Prediabetic What to Eat: A Practical Guide to Healthier Food Choices

Prediabetes means that blood sugar levels are already above the normal range, but by adjusting your daily diet, sticking to regular exercise, and monitoring your blood sugar, you can help improve blood sugar management. By gradually developing healthier eating habits, one can lay a solid foundation for overall health without completely giving up their favorite foods.

What Precautions Should Be Taken in the Prediabetes Stage?

Lower Blood Sugar

For individuals with prediabetes, improving their blood sugar levels should start with their daily habits. In terms of diet, you can reduce the intake of added sugar and give priority to foods that are rich in nutrients and dietary fiber. At the same time, pay attention to controlling the intake of carbohydrates in each meal. Physical activity is equally important. Moderate-intensity exercises such as brisk walking, cycling or swimming can help improve the body's sensitivity to insulin. It is recommended that adults accumulate at least 150 minutes of these activities per week. For overweight or obese people, gradually losing weight can also have a positive impact. Reducing the initial weight by 5% to 7% can help lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Regularly checking blood sugar levels can help understand the body's response to lifestyle adjustments and enable timely adjustments to management plans.

Balance Carbohydrate Intake

Carbohydrates affect blood sugar levels, so people with prediabetes need to pay attention to their intake and the nutritional quality of their food. A balanced diet should include vegetables, whole grains, legumes, lean protein, and unsaturated fats. Fresh fruit and plain yogurt also contain carbohydrates and should be added to your total daily intake. Pairing carb foods with protein, dietary fiber, or healthy fats can help slow digestion and reduce the rapid rise in blood sugar after a meal.

Regular Meals

Maintaining a regular eating pattern helps to distribute the intake of carbohydrates throughout the day in a reasonable way and assists individuals with prediabetes in better managing their blood sugar levels. Skipping meals may lead to excessive hunger later, making it more difficult to control the amount of food consumed. Regular meal intake, on the other hand, helps to plan the diet in advance and make healthier food choices. For many adults, eating three balanced meals a day is a viable starting point, with the need for additional meals depending on activity, medication and the time between meals.

Foods Suitable for the Prediabetic Stage

Legumes 

Beans, lentils, and chickpeas are rich in dietary fiber and plant protein, which helps increase satiety. However, the carbohydrates in it can still affect blood sugar. Therefore, it is recommended to start with half a cup of cooked beans and adjust it appropriately according to your personal diet plan and blood sugar response. Tofu is made from soybeans and is a relatively low-carbohydrate source of plant protein. Its dietary fiber content is usually lower than that of whole beans. When cooking, firm tofu is suitable for stir-frying with vegetables, making soups, and baking dishes. Lentils and chickpeas are suitable for adding to salads or stews. Choose unsweetened sauces and use olive oil in moderation to help control the intake of additional sugar and calories.

Proteins

Eggs, fish, and skinless chicken and Turkey can provide protein for people with prediabetes. These foods usually have a low carbohydrate content. However, coating with batter, adding sweet sauces and pairing with starchy foods may increase the overall carbohydrate intake. For each meal, a reference portion of about 3 to 4 ounces of cooked chicken, turkey or fish can be used. Cooking methods such as baking, roasting, steaming and stewing can help reduce the use of extra fat, and salmon, sardines and trout are also rich in Omega-3 fatty acids.

Nuts

Almonds, walnuts, pistachios and peanuts are rich in unsaturated fats, proteins and dietary fiber, and are beneficial supplements to daily meals and snacks. But because nuts are high in calories, you need to control the amount of food you eat. Salt-free nuts help reduce sodium intake, while plain nuts can avoid the added sugar in honey-baked or candy-like nuts. Adding chopped nuts to oatmeal or plain yogurt can enhance the taste, and they can also be paired with fresh fruits in moderation as a healthy snack that provides carbohydrates, fats and proteins at the same time. Nut butter is another option, usually with a standard serving size of about 2 tablespoons. Choosing products with nuts as the main ingredient and without added sugar helps to clearly understand the composition of the ingredients.

Low-Sugar Fruits

Berries, oranges, grapefruits and tomatoes are all suitable for inclusion in the diet plan for prediabetes. The whole fruit is rich in dietary fiber, but the carbohydrates in it still need to be included in the total intake of a main meal or snack. Consuming one cup of strawberries or a small orange each time is usually a suitable portion. Fresh fruits and unsweetened frozen fruits are good choices, and choose canned fruits packaged in water instead of syrup. Berries can be eaten with plain Greek yogurt, while orange slices are suitable for adding to salads. Tomatoes are relatively low in carbohydrates and can be used in salads, omelets and vegetable dishes. Grapefruit can interact with certain medications, including some statins, so people taking these medications should be consulted to determine whether grapefruit is safe to consume.

Foods to Avoid in the Prediabetic Stage

People with prediabetes should limit their intake of sugary drinks and refined carbohydrates, as the carbohydrates in these foods and beverages are usually easily digested and absorbed by the body, which may cause a rapid increase in blood sugar. Soft drinks, sweetened tea, energy drinks, and flavored coffee beverages all contain additional sugar, while even labeled "100% fruit juice" typically lacks the dietary fiber found in whole fruits. Replace sugary drinks with plain water, soda, or unsweetened tea in your daily diet. Replace white bread and refined breakfast cereals with whole wheat bread or plain oats, and substitute cakes, cookies and pastries with fresh fruits and plain yogurt. Reducing the intake of white rice or pasta, along with a moderate amount of vegetables and protein, is also advisable. Refined carbohydrates include foods made from white flour and grains from which most dietary fiber has been removed. Choosing beans, lentils and whole grains can help increase dietary fiber intake and slow down the digestion of carbohydrates. However, even when choosing whole grains, the portion size still affects blood sugar levels. Regular consumption of processed meats, fried foods and foods rich in saturated fats should also be controlled in moderation, as cardiovascular health also needs to be paid attention to during the prediabetic stage. Fish, tofu, beans, nuts and olive oil can be dietary choices that are more beneficial to heart health.