At age 50, Ricardo Ramos was blindsided when his doctor diagnosed him with diabetes in 2019. Ramos knew that being Hispanic put him at greater risk for diabetes but because the disease didn’t run in his family, he didn’t think it was something he had to worry about.

After his diagnosis, Ramos assumed he would have to take insulin and stop eating tortillas and other foods he enjoyed cold turkey. Although, he worried about his blood sugar levels rising too high, he was not aware that diabetes could affect his heart, liver and kidneys.