to take the Diabetes Risk Test. The test (which consists of a few simple questions) calculates your individual level of risk for Type II Diabetes. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in this country and affects a whopping 26 million people nationwide. An estimated 7 million of them don’t know they have the disease. The alarming fact is that these numbers are increasing each year, which seems to indicate that many aspects of the continually evolving American lifestyle are negatively impacting our health.

Fortunately, even if you take the test and find that you may be at greater risk for the disease, there are lifestyle changes that you can make to lower that risk. According to Harvard School of Public Health, the “good news is that type 2 diabetes is largely preventable. About 9 cases in 10 could be avoided by taking several simple steps: keeping weight under control, exercising more, eating a healthy diet, and not smoking.” Eating healthily and working out have so many positive implications for your health and disease prevention, and we can think of no better commitment to make to yourself than to do more of each starting as soon as possible.

We encourage you to be proactive with your well-being by taking the Diabetes Risk Test today on the American Diabetes Association’s Facebook page. For every person who visits the page and takes the test, Boar’s Head will donate $5 to the American Diabetes Association (up to $50,000!), so you’ll be giving back to others while taking steps towards a healthier you.

In the spirit of eating healthily and working out (just 30 minutes/day can drastically reduce your risk for developing Type II Diabetes) we are going to hit the treadmill for a half hour and then treat ourselves to this delicious home-cooked dinner tonight. Eating whole grains and limiting intake of red meat are both ways to decrease your risk of the disease, and this recipe for Quinoa Vegetable Paella is a delicious way to do both (the recipe is also vegan and gluten-free, a good source of protein, makes great leftovers, and was even voted one of the 10 best quinoa recipes on the web by Bon Appetit)! Enjoy!

Quinoa Vegetable Paella

Ingredients

-1 onion, chopped

-3 cloves garlic, minced

-1 1/2 cup quinoa

-1/4 teaspoon saffron, crushed

-2 teaspoons Spanish smoked paprika

-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

-dash cayenne

-1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

-1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped

-1 14-ounce can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

-2 3/4 – 3 cups vegetable broth

-2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced

-1 cup fresh or frozen peas

-1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed and quartered

Instructions

Put the quinoa into a large bowl. Cover with water and stir well to wash the grain. Pour off the water and then repeat the washing process. You may also put the quinoa into a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly.

Sauté onion and garlic in a deep non-stick skillet with a little water until soft. (I use my deep, 13-inch saute pan for this.) Add the quinoa and saffron and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. Add paprika, cumin, cayenne, tomatoes, peppers, beans, and 2 3/4 cups vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, and cook covered for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, check to see if more broth is needed. If it looks dry, add the remaining vegetable broth. Place the zucchini on top of the quinoa and re-cover. Cook for about 5 more minutes, until quinoa is done. Remove the cover, stir in the peas, and cook uncovered until peas are warm and all liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Arrange the artichoke hearts on the top and serve. Add salt at the table, if necessary.

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