Every year, diabetes kills more people than breast cancer and AIDS combined, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Recently the International Diabetes Federation stated that an estimated 366 million bodies worldwide have diabetes.

Jose Luis Jaime Jr., 31, was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes last November, but stopped taking Glipizide, his diabetes medication, this past September because of diet control and losing 30 pounds since his diagnosis.

“I eat completely differently from how I was eating before,” he said. “I come from a Mexican family and my mom used to cook really unhealthy stuff. But because my dad has high blood pressure and high cholesterol problems he has to look after himself, too, [so our way of eating changed].”

According to the ADA website, diabetes “is a group of diseases characterized by high blood glucose levels that result from defects in the body’s ability to produce and/or use insulin.” In the United States, it is estimated that 20 million people have diagnosed diabetes and eight million are still not diagnosed. Jaime’s doctor said that he could have been living with the disease for two or three years undiagnosed, which is common until something more serious happens such as a heart attack or stroke.

There are different types of diabetes. Type 1 is considered an autoimmune disease and is characterized by the pancreas’ inability to produce insulin, a key hormone in digestion and glucose breakdown. Type 2 diabetes is a disorder where the cells in the body become resistant to insulin. When insulin is not being used correctly, sugar stays in the system, ripping its way through tissue and organs. Both types result in similar symptoms of high blood sugar levels: frequent urination, thirst, exhaustion and mood swings.

“I had really bad mood swings, but I ...