Bummer! So, you have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes. Now, you need to get going on the right pre-diabetes diet or risk joining the infamous diabetes fraternity. Trust me, put in your work now and you have an excellent chance of avoiding this non-exclusive club. In fact, if you eat the proper diet, lose weight and exercise you can reduce your chances of getting diabetes by 83 percent!!
This may be the best pre-diabetes treatment there is.
The proper diet for pre-diabetes really isn’t that much different than if you have diabetes. Certainly, the stakes may be a bit higher with diabetes, and glucose control may be a bit more important. Nonetheless, you need to work on the following (to begin with):
- Portion Control – Stop eating so much!
- Avoid refined or processed carbohydrates (e.g., white sugar, white flower, high fructose corn syrup, etc.).
- Eat well balanced meals (less carbohydrates, more vegetables, fruit and lean protein).
What Diet Resources Are There?
I believe the best diet is a whole foods plant based diet. This diet is particularly good if you have cardiovascular disease or other lifestyle health issues.
Mediterranean Diet. Arguably, the second best pre diabetes diet (and diabetes diet) is one based on the Mediterranean diet. The eating habits of certain Mediterranean people were studied over 8 years and it was found that they had some of the lowest instances of diabetes.
The study also found that people who were at high risk of developing diabetes (that would be all you pre diabetics out there) had an 83 percent chance of avoiding diabetes if they followed the diet. We discuss the study extensively in our Mediterranean Diet and Diabetes Diet Review.
American Diabetes Association. Another option is to take a look at the American Diabetes Association website. They have meal plans you can purchase that will get you started.
Low Carb Diets. You should be aware that there are many different theories regarding what the proper diet is for not only diabetics, but also people with pre diabetes. Many of the so called fad diets were actually created by doctors looking to help their diabetic, pre-diabetic and heart disease patients get healthy. The Atkins Diet and Diabetes Diet Review discuss one of these examples.
Other Pre-Diabetes Resources
If you are looking for an entire road map to avoid pre-diabetes, take a look at the book Stop Prediabetes Now: The Ultimate Plan to Lose Weight and Prevent Diabetes, by Dr. Jack Challem. Dr. Challem does a great job providing an overview of the condition and how you can systematically work to treat yourself. This book is highly recommended.
By Erich Schultz – Last Reviewed January 2013.