Diet For People with Prediabetes: allowed and prohibited foods

Diet for prediabetes

It is important to control the diet for those people whose blood sugar levels are higher than normal. The prediabetes diet is a balanced eating plan that combines a number of healthy foods to lower glucose levels in patients at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

It’s a diet where you have to change the way you eat because some common foods have ingredients that can cause too much sugar to build up in the blood.

What should be taken into account? What are the most appropriate foods? Do not worry; below we will discuss how to make a good diet for prediabetes.

What is prediabetes?

Prediabetes is a condition in which the blood sugar level is higher than what is considered normal but not high enough to be called type 2 diabetes.

The exact causes are unknown, although family history and genetics play a role. In affected people, the process of insulin secretion and glucose entry into cells does not work well.

Because of this, glucose builds up in the blood, and its levels rise above what is considered normal. The failure may be due to:

• insufficient production of insulin by the pancreas.
• The cells become resistant to insulin and do not allow all the glucose to enter.

Some other things can make you more likely to get prediabetes, such as your weight, waist size, age, type of diet, lack of activity, having diabetes during pregnancy, or smoking.

Even if you don’t get diabetes, it’s important to pay attention to your blood sugar levels and take the steps you need to. Both health problems have been linked to long-term negative effects on the body.

• high blood pressure and high cholesterol;
• heart disease, stroke;
• nerve damage;
• renal disease;
• fatty liver;
• eye problems.

Lifestyle is the main way to keep blood sugar under control and prevent the disease from progressing. In some cases, it may be necessary to take some medication, but the doctor always prescribes it according to each personal situation.

Allowed and prohibited foods in prediabetes

Anyone can benefit from a prediabetes diet, regardless of whether or not they are at high risk for any form of diabetes mellitus. We can lower our chances of getting this disease by changing our diet and way of life.

Although patients with high blood sugar must follow a series of medical guidelines, the main factor to avoid complications is to improve their diet 100%. Because of this, it is helpful to learn to tell the difference between foods that control glucose and those that can be bad.

Foods allowed in the diet for prediabetes

Some of the most beneficial foods for people with prediabetes are easily accessible. The best foods to control high glucose levels in prediabetes cases are those with a low glycemic index. These provide fiber, protein, and essential fatty acids.

A prediabetes diet menu may include foods such as:

• Abundant vegetables and fruits, fulfilling the recommendation of five daily servings. Its consumption should be varied, avoiding options with a lot of fat or added sugar. Both groups of ingredients are well known for their protective effects against cardiovascular problems and diabetes.
• Unsaturated fat sources include olive oil, nuts, avocados, and olives.
• Foods that provide protein: white meat (chicken, turkey, or rabbit), oily fish, white fish, and eggs.
• Legumes are very good for you because they have a lot of fiber and carbs that break down slowly. If you have prediabetes, eating these foods more often and consuming less protein from animals is best.
• Dairy: milk, yogurt, and cheese. Contrary to what was thought some time ago, it seems that it is not essential to choose skimmed dairy products. However, it is necessary to restrict those with added sugar and cheeses with a lot of salt.
• Whole grain cereals and all their derived products (bread, pasta, and breakfast flakes) keep the fiber and other nutrients in the whole grain.

Foods prohibited in the diet for prediabetes

It is also best to cut back on or stop eating a number of foods to better control blood sugar levels, improve quality of life, and delay or avoid complications. Remember that adding healthy ingredients won’t help if you eat too many refined carbs, sugars, and other unhealthy things.

Some of the foods and drinks to avoid are:

• Red meat, sausages, and other types of processed meat
• Dairy products with a high proportion of fats, such as cream or butter. The mere fact of replacing them with olive oil greatly improves the risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease.
• Alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, energy drinks, and fruit juices
• foods with a large amount of sodium, such as cured cheeses, sausages, salted meats, and other types of preserves.
• foods made with refined flour (bread, pasta, breakfast cereals).
• Fast food and processed foods such as ready meals, sauces, pastries, and chocolates (with a percentage of less than 70% cocoa)

Menus that can be included in a diet for prediabetes

When a person has prediabetes, the doctor usually changes their diet in order to stop the condition from getting worse and turning into diabetes. Most of the time, important factors like age, weight, health, and, of course, past illnesses are taken into account. It is normal for the menus to vary for each person, depending on their needs. But we’ll show you some options below that can help you figure out how to plan the diet.

breakfasts

• Whole wheat bread with olive oil, fresh cheese or yogurt, and an orange
• Fruit salad, oat flakes, and nuts
• Whole wheat bread, tomato slices, and a boiled egg

Mid-morning and snacks

• 1 piece of fruit with a handful of nuts
• Yogurt with fruit
• Fresh cheese with fruit
• Whole wheat bread with olive oil, dark chocolate (in moderation), avocado, or roasted pepper

lunches

• Vegetable stew, baked fish, and a medium potato
• Lean meat, green salad with avocado
• Sautéed chickpeas with spinach and pine nuts

Dinners

• Grilled fish with steamed vegetables
• vegetable broth and lentil salad.
• pumpkin puree and scrambled eggs with prawns.

You can eat several meals a day to avoid starvation and, at the same time, nourish the body. For dessert, the best thing is a natural yogurt without added sugar or a piece of fresh fruit.

Other healthy habits for managing prediabetes

As we have seen, prediabetes can often be controlled through a change in diet and daily routines. For this, other habits must go along with the diet. In the first place, it is worth noting the importance of physical exercise. It is necessary to maintain an active life, combining intense sports with moderate activity. This helps maintain body weight, regulate blood glucose, and lower blood pressure. It is also important to keep things like obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol under control. If the medical team recommends it, it is necessary to take the prescribed medications.

Lastly, it is important to stay away from tobacco because studies have shown that smoking makes insulin less sensitive. Nicotine may be to blame for this, as it stimulates hormones like growth hormone, catecholamines, and cortisol that have a negative impact on insulin.

Try the prediabetes diet for better health.

The first step in taking care of prediabetes is to eat the right foods and stay away from the wrong ones. A healthy diet and way of life can do a lot to control the disease and stop it from getting worse. But it’s important to remember that the advice may be different for each patient, whether it’s about amounts, how often they should eat, or whether they should eat or avoid certain foods.

If you have questions about how to eat a balanced diet according to your needs, consult your doctor or nutritionist. Both professionals will be able to help you.