A Prediabetes Diet Plan to Help Your Blood Sugar Within a Healthy Range

A Prediabetes Diet Plan to Help Your Blood Sugar Within a Healthy Range

If your fasting blood glucose level ranges from 100 to 125 mg/dl, then you are prediabetic and are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Don’t worry! There are some precautionary steps and prediabetes diet that prevent the disease.

Borderline diabetes or prediabetes is a condition when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal. It is an early warning sign that you could develop diabetes later in life but not yet enough to be considered diabetes. According to a study, almost 5-10 people with prediabetes develop diabetes and more than 70% of prediabetic people develop diabetes each year. With some lifestyle and dietary changes, it is possible to go back to normal blood sugar levels and reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The most effective method is to take a very careful look at your diet and food choices. By eating unprocessed foods, following a prediabetes diet, managing a healthy weight, and involving in daily physical activity, you can get your blood glucose levels back to normal. This way you can avoid the onset of diabetes and the associated complications such as obesity, heart diseases, vision loss, nerve damage and kidney failure.

Here are some precautionary tips you can follow to keep your blood sugar levels from elevating and to slow the progression of diabetes.

• Say No to Sugary Drinks
• Evaluate Your Food Choices
• Exercise Daily
• Drink More Water
• Eat Lean Meat
• Eat Fiber-Rich Foods
• Be Finicky About Fats
• Portion Control is the Key
• Avoid Alcohol
• Eat More Vegetables

Say No to Sugary Drinks

If you are prediabetic, it is highly recommended to stop consuming juices, soda, lemonade, sweet tea and mocha latte coffer creations. Sugar-sweetened drinks can only provide you with empty calories and quick-digesting carbs that can’t make you feel full. In fact, sugary drinks are an actual risk factor for obesity.   

Evaluate Your Food Choices

If you have been diagnosed with prediabetes, adopting some dietary changes are effective in preventing type 2 diabetes. Create a meal plan that includes foods that keep your blood glucose levels in a normal range. Your prediabetes diet plan should be satisfying to you and include foods that improve your overall health.  

Exercise Daily

A recent study has shown that strength training for 30 minutes helped prediabetic people to return to normal blood sugar levels. In addition to a prediabetes diet plan, staying active is important to prevent diabetes and other serious health issues. So, involve in regular physical activity to maintain a healthy blood glucose level. Muscle tissues absorb glucose from your bloodstream to burn for energy. So, performing any kind of physical activity such as walking, running, jogging, swimming, or cycling that requires muscles to absorb more glucose can help you keep blood sugar under control.  

Drink More Water

There is no denying the fact that water is an important nutrient that can help your body to perform important functions. Drinking plenty of water, especially if you have prediabetes, is critically important as it helps lower blood sugar. Furthermore, it is a healthier alternative to fruit juices, energy drinks, sodas and other sugary drinks.

Eat Lean Meat

Meat is loaded with protein, low in carbs, but high in saturated fats. People with diabetes are advised to be a little more careful when it comes to making meat choices. Because some meats are loaded with saturated fat, cholesterol and calories which is not good for your health and can lead to cardiovascular and other health problems. Choosing the right type of meat is a healthy approach especially if you have prediabetes or diabetes.

Here are some lean meat choices that are good for prediabetic people:

• Poultry: Chicken or turkey, white meat, no skin
• Fish: tuna, salmon, flounder, haddock, halibut, trout, lox
• Pork: Lean pork
• Shellfish: shrimp, clams, crab, lobster, scallops,
• Beef

Eat Fiber-Rich Foods

When it comes to keeping blood sugar level under control, eating fiber-rich foods is the key. The best part about eating high fiber foods is that they can keep you full for hours while making you eat less and helping you lose weight. Fiber-rich foods such as vegetables, fruits, beans, legumes, whole grains should be part of your prediabetes diet plan. High fiber foods can help you curb unnecessary cravings for high sugar foods and prevent overeating.  

Be Finicky About Fats

Fat is the macronutrient that your body needs to perform a myriad of important functions. It is essential to give your body an energy boost, helps your body absorb nutrients, produce important hormones, keeps your body warm and other essential functions. Incorporating healthy fats into your diet can offer many health-protective benefits.

