Processed foods sometimes contain huge amounts of sugars. For example, one teaspoon of sugar is equal to about four grams. One six ounce serving of low-fat yogurt has 28 grams, which is seven teaspoons of sugar in one serving of yogurt. One tablespoon of pure honey has only 16 grams.
Avoid simple carbohydrates. A good rule of thumb is no white foods. No white bread, white pasta, white potatoes (like french fries), or white rice. Also avoid candies, cookies, cakes, bagels, donuts, and other confections. Many breakfast cereals also have simple carbohydrates. [6] X Research source Eat most of your complex carbohydrates at breakfast or lunch. Cut down on the portion sizes of complex carbs for meals later in the day to prevent your blood glucose levels from getting too high at night.
Be especially careful with beverages. A significant amount of people’s daily sugar intake is from drinks. Stay away from fruit juice, Koolaid, fruit drinks, vitamin waters, and sports drinks. Instead, drink unsweetened tea, water, and coffee — but skip the sugar-loaded coffees from chains. [7] X Research source Drink diet soda instead of regular soda. Regular soda has an enormous amount of sugar in it and is one of the worst things you can drink. Though, be aware, diet soda has its drawbacks, too. Although reading labels can be useful to determine the amount of sugars in a food, manufacturers are not required to list added sugars. You can avoid any added sugars by sticking to unprocessed foods. Simple carbohydrates are often found in added sugars, like glucose, sucrose (table sugar), and fructose, most often added as high fructose corn syrup. [8] X Research source
Eat fruit in moderation. The sugars in fruit are combined with the fiber, which means that the absorption of sugars from the fruit are slowed down. But you still want to reduce your sugar intake. Eat one to three servings each day.
These fish are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for your health and are anti-inflammatory.
Eat olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oils. Avocados, walnuts, macadamia nuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, and most other seeds and nuts are good sources for healthy fats. Beware of anything containing partially hydrogenated oil.
Cinnamon Fenugreek Ginger Garlic and onions Basil Bitter melon
Drink a glass of water half an hour before your meals. Try not to eat at all-you-can-eat buffets. Think about what your plate looks like. Half the plate should be fruits and vegetables. One fourth should be a complex carb, like brown rice or a sweet potato. The remaining fourth needs to be a lean meat, like baked chicken or grilled fish.
Some people say drinking water helps them feel full and not as hungry.
If you weigh 300 pounds, losing 10 percent of your body weight is only 30 pounds, and five percent is only 15. If you weigh 250, 10 percent is 25 pounds, and five percent is 13 pounds. These totals are not so large that they are unattainable. You can safely reach these goals. Make sure to lose weight healthily. Extreme weight loss measures, like unhealthy diets or not eating, can negatively affect your blood sugar levels. One to two pounds a week (which can be achieved by cutting out 500 calories a day) is a safe pace for weight loss. If you make the diet changes to reverse prediabetes, you should start to see weight loss. Eat a healthier diet, which means including more fruits and vegetables, complex carbs, and lean proteins. You should limit sugar, refined carbs, fried foods, processed foods, and other junk foods. Another healthy way to lose weight is to increase your physical activity. These can be small changes, like taking a walk each day, increasing the duration of your walk, or the number of days you walk. You can also start taking stairs, dance around your house, do a workout tape, swim, hike, or anything else that gets your moving and your heart rate up. Talk to your doctor about a diet and exercise plan if you are unsure how to start.
Find an activity that you can commit to. Walking, climbing more stairs, doing more outdoor activities, hiking, gardening, aerobics, using an elliptical, rowing machine or stationary bicycle and stretching are all examples of moderate physical activity. Park your car further from the office, or get off the elevator two to three floors early and walk the rest of the way. The next week, park further and get off the elevator four to five floors earlier. Start with 10 minutes of activity a day and begin adding on minutes every week. You may be quite amazed at how quickly the time passes. Don’t forget to warm up, especially if you are trying to jump right into it. Consider joining a gym and getting a personal trainer. Make sure you know and understand any physical conditions that may limit your activity and find a trainer to help you get around those conditions safely.
Keep track of your labs so you can see how well you are doing and celebrate your progress.
People who are overweight or obese. People who exercise infrequently. People who are older than 45 years old. People with a family history of diabetes. Women with a history of gestational diabetes. African Americans, Mexican Americans, American Indians, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans
Fasting blood sugar levels between 100 to 125 mg/dL are suggestive of prediabetes. Your doctor may also measure Hemoglobin A1C to test for prediabetes. This is a three-month average of blood sugar levels. Normal is under 5. 7. A diagnosis of diabetes mellitus is made if two consecutive A1C tests are over 6. 5. Patients with A1C between 5. 7 and 6. 5 have prediabetes. One early sign that is a risk for T2D and that may signal prediabetes is a skin condition known as acanthosis nigricans. In acanthosis nigrican, the skin around the neck, armpits, elbows, knees, and knuckles get darker. You may also experience increased hunger, thirst, fatigue, weight gain, or increased urination.
It is believed that almost all type 2 diabetes could be prevented with diet and nutrition. [26] X Research source Polonsky, KS. , The Past 200 Years in Diabetes. New England J of Medicine, (2012) 367:1332-1340.
