Prediabetic diet

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dmcginn872
dmcginn872 Posts: 4 Member
in Getting Started
Hi Everyone! Is anyone here pre-diabetic? What kind of foods do you eat and exercising do you do to help this?

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  • dmcginn872
    dmcginn872 Posts: 4 Member
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    Thanks! I will check it out.
  • LiLee2018
    LiLee2018 Posts: 1,389 Member
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    I was and went keto. Very low carb, moderate fat, high protein (that's how I do it at least) and it has been working well for me. It's pretty restrictive though since it is very low carb.
  • BMcC9
    BMcC9 Posts: 4,438 Member
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    dmcginn872 wrote: »
    Hi Everyone! Is anyone here pre-diabetic? What kind of foods do you eat and exercising do you do to help this?

    My hubby was diagnosed pre-diabetic this spring and the GP sent him to a nutritionist for guidance. Have you seen a nutritionist yet? If not, do so soon. He followed the nutritionist's guidelines, and his numbers showed improvement at the 4-month follow-up test.

    Follow your nutritionist's advice for foods to add / limit to help balance your blood sugars. If they give you a target sugar / fat / proteins goal, set your MFP food macros accordingly, and try to respect them on an 80 / 20 or 90 / 10 lifestyle reality. (stay in the green 80% to 90% of the time - the occasional red won't do real harm ... so long as it is the exception rather than the norm)

    You can reset your macros under Preferences (or Goals?) to break out Sugar vs Fiber instead of a single lumped-together "carbs" number if you wish. Total Fat can also be broken into Saturated (bad) fat vs needed fats (again, nutritionist will explain bio-chemistry, and is best source of intake advice for your specific situation)

    For exercise, the best one in the world is the one you will keep doing. At this point, respect your personality type and Just Do It. Get an exercise calorie burn of some kind and don't eat 100% back (amount you burn and amount you eat back in a healthy way is up to you and the type of exercise you do - if weights / strength training is your thing, someone else can advise on nutrition to support fat burn / muscle replenishment. But if you are naturally a "wanna burn lots of exercise calories" personality, DON'T short yourself on the eating back. You should not put yourself in a "always feeling hungry" frame of mind.
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
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    I also was prediabetic when I started my journey. I lost the weight with a low cal diet and walk 6 days a week. I did quit the huge amounts of sweets I was eating as I was consuming way too much. I am no longer on medication and my sugars are normal. I was amazed at the quick change in my body. Good luck.
  • dmcginn872
    dmcginn872 Posts: 4 Member
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    Thanks everyone for the great advice!! It’s been a week since I spoke went to the Dr. and so far I’ve been doing everything that was mentioned. More water, fruits, veggies and exercise!! Feeling better about it everyday 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
  • hroderick
    hroderick Posts: 756 Member
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    i use platejoy.com for planning and they have a diabetic option
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    edited December 2018
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    Larkspur94 wrote: »
    Keto is great for those with diabetes and those at risk. A strict keto diet has actually been proven to cure type 2 diabetes. It's low carb (less than 20g net a day), moderate protein, high fat.

    Generally I'd also advise you avoid high sugar fruit. Fructose will spike your blood sugar like actual sugar does. So no Banana's, apples, oranges, grapes, blackcurrants. Especially stay away from juice. Doesn't have any of the fibre to balance out, more sugar than coke. Blackberries, raspberries and strawberries are the best, but watch the portions.

    Another thing is you may go to sweeteners as to avoid sugar. You need to use 0 GI like erythritol. Alot of sweeteners used in low sugar/ no sugar foods tend to be ones that do have an impact on blood sugar. So keep an eye on that.

    Can you point me to documentation that keto has been proven to cure T2D please? I've never seen that and would be interested in reading up on that.

    Also, I know some diabetics in real life, and they have had different reactions to fruits. One gets a big blood sugar spike from several fruits, the other doesn't. Neither of them have experienced blood sugar reactions from artificial sweeteners.

    Out of curiosity, are you diagnosed diabetic or pre-diabetic? Or do you treat diabetics in a professional setting?
  • FlyingMolly
    FlyingMolly Posts: 490 Member
    edited December 2018
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    My mom was pre-diabetic, even though she’s always been a very moderate eater and has never struggled with her weight. When she got diagnosed she cut out most refined carbs (she’ll eat half a dessert once in a while), and strictly limited her unrefined carbs. She budgets one serving of high-fiber carbs per day; she skips starchy vegetables; she pairs fruit with fat. It’s worked, and she’s no longer considered pre-diabetic.

    It seemed pretty clear to me that her disposition toward diabetes must be genetic, so I tried out keto last January to see if I could handle it. It’s been great for me and I’m staying on it, but I noticed that keto is actually a bit stricter than what my mom does. She’ll have half-servings of whole grains or legumes on a regular basis, which just wouldn’t be practical for me. Now that I’ve been doing this for a while I can eat some “real” dessert shortly before activity without being affected, but I simply wouldn’t do so at the end of the day like she does. Whole-milk yogurt counts as a fat for her, whereas it’s not high-fat enough for me to eat alone (much less as a counterweight to carbs).

    But everything I eat is something that’s safely within her diet, so I send her keto recipes all the time. You could definitely start there and then add in judicious amounts of fruit, sweeter veggies, and whole grains from time to time.

