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Healthcare Solutions.

AUGUST 22, 2019

The Best Prediabetes

Diet for 2020
2020’s Best Prediabetic Diet +
Prediabetes Diet Plans and Recipes

What is the best prediabetes diet? That may

be a burning question on your mind if you
have been recently diagnosed with
prediabetes (also known as borderline
diabetes), or if you have known about your
prediabetes for a while now.

Even if you have not been told that you

have prediabetes, you could be worried
about it, since 90% of the people are
unaware that they have it. You are at higher
risk if you are over 45 years old, do not get
much exercise, have a family history of
diabetes, or are African American, Native
American, Hispanic/Latino, or Paci!c
Islander.

H AV E P R E D I A B E T E S ? G E T A F R E E
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What’s more is that you are at risk if you are

overweight, have high “bad” LDL
cholesterol or high triglycerides, or low
“good” HDL cholesterol. What these have in
common is that you can improve them with
diet.

Most people with prediabetes eventually

get diabetes, but here’s a secret: it doesn’t
always have to happen, prediabetes is
reversible. You can prevent or delay type 2
diabetes in large part by following a healthy
diet for prediabetes – no gimmicks
necessary.

Awareness of prediabetes could be the

best thing that ever happened to you. It
gives you the chance to !nd a good diet for
prediabetes that works for your health and
for your lifestyle. Once you decide to make
those healthy changes, you are more likely
to succeed with a support system that
works for you, and a health app could be
what you need for information and
accountability.

Jump to the recipes here!

What Is Prediabetes?

Prediabetes is a condition with higher-than-

normal blood sugar (blood glucose) levels,
but levels that are lower than in diabetes.
As the National Institute for Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
explains, it results from a disruption in how
your body regulates glucose (sugar) in your
blood. The sugar can come from food, as
your body digests and metabolizes the
foods you eat. Glucose can also come from
your liver when you need it, such as if you
have not eaten for several hours.[i]

Normally, your body is very good at

regulating blood glucose, or keeping your
levels within healthy ranges. When your
blood sugar rises, such as after you eat a
meal, beta cells within your pancreas
secrete a hormone called insulin. Insulin
enables blood glucose to leave the
bloodstream and enter fat, muscle, and
liver cells that need it for energy.

Best Diet Plan to Reverse

Prediabetes

A great thing about prediabetes is that it is

often reversible. In most cases, you do not
even need medications. All you may need
are the right diet plan, additional healthy
lifestyle choices such as exercising and
avoiding smoking, and a lot of dedication
and patience.

There is no single best diet plan for

prediabetes. If you ask 100 people, “What is
the best diet for prediabetes?,” you may get
100 di"erent answers – and they may all be
correct. Your plan should help you control
your weight, provide the nutrients and
healthy foods you need to lower risk for
diabetes and other chronic diseases, and !t
into your lifestyle so that you can make it
work for the long term.

Right Weight

Extra pounds are among the most

signi!cant modi!able risk factors for
prediabetes and diabetes, and the
prediabetes diet plan that you choose
should help you achieve and maintain a
healthy weight. While a “healthy” BMI is
considered to be under 25 kg/m2 (that is
155 lb. for a 5’6” woman and 179 lb. for a
5’11” man), it may not be necessary to get
under that weight to lower your risk. Losing
as little as 5% of your body weight – or 8 to
10 lb. if you weigh 160 to 200 lb. – can
decrease diabetes risk.

Right Nutrition

Aside from weight, certain nutrients are

linked to improved health and lower
diabetes risk. For example, increasing
consumption of vegetables, fruits, and
beans, eating more whole grains instead of
re!ned, and choosing olive oil can all lower
diabetes risk. Limiting sweets, eating low
carbohydrate foods and re!ned
carbohydrates such as white bread and
pasta, and unhealthy fats from fried foods
and fatty meats are examples of dietary
patterns to slow any progression of
prediabetes.

Right Lifestyle

If you do not follow the diet plan, it will not

work. Any diet, no matter how nutritionally
perfect, needs to !t into your lifestyle. Your
prediabetic diet needs to:

• Include foods you love to eat.

• Allow for indulgences and special
occasions, so you can satisfy the
occasional craving and !t in a party or
work event without going o" your diet
plan or feeling guilty.
• Rely on “regular” foods and ingredients
that your local supermarket carries.
• Require you to spend only the amount
of time in the kitchen that you want,
rather than requiring gourmet recipes
for all three meals.

Prediabetes Diet Plan

Here are some diet recommendations for
prediabetes, including a list of foods that
are best for those looking for the best diet
to lower blood sugar.

