Obesity and Type 2 diabetes go hand in hand, we learned at a meeting of diabetes educators in Washington, D.C., last week. Sadly, both are now considered “epidemics” in our country, pushing health care costs through the roof.

But we can’t blame it on our “genes,” experts told us. “There’s nothing wrong with the human body,” according to researcher Dr. John Peters. “It reacts exactly as it’s supposed to in the environment we put it in.” When we eat mostly high-fat, high-calorie foods and fight for a parking space close to the elevator that delivers us to our computers, our bodies are apt to gain weight.

What’s interesting, says Peters, is our collective weight gain can be explained by a measly 100 extra calories a day (day after day over several years) that accumulates on our bodies. If we don’t eliminate those few extra calories, we will continue to progress to fatness … and diabetes.

On the positive side, we can achieve weight “control” if we choose at least one behavior a day – through diet or activity – that keeps 100 extra calories away from our bodies.

How? Aside from joining an Amish community where physical activity is a way of life and rates of obesity and diabetes are low, Peters suggests we find ways to eliminate 100 “not-needed” calories from our usual routines.

Here are some examples:

¢ Go an extra mile. Slap a pedometer on your belt and take 2,000 more steps than usual (about one mile) to burn 100 extra calories off your body. (10,000 total steps for the day is a good goal.)

¢ Order your latte or cappuccino with skim milk instead of whole milk. (Saves 100 calories.)

¢ Eat one less bite or gulp of high-calorie foods to cut 100 calories each day. Each of these portions contains 100 calories: 1 ounce cheese, 1 tablespoon cream, butter, margarine or oil, 1 jigger rum, vodka, whiskey or other alcohol, 5 ounces wine, 8 ounces beer, 2 tablespoons pancake syrup or salad dressing.

¢ Choose to eat more fruits and vegetables. It takes these large portions to even cause a dent in the 100-calorie meter: 2 cups strawberries, 3 cups broccoli or cauliflower, 4 medium carrots, 5 cups shredded raw cabbage or light popcorn, 7 cups sliced cucumbers, 10 cups lettuce salad greens.