    Pinterest has tons, and the low-carbers daily group here is a good resource; also my diary is open if you want to see the kinds of things I eat. Today I made a spinach quiche, replacing the crust with pecans, Parmesan, and melted butter, and it’s lovely. 🙂
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,009 Member
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    hippysprout wrote: »
    I had a prediabetic A1C (5.9) in March of 2018. Losing a moderate amount of weight (5-10%) of your current weight, and increasing your exercise throughout the week are your best tools. Whatever foods you can eat to get you into a deficit that allows your weight to drop will greatly reduce your risk of developing diabetes. I eat at a consistent and genuine deficit and have lost a great deal of weight over the last 9 months, and my A1C last week was down to 5.0 - Just saying, I eat carbs, I eat sugars, I eat all of the things, I just do it in moderation. I fill most of my diet with healthy choices, but I won't hesitate to have a treat if I have the calories to purchase it.

    There are no special foods, there are no special exercises. Do and eat what works for you, just move more and start dropping the extra pounds and you have a very good chance of reversing the prediabetes.

    This was experience as well (except it was five years ago). I lost 10% of my weight in about two and a half months, and then a little more by the time I got back to the doctor for retesting, and increased my walking, and my A1C was in the normal range, and has stayed there. No special macro distribution. No avoiding sugars or carbs (although I probably do eat somewhat less net carbs than before I started tracking, because I've found protein and fiber are satiating for me).
  • maureenkhilde
    maureenkhilde Posts: 850 Member
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    Larkspur94 wrote: »
    Keto is great for those with diabetes and those at risk. A strict keto diet has actually been proven to cure type 2 diabetes. It's low carb (less than 20g net a day), moderate protein, high fat.

    Generally I'd also advise you avoid high sugar fruit. Fructose will spike your blood sugar like actual sugar does. So no Banana's, apples, oranges, grapes, blackcurrants. Especially stay away from juice. Doesn't have any of the fibre to balance out, more sugar than coke. Blackberries, raspberries and strawberries are the best, but watch the portions.

    Another thing is you may go to sweeteners as to avoid sugar. You need to use 0 GI like erythritol. Alot of sweeteners used in low sugar/ no sugar foods tend to be ones that do have an impact on blood sugar. So keep an eye on that.


    I am a diabetic, and read about it quite a bit. And have seen nothing that states KETO is a cure. What I have seen, and read that the American Diabetic Association is now willing to say that a Mid to Low carb diet may work for some Diabetics. And is a good suggestion potentially for diabetics who are obese.


    I suggest the OP get with a nutritionist as well. Because there are so many different takes on what has or has not worked for different people that were pre-diabetic, or even diabetic. And it is not a one size fits all answer.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
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    hippysprout wrote: »
    I had a prediabetic A1C (5.9) in March of 2018. Losing a moderate amount of weight (5-10%) of your current weight, and increasing your exercise throughout the week are your best tools. Whatever foods you can eat to get you into a deficit that allows your weight to drop will greatly reduce your risk of developing diabetes. I eat at a consistent and genuine deficit and have lost a great deal of weight over the last 9 months, and my A1C last week was down to 5.0 - Just saying, I eat carbs, I eat sugars, I eat all of the things, I just do it in moderation. I fill most of my diet with healthy choices, but I won't hesitate to have a treat if I have the calories to purchase it.

    There are no special foods, there are no special exercises. Do and eat what works for you, just move more and start dropping the extra pounds and you have a very good chance of reversing the prediabetes.

    Me too. I can relate to your story.The doctor actually gave me a food guide but didn't offer it as a restriction. Exercise was suggested as the key to my reversal of those numbers.
  • ss4201
    ss4201 Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi there! I'm a nutritionist who specializes in reversing prediabetes. It is so gratifying to see that HbA1c go back under 5.7
    Weightloss and exercise are number one. Make sure you are in a calorie defecit and keeping your protein intake to .7-1g of bodyweight. Switch your carbs to complex carbs rather than the simple ones. The complex carbs have a lower glycemic index. Don't eat carbs on their own, combine with protein and a little fat. The keto diet can certainly work but it is extremely restrictive and not sustainable for most people so it is more of a last resort. Hope this helped!
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    A prediabetic diet would simply be one that establishes a caloric deficit. As for specific foods this would have to be tailored at the individual level.

    An high level view of this new risk category by a colleague:

    Prediabetes: The epidemic that never was, and shouldn't be

    https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-prediabetes-diabetes-pharma-epidemic-perspec-0801-jm-20160729-story.html
  • tbright1965
    tbright1965 Posts: 852 Member
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    dmcginn872 wrote: »
    Hi Everyone! Is anyone here pre-diabetic? What kind of foods do you eat and exercising do you do to help this?

    on 14 Feb 2018 I had a fasting BG of 180mg/dL and an A1C of 7.3%

    Six months later, my fasting BG is typically 85-105 and my A1C was 5.1%

    I lost 50 pounds.

    My diary is open. I eat pretty much what I want, just not as much as I once did.

    My only limits are not more than 60g carbs/meal and 245g/day.

    Seldom do I exceed those values.

    When I do, my fasting BG will rise the next day unless I was doing a lot of exercise such as a n hours long bicycle ride.

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