Foods to Choose: Examples

nutrients for
prediabetes

Non-Starchy Fresh lettuce and salad

Vegetables: !ber, greens; tomatoes;
potassium, low-calorie celery; cucumbers;
onions; snow peas;
mushrooms; broccoli;
spinach; brussels sprout;
eggplant; zucchini; bell
peppers…etc.!; frozen
vegetables (no salt
added)

Seafood: protein, Salmon; shrimp; tuna;

healthy fats, potassium crab; clams; mackerel;
herring; tilapia; pollock

Legumes: * !ber, protein, Split and black-eyed

potassium peas; lentils; beans such
as kidney, black,
garbanzo, and pinto
beans; soybeans and
soy products, such as
tofu, edamame, and soy
milk; meat substitutes

Whole Grains:* !ber Whole-grain bread,

cereal, and pasta;
oatmeal; brown rice;
whole-grain barley,
farro, and quinoa; air-
popped popcorn

Starchy Vegetables: * Sweet potatoes;

!ber, potassium potatoes; winter squash;
green peas; corn;
pumpkin

Plant-based fats/oils: Olive oil; avocado;

healthy fats, !ber natural peanut and nut
(except oil), protein (in butters; peanuts; nuts;
peanuts, nuts, and seeds; #axseed;
seeds) vegetable oils

Reduced-fat dairy: Plain yogurt; skim milk;

protein, calcium, fat-free cottage cheese;
potassium, vitamin D low-fat cheese

Fruit: * !ber, potassium Peaches; cantaloupe;

berries; apples; pears;
oranges; tangerines;
watermelon; frozen fruit
(no sugar added)

Hydrating beverages: Water; deca"einated

water, low-calorie black co"ee and
unsweetened tea
without cream; water
with mint, lime, lemon,
or cucumber

Finding the Right Diet for

Prediabetes
A prediabetes diet plan can help your
blood sugars get closer to or even within
healthy ranges. In prediabetes, your blood
sugar is higher than normal, but still lower
than in diabetes (this is known as insulin
resistance). Your doctor may tell you that
you have prediabetes if you have:

• Fasting blood sugar level of 100 to 125

mg/dl,
• An oral glucose tolerance test of 140 to
199 mg/dl, or
• Glycated hemoglobin (A1c range) of
5.7% to 6.4%.

While you have some insulin resistance,

your body is still producing and responding
to insulin – and that’s great news. It means
you can put together a nutritious plan that
follows pre diabetic diet recommendations,
and expect better health.

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A healthy diet for prediabetes does not

necessarily need to be low in
carbohydrates. According to U.S. News and
World Report rankings, the two types of
diet for prediabetes and high cholesterol in
2020 are moderate diet patterns. A
Mediterranean diet pattern is ranked !rst,
followed closely by the Dietary Approaches
to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, diet.

Healthy Diets for Prediabetes

1. Low-Carbohydrate and Ketogenic

Diets for Prediabetes

Low-carbohydrate diets have gotten a lot

of attention recently as strategies for
reversing prediabetes. The carbohydrates
in your diet that provide weight loss include
sugars and starches. Starches are in grains
and #our, beans, and starchy vegetables.
Added sugars include sugars in sweets,
sweetened foods such as #avored oatmeal
and ketchup, and sugar-sweetened
beverages such as soda. There are also
natural sugars, which are found in nutritious
foods such as dairy products and fruit.

Proponents of low-carbohydrate weight

loss diets, such as Atkins, claim that the
diet can help you lose weight because
instead of burning dietary carbohydrates for
fuel, you burn body fat because you are
eating so few dietary carbohydrates. The
diet can help you cut calories by:

• Eliminating or severely restricting high-

calorie foods such as sweets and
re!ned carbohydrates.
• Promoting satiety by increasing protein
and fat, which are !lling nutrients.
• Reducing appetite by reducing the
food choices available to you.

Low-Carb Diets and Prediabetes

Sugars and starches that you get from your

diet enter your bloodstream as a type of
sugar called glucose. In prediabetes, your
body has trouble managing the glucose in
your blood due to resistance to a hormone
called insulin. Normally, insulin is able to
help your body keep blood glucose levels
in check, but the e"ect is weaker if you
have prediabetes, so blood glucose rises.

There is research supporting reduced-

carbohydrate diets in the treatment of
prediabetes. Reducing your sugar and
starch intake may lower blood sugar levels
by preventing as much sugar from going
into your blood. It can also help reverse
insulin resistance.

Reduced-carbohydrate diets range from

moderate to very low-carb. The rest of your
calories come from protein and fat, so you
might depend more heavily on high-protein
and high-fat foods than the average
person.

Low-Carb and Ketogenic

Diets for Prediabetes
Foods to Emphasize

Zero-Carb Foods

Meat, poultry, and !sh

Eggs

Oils

Butter

Low Carb Foods

Non-starchy vegetables

Full-fat cheese and yogurt

Avocados

Cheese

Nuts and seeds

Cream

Tofu

Moderate Carb Foods (Low-Carb Diet)

Fresh fruit, especially berries

Beans, peas, and lentils

Pros

Has been shown to lower insulin resistance

and blood glucose levels (A1c) among
individuals with diabetes and prediabetes.

