Diabetes is a worldwide threat to personal health, with 34.2 million people diagnosed just in the United States, according to the CDC. Regardless of economic status or residence location, statistics show just how widespread this disease is.
The good news is, there are many things you can do in your lifestyle to prevent diabetes. A prediabetes diagnosis is one of major the risk factors for type 2 diabetes, and it can be motivation for you or a loved one to make a change.
Creating a prediabetes diet plan is one of the steps you can take to protect your health and prevent a future diabetes diagnosis. A balanced, nutritious diet will help keep you on track and might motivate you to make changes in other areas of your life as well.
If you’ve been diagnosed with prediabetes and don’t know what your next step should be, we’re here to help. Keep reading to learn how a diet plan can help you and how to create one that fits your lifestyle.
What Is Prediabetes?
Whether your doctor told you that you may be at risk for diabetes or you’ve been recently diagnosed with prediabetes, you may be looking to learn more about what prediabetes means.
Prediabetes is a condition of high blood sugar levels, but not high enough to be considered levels of type 2 diabetes. This is why prediabetes is often a clear indication of risk for type 2 diabetes and motivates many people to start making a change.
Some risk factors include lack of physical activity, a family history of diabetes, and age of 45 years or older. A blood sugar test is one way to test for prediabetes. Early detection and diagnosis give you even more of a chance to change your lifestyle and prevent further complications.
Prediabetes Diet Plan for Diabetes Prevention
Eating habits are one of the most important lifestyle changes you can make to prevent diabetes. But don’t worry, creating a diet plan to reverse prediabetes does not have to mean removing everything you enjoy from your diet.
A prediabetes diet plan should have three balanced meals a day, consisting of plenty of nonstarchy vegetables, lots of fruit, whole grains, and proteins such as fish, beans, and eggs.
Some good vegetables to include are leafy greens, tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots, brussels sprouts, zucchini, eggplant, and cucumbers. The great thing about vegetables is that whether you have them fresh or frozen, they have the same nutritional value.
Some seafood that offers healthy proteins and fats include salmon, shrimp, and tuna. Beans also offer protein as well as fiber, including lentils, kidney or garbanzo beans, and soybeans. Another great source of protein is products made from soy such as tofu or other plant-based meat substitutes.
Whole grains that you can choose for healthy carbohydrates include whole-wheat bread and cereal, brown rice, or quinoa. Try to avoid too many starchy vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes, but it’s important not to completely cut them out of your diet.
You can also use dietary supplements, such as Pep2Dia, which can help naturally manage blood sugar levels. You can take this before your meals without worrying about any future side effects.
Fitting a Diet Into Your Lifestyle
As part of this diet, try to avoid sugary drinks and focus more on hydration. Water is essential to any healthy lifestyle, but it can be hard to make water the only thing you drink. A great way to spice up your hydration is adding fresh fruit to your water such as lemon or lime, or even cucumber and mint.
Instead of getting your sugars from drinks that will not keep you full, you can try to have a bowl of fruit instead, sure to keep you fuller for a longer time.
You also may want to focus on decreasing your portion sizes. This is where that moderation comes in. Intuitive eating can be a helpful tool for this, which means you don’t have to completely cut out those foods that you love!
This might look like eating only half of a portion at a restaurant and saving the rest or eating only when you’re hungry rather than eating out of boredom or coping with emotional eating.
If you’re thinking of starting a prediabetic diet or have recently started one, it’s important to be sure you can fit it into your lifestyle. If you’re having a hard time sticking to it because it’s so drastic from what you were eating before, you’re much less likely to stick with it.
It’s important to keep the foods you love in your diet, just in moderation. Having those foods whenever you’re craving them rather than restricting yourself can prevent you from overeating them in the future.
The Importance of Exercise
As you may know, diet and exercise go hand-in-hand. If you want to become the best and healthiest version of yourself, finding exercise that you enjoy is so important.
If you find a type of exercise that you enjoy rather than exercising just to lose weight, you’re more likely to stick with it. What if you challenged yourself to think of exercise as a way to care for your body rather than punish it?
Both strength training and cardio exercises are important, but you guessed it–all in moderation. A good way to start incorporating exercise into your daily routine is with the little things, like taking the stairs over the elevator or walking to get your coffee in the morning instead of making the 5-minute drive.
The Power to Change
Receiving a prediabetes diagnosis or an urge to change your lifestyle from your doctor would be overwhelming for anyone. But, you have the power to turn it all around.
A prediabetes diet plan is essential to the future of your wellbeing, but don’t feel like you need to wait for a doctor’s recommendation. Eating a balanced, nutritious diet certainly won’t hurt anyone.
If you’ve recently received a diagnosis, you may be feeling defeated or discouraged. We’re here to help, and we have products created just for you and your needs.
Visit our site today to see the products we have to offer as you continue your journey to better health and wellness.