Prediabetic people are recommended to avoid trans-fat and read labels carefully to make sure the product doesn’t contain hydrogenated oils. Avoid fried foods, biscuits, and other baked goods to limit your intake of trans-fat. Eat healthy fats instead. There are many healthy high-fat foods that can provide you with a healthy dose of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats that are good for your overall health.

• Fatty Fish
• Walnuts
• Flaxseed
• Chia seeds
• Eggs
• Avocado
• Peanut Butter
• Olive oil
• Tofu

Portion Control is the Key

Whether you want to lose weight or keep your blood glucose levels under the normal limit, good portion control is the key. Limiting the amount of food is a viable solution that can help you prevent prediabetes from becoming type 2 diabetes. Keep in mind that obesity is one of the major risk factors in developing type 2 diabetes. Eating healthy foods can lead to obesity, heart problems and other health problems if you eat too much of them. So, control your portions, eat less and stay healthy.

Avoid Alcohol

A study suggests that drinking alcohol can significantly increase the chances of developing diabetes in men. Alcohol consumption can drastically affect your blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity. It can also make you gain weight which is the major cause of many serious health concerns. Avoiding alcohol can help you keep your blood glucose levels in a normal range and encourage weight loss.

Eat More Vegetables

Filling your diet with more veggies can help you avoid post-meal blood sugar levels. Prediabetic people can follow a plant-based diet or vegan diet that can keep blood glucose levels well-controlled. Leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables are the healthiest food choices for prediabetes and diabetes prevention.

Prediabetes Diet Plan – Food Choices

Foods to Eat If you Have Prediabetes

A balanced diet in combination with exercise can lower blood sugar. Thanks to nature, there are many foods that have a low glycemic index (GI) and will not elevate your blood sugar and avoid a blood sugar spike. The best part about eating these foods, drinks and spices is that they help you avoid a blood sugar spike.

Here is a list of food that you can add to your prediabetes diet plan.

• Avocados
• Tuna
• Salmon
• Garlic
• Cherries
• Apple cider vinegar
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Collards
• Turnip
• Kale
• Swiss chard
• Chia seeds
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Almonds
• Nuts
• Whole grains
• Eggs
• Coffee
• Cinnamon
• Turmeric
• Greek Yogurt
• Broccoli
• Olive Oil
• Flaxseeds
• Squash

Foods to Avoid If you Have Prediabetes

People with prediabetes are advised to limit their carb intake to prevent blood sugar spike and avoid foods that increase your blood sugar and drive insulin resistance. Here is a list of foods that you should avoid with prediabetes and lower your risk of future diabetes complications:   

• Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
• Trans Fats
• White Bread
• Pasta
• Rice
• Fruit-Flavored Yogurt
• Sweetened Breakfast Cereals
• Flavored Coffee Drinks
• Candy
• Cookies
• Pie
• Packaged Snack Foods
• Fruit Juice
• French Fries
• Alcoholic beverages

Prediabetes Recipes You Should Try

• Asparagus, lemon, and pecan wild rice salad
• Spiced chickpea and spinach pasta
• Sautéed greens with currants
• Orange baked custards with roasted strawberries
• Roast lamb racks with mixed herb labneh
• Sugar-free chocolate muffins with chocolate avocado icing
• Low-fat buttermilk panna cotta with peaches
• Caramelized carrots & onions
• Turkey & parsnip curry
• Braised sea bass with spinach
• Mushroom & thyme risotto
• Roast pork with couscous & ginger yogurt
• Apple, pear & cherry compote
• Salmon burgers
• Spicy root & lentil casserole
• Sweet & sour lentil dhal with grilled aubergine

To Sum Things Up

Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle disease that can be preventable. A healthy lifestyle and smart food choices can prevent the risk of diabetes and promote lifelong health and wellbeing. Eating foods with a low GI score that keep blood sugar in a normal range, staying away from unhealthy fats, processed foods and refined carbs can lower your risk of developing complications. Following a prediabetic plan, losing weight, exercise and making some lifestyle changes can make it easier for you to keep blood sugar levels in a healthy range.