Pre-Diabetic Diet, How Does It Help Preventing Diabetes

Healthful Vitality | 08/16/2021 | Pre-Diabetic Diet, How Does It Help Preventing Diabetes

What is prediabetes? Why Pre-diabetic diet is significant?

When the blood glucose level is higher than the normal range but not that high to classify as diabetes mellitus, it is a warning period where it alarms that the person is going to build chronic diabetes mellitus. Pre-diabetic diet is significant because the way you respond during this period will determine your future health. The above mentioned condition is considered the precursor of type 2 diabetes mellitus. As your body slows down the insulin production and the insulin sensitivity is losing, it present as prediabetes.

Diet and regular exercises can prevent the conversion of prediabetes to chronic diabetes mellitus. Prober and controlled diet can help greatly in controlling the blood glucose level. [1]

Pre-diabetic diet: How does diet help during pre-diabetes?

The risk factors such as sedentary lifestyles, obesity, lack of physical exercise, and food habits increase the risk of getting prediabetes.  During the pre-diabetic state, the glucose that enters your blood from food will not escape easily from the blood. Because the cells do not respond well to the insulin. [2]

Carbohydrate-rich foods, refined foods, and processed foods are digested easily and release larger doses of glucose to the bloodstream. So the pre-diabetic patients cannot respond quickly to the increased blood glucose. So controlling the carbohydrate intake will greatly help them to control their glucose level.

Control carbohydrate intake

If you get to know that you are in the pre-diabetic category, it is important to manage modifiable risk factors.

Consume low glycemic index foods

What is a glycemic index?

This is a specific value that ranges from 1-100, which indicates the rise in blood glucose after consumption of the particular food.

It is advised to consume foods with a lower glycemic index because they are unable to raise your blood glucose level as the foods with higher glycemic index do. Foods rich in fibers, green vegetables, fruits, and lentils have a lower glycemic index while refined and proceed carbohydrates have a higher glycemic index.

There is a risk of developing cardiovascular diseases simultaneously with diabetes mellitus. So consider twice while consuming saturated fats, as they increase the risk of creating high cholesterol levels.

Control the portion on your plate

Always consider the number of calories, fat content, and carbohydrate content you consume. You can roughly calculate the calorie, fat, and carbohydrate intake by reading the labels on the food packing.

The daily calorie requirement may vary depending on several factors such as age, activity level, gender, and health status. According to recent research studies, they have stated that 45-65% of the calories must come from carbohydrates.

You can get advice from your dietician for further recommendations that suit your health condition.

Consume a diet high in fibers

Fibers have several health benefits. They prevent constipation, add bulk to the foods and help the consumer to feel full easily. Consumption of fiber-rich foods will avoid excessive food intake. Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes are rich in fiber.

Avoid sugar/ fizzy drinks

Water is the safe and best drink that all of us at any age with any health condition must consume. They contain no calories but help in maintaining digestion and metabolism. Soft drinks and fizzy carbonated drinks contain a higher concentration of sugar. They provide glucose directly to the bloodstream. As these drinks do not make you full, you will consume heavy meals as well. So consuming such drinks will convert a pre-diabetic state soon into diabetes mellitus.

Consume lean meat

Meat is rich in protein and no carbohydrates are found in meat. But there is a chance of getting more saturated fat into the body. Consumption of saturated fat increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

The skin of the meat is rich in saturated fat. So consume meat without the skin to obtain your protein requirements.

Controlling weight and obesity will also greatly help in improving insulin sensitivity. Fatty tissues and belly fat greatly involve in increasing resistance towards insulin. So the excessive fat deposition can be controlled with the help of diet and exercise.

References

1. Cherney, K. (2019) The Right Diet for Prediabetes, Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/prediabetes-diet (Accessed: 15 August 2021).

2. Yau, J. W., Thor, S. M. and Ramadas, A. (2020) ‘Nutritional Strategies in Prediabetes: A Scoping Review of Recent Evidence’, Nutrients, 12(10), pp. 1–24. doi: 10.3390/NU12102990.Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33003593/