Prediabetes – what diet is best?

People diagnosed with prediabetes have so many questions about what they can eat, what they should avoid and what diet is best?  The Cleveland Clinic has some information about dietary recommendations for those with prediabetes.   As a registered dietitian I recommend making some lifestyle changes such as eating more good carbs, reducing the not so good carbs and upping your exercise.  A recent reader noted how she lowered her A1C by making lifestyle changes.  She changed what she ate, the proportions and added walking and biking as exercise. 

This week we will talk about carbs and what carbs are not so good for those with prediabetes and what carbs you can enjoy.  We will also discuss protein and why it is important to include high-quality proteins at each meal. 

There is so much confusion on what foods one can eat with prediabetes, including confusion about what carbs to eat, what proteins are good to add to meals. 

Many of my students say “eat healthy” but this is not helpful as so many people do not know what that means.  What are some dietary changes should you be making if you are diagnosed with prediabetes?

Carbs  (See How to choose some healthy carbs )   

1.       Get rid of the sugary drinks – sugary drinks act like a dose of “instant blood sugar” with every sip.  Sugary drinks need almost no digestion and go straight to blood sugar. 

•  Sugary sodas
•  Fruit drinks like lemonade and fruit punch.  (So many people think lemonade is “juice” but it is mostly sugar water.)
•  Coffee drinks with added sugar  (choose black coffee or add low fat milk to your coffee)
•  Sweet tea (choose unsweetened tea)

2.       Cut back on foods high in added sugar

• Jams and jellies
•  Syrups like maple syrup
•  Honey
•  Candy
• Desserts
• Baked goods

3.       Eat less “white carbs” and choose whole grain carbs

• Less white bread – eat whole grain bread
• Less white crackers – eat whole grain crackers
•  Less white pasta – eat whole grain pasta 
• Less white rice – choose brown rice and wild rice

4.       Eat more whole grains – look at the food label to see if there is any fiber in the food.  No fiber, means that food item isn’t whole grain.  Look at the ingredients, the first word should be “whole” like whole wheat.  (See Whole Grains in Your Diet by Sophia Cable )

• Whole grain bread, bagels, English muffins
•  Choose whole grain pasta or mix half whole grain, half regular noodles
•  Whole grain crackers:  Triscuits, Wheat Thins
• Try other grains such as Quinoa, barley, bulgur, buckwheat
• Add whole grains to your breakfast:  Choose whole grain cereals like oatmeal and Cheerios (Note:  All General Mills cereals are whole grain.) 
•  Eat some fiber foods at every meal 

Proteins – try to eat some protein foods at each meal.  Why?  Because protein foods will not raise your blood sugar levels and will slow how fast the sugars in the carbs you eat enter your bloodstream.

Choose healthy proteins:

• Eggs
• Lean meat like pork chops, lean hamburger meat, fish, chicken – choose baked, broiled, grilled, and not fried
• Dairy – choose lower fat milk, low-fat yogurt, part-skim cheeses, and cottage cheese
• Beans and peas
• Nuts and seeds – a handful of nuts a day is fine 

I have talked to many people with prediabetes and some give up foods they do not have to.  A health educator told a friend to give up the white carbs.  But my friend thought this meant he could not eat bread or eat spaghetti.  This is not true.  Yes, cut back on the white carbs but replace them with whole grain carbs like whole grain bread and whole grain pasta as noted above.  A reader asked me about rice.  Cut back on the white rice but enjoy some brown rice, Quinoa, wild rice, or whole grain couscous.  Brown rice is whole grain and there are many whole grain rice mixtures you can buy that are easy to pop in the microwave.  Next week we will talk more about carbs including fruits and vegetables and spacing of carbs.  What questions do you have about prediabetes?  Do you know someone with prediabetes?  Share this blog post with them.   Do you have prediabetes?  What lifestyle changes have you made to control your blood sugar levels? 

 

Sources:  Cleveland Clinic , How to choose some healthy carbs , Whole Grains in Your Diet by Sophia Cable , Proteins  Image Sources:   whole grains , action plan for prediabetes , - Nutrition Place Mat