Can aid in weight loss due to:

Calorie reduction from eliminating

sweets and other high-calorie foods.

Increased fullness from protein and

fat.

Reduced appetite from limited food

choices.

Can be simpler to follow since food choices

are more “black or white” – o" limits or
allowed.

Avoids unhealthy processed, sugary, and

fried foods.

Avoiding sugars and starches can help

some people avoid sugar cravings.

Foods to Limit or Avoid

Fruit juice and dried fruit

Most fruit (esp. ketogenic diet)

Starchy vegetables (e.g., peas, winter

squash, corn, and sweet potatoes)

Beans, peas, and lentils (esp. ketogenic

diet)

Reduced-fat dairy products, including

sweetened yogurt (esp. ketogenic diet)

Grains (e.g., bread, pasta, rice, cereal,

oatmeal, crackers, and pretzels)

Processed snack foods, such as potato

chips, tortilla chips, and

Fried foods, such as doughnuts, French

fries, and fried chicken.

Sweets (e.g., candy, cake, ice cream, pie,

pastries, and cookies)

Sugar-sweetened beverages (e.g., soft

drinks, energy drinks, sugar-sweetened
co"ee and tea, and sports drinks)

Alcoholic beverages

Cons

Di$cult to limit carbohydrates so much.

They taste good.

They are in many common foods.

Lack of long-term data on health outcomes:

Is the high protein content tough on

kidneys and the liver?

Is it really healthy to give up nutrient-

dense foods such as whole grains,
legumes, and fruit, which are linked
to lower risk for certain diseases,
include heart disease and even
diabetes?

Potentially low in !ber, which aids

with fullness, blood sugar control,
and heart health.

Will you regain weight and reverse

health bene!ts if you add carbs back
into your daily menu?

Di$culty in following the diet long-term:

What will you eat at restaurants and

at social events?

Are you able and willing to give up so

many foods…forever?

Risk of eating too much saturated fat from

fatty meat and poultry with skin.

Can be cumbersome to count grams of

carbohydrates.

Possibility of trouble exercising due to low

energy from lack of glycogen, which is the
storage form of carbohydrates in your body.

2. Ketogenic Diet for Prediabetes

A ketogenic diet is a type of low-

carbohydrate diet that is on the extreme
end. The goal is to limit carbohydrates so
much that the body does not have enough
glucose – a type of carbohydrate – to fuel
the brain normally. Instead, the body shifts
to a metabolic state called ketosis, and
produces ketone bodies to fuel the brain’s
activities.

The theory behind a ketogenic diet for

prediabetes is that when your body is in
ketosis, you can be sure that you do not
have excess carbohydrates in your diet.
Since carbohydrates in your diet are broken
down into glucose that goes into your
bloodstream, being in ketosis assures that
you are not inundating your bloodstream
with excessive amounts of glucose due to
the foods you eat.

A ketogenic diet for prediabetes might

include about 20 to 50 grams per day of
non-!ber carbohydrates, or about 5 to 10%
of total calories from carbohydrates. The
rest of your calories come from fat and
protein. The food choices on this diet are
similar to those on other low-carb diets, but
you may need to further restrict some of
the moderate-carbohydrate options that
might be easier to !t in on a more moderate
low-carb diet. Examples include fruit (an
apple has 24 grams of non-!ber
carbohydrates) and starchy vegetables (a
half-cup of corn has 15 grams of non-!ber
carbs).

3. Mediterranean Diet Pattern for

Prediabetes

A Mediterranean-style diet is based on

traditional eating patterns of Mediterranean
countries, especially Greece, southern Italy,
and Spain. This way of eating is known for
its heart-healthy bene!ts, but research also
shows that it can also help in weight loss
and assist in blood sugar control.

Compared to the average American diet, a

Mediterranean diet pattern generally
includes more:

• Olive oil
• Vegetables
• Legumes (beans, peas, lentils, and soy)
• Whole grains
• Fruits
• Nuts

It includes moderate consumption of

poultry and !sh, and less:

• Full fat dairy products

• Red meat
• Sweets

4. DASH Diet for Prediabetes

The DASH diet may have been developed

for reducing high blood pressure, but don’t
let that fool you. The DASH may also be
good for weight loss, bone health, mental
health, heart health, and prediabetes
prevention. To get from an average
American diet to a DASH-style pattern, you
can:

• Boost your intake of vegetables and

fresh fruit.
• Eat more low-fat dairy products and
beans.
• Choose whole grains more often.
• Choose !sh, poultry, and lean meat
instead of fatty red meat or processed
meat.
• Reduce the amount of sweets you
have.
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5. The DPP Diet and Coaching for
Prediabetes
I Ac c e p t I De c l i ne