The changing lifestyle choices and dietary carelessness have made diabetes a common chronic disease even among the youth. Prediabetes is a condition that sees the blood sugar levels rise higher than allowed levels, but they aren’t quite high enough to be considered or diagnosed as type 2 diabetes.
Since prediabetes doesn’t have any symptoms, it often goes undiagnosed and most people do not even know that they suffer from it. While the condition increases your risk of diabetes, which has severe health consequences, being aware of the condition and making necessary lifestyle changes can help in curbing the development of diabetes. Some of these changes are weight loss, regular exercise, quitting smoking and diet modification.
According to Verywell Health, here are some changes you can make to your diet and see the positive effects:
Low-glycemic foods:
Including low-glycemic index (GI) foods in your diet is a great way to help control blood sugar levels and help with weight loss in people with prediabetes. Low GI foods do not spike your blood sugar levels swiftly and include foods like fruits, raw carrots, green vegetables, bananas, and lentils.
Drinks:
People usually ignore what they drink as they make changes to their solid food intake. However, sugary drinks and corn syrup can have detrimental effects on your body in terms of blood sugar levels. Sugar-sweetened drinks like sodas can cause insulin resistance leading to type 2 diabetes at a faster pace. Swap your drinks with water to feel full, stay hydrated and manage your weight.
Fibre:
Fibre is a carbohydrate that is found in innumerable foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes. It helps in better digestion, and proper bowel movements but also controls blood sugar levels, lowers cholesterol and triglycerides, and helps with weight loss.
Portion Control:
The larger the portions on your plate, the more you are prone to overeating. Supersized meals and large portions cause overeating that in turn leads to weight gain. Accurate and appropriate portion sizes can help you change your eating habits for good and help with weight management in addition to controlling prediabetes.
Other ways to control prediabetes are intermittent fasting, getting enough sleep, quitting smoking, and regular exercise.
