Prediabetes Diet: How To Help Prevent Progression To Diabetes

Legumes: Are they good for your heart? Treating peripheral artery disease: When might you need a procedure? When it comes to this common condition, food really is one of the best medicines. A prediabetes diet is an eating plan that may help prevent prediabetes from turning into full-blown diabetes. Many different foods can fit into this style of eating, including fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats. While no foods are off-limits, prediabetes diets generally are low in sugary foods, refined carbohydrates, fast foods, fried foods, and alcohol. There’s no one prediabetes diet. But following healthy eating habits can help you lower your blood sugar and reduce your risk for developing full-blown diabetes. "It’s not about single foods or 'super’ foods but the overall eating pattern. Focusing on the average of what you eat also allows for small treats and occasionally dining out," says Nancy Oliveira, a dietitian, certified diabetes care and education specialist, and manager of the Nutrition and Wellness Service at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital.



Here’s how you can update your menu to protect your health. Prediabetes is a condition in which your blood glucose (sugar) is higher than it should be - but not high enough to count as diabetes. With prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (which accounts for 90% to 95% of diabetes cases in the U.S.), high blood glucose occurs when your body is unable to use insulin efficiently. Over time, your body becomes unable to produce enough insulin. Insulin is the hormone that helps your body move blood sugar from your bloodstream into your cells for energy. An optimal fasting GlycoCares Blood Sugar Guidecinnamon glucose support glucose level is usually 70 to 99 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). When you have prediabetes, your fasting blood glucose is 100 to 125 mg/dL. Prediabetes can turn into type 2 diabetes when it isn’t managed. That can lead to long-term problems like heart disease, nerve damage, and kidney disease. How can a prediabetes diet help lower blood sugar? Lifestyle changes like eating a healthy diet and being more active are first-line treatments for prediabetes.



Both of these things can bring your blood sugar levels closer to normal. That can slow or stop prediabetes from turning into diabetes. A healthy eating pattern and attention to portion size can also help you lose excess weight. That in turn allows your body to use insulin more efficiently, making it easier for your cells to take up glucose from your bloodstream - bringing down your blood glucose levels. It takes only a small amount of weight loss to reap the benefits. Studies show that losing around 7% of your body weight may be enough to keep diabetes at bay. For a 160-pound person, that’s a loss of around 11 pounds. That said, diet changes can still make a difference even if you don’t lose much weight. "We see patients who might shed only 2 to 3 pounds despite following a diabetes-friendly diet, but their blood sugar and blood cholesterol still improve," says Oliveira.



Many different foods can help control or lower your blood sugar when you have prediabetes. Complex carbs vs. refined carbs: What’s the difference? The type of carbohydrates you eat can have a big effect on your blood sugar. Choosing complex or minimally refined carbs can make it easier to manage your prediabetes. When you have a food or drink that contains carbohydrates, your body breaks the carbs down into glucose. This enters your bloodstream, raising your blood glucose levels. In response, your pancreas releases insulin to move the glucose into your cells, where it can be used for GlycoCares Blood Sugar Guidecinnamon glucose support energy. Refined or simple carbs get broken down into glucose quickly. They cause a rapid spike in blood glucose levels, which can make it harder to control your prediabetes. Foods high in refined carbs include white bread, white pasta, white rice, soda, fruit juice, baked goods, candy, and other foods high in added sugars. "If you’re consuming these items daily and at most meals and not moving much, your pancreas will work overtime to make insulin, which can stress it so much it may eventually not work as well, leading to diabetes," Oliveira explains.



Complex carbohydrates help control your blood sugar. They contain fiber, so they’re broken down at a slower rate. As a result, they have less of an effect on your blood glucose. Foods high in complex carbs include whole grains such as whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, oatmeal, and quinoa, as well as beans and other legumes, and starchy vegetables (like corn, sweet potatoes, and peas). Limiting foods and drinks with refined carbs and unhealthy fats, both of which can make your cells less responsive to insulin, can make it easier to manage your blood glucose. Over time, that may help you avoid diabetes. Can you reverse prediabetes with diet and lifestyle changes? Healthy eating patterns and regular exercise may be able to bring your fasting blood glucose back within normal range. That can effectively reverse your prediabetes. The key is choosing lifestyle changes you can stick with. That way you can maintain your well-earned benefits long-term. Prediabetes can return if you go back to your old eating and activity habits.