All You Need to Know About Prediabetes

Simply put, Prediabetes is when your blood sugar level is high but not high enough for your doctor to diagnose your condition as diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes always have prediabetes first but since the symptoms aren’t too severe it’s almost undetectable. This is also sometimes referred to as impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance. Millions of people all around the world are living with this condition without even knowing about it. 

What is Prediabetes? 

As mentioned before, Prediabetes is related to your blood sugar levels. Consider Prediabetes a warning sign for Diabetes. A condition prevalent in every country for the past few years, Diabetes may not kill you, but it can cause serious health problems like that of your heart, blood vessels, eyes, and kidneys.

Can Prediabetes go Away?

The best part about Prediabetes is that it’s easily reversible.  Following a clean diet consisting of nutritious food, alongside exercise, and a healthy sleep schedule can help delay or prevent Prediabetes. Low fat, rich in fibre and other vitamins, and minerals into your diet will help in delaying this process too. 

What Foods to Avoid if You are Prediabetic?

Anything that makes your blood sugar level rise, should be avoided in Prediabetes. Sugary beverages like carbonated drinks are the worst choice for anyone who wants to adapt to a healthy lifestyle. The highly carbonated drinks are very high in carbohydrates. Here are some foods you should avoid:

• Trans Fats

Artificial trans fats are considered to be extremely unhealthy. Trans fats are created by adding hydrogen to unsaturated fatty acids to make it stable. These fats are found in frozen dinners, margarines, peanut butter, spreads, and creamers. They are often added to help extend a product’s shelf life. Although there’s no evidence that trans fats directly affect blood sugar levels, they have been linked to inflammation, insulin resistance, and belly fat. They also lead to lower levels of good cholesterol as well as impaired arterial function.

• White bread, Rice, and Pasta

Refined flour foods like breads, pasta, and polished rice also leads to a significant increase in blood sugar levels in people both suffering from Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. 

• Fruit-flavoured Yoghurt

Even though yoghurt is considered to be a healthy alternative for people with diabetes, flavoured or fruity yoghurts have the opposite effect on anyone living with this condition. Made from low fat or nonfat milk, flavoured yoghurts are loaded with carbs, and sugar thereby making them unhealthy. 

• Sweetened Breakfast Cereals

Many people around the world like to jump start their day with a bowl full of good ol’ cereal but for people with diabetes, it is no short of a curse. The added preservatives in the breakfast cereals alongside its sugary contents contains high carbohydrate content. 

• Flavoured Coffee Drinks

Coffee is known to have multiple health benefits including reducing the risk of diabetes. However, flavored coffee drinks should be avoided by anyone trying to keep their blood sugar levels in check. Flavored coffee is literally a liquid dessert rather than a healthier beverage option.  One misconception people also have that “natural sugars” like honey, maple syrup or brown sugar are a better alternative for diabetes. 

• Dried Fruit

You’d ask what can be wrong with fruits, and we’ll say nothing! With several important vitamins like Vitamin C, potassium, and minerals, fruits are a blessing in anyone’s life. On the other hand, when the fruit is dried, it loses all its nutritional value while it loses water. Thereby making it a not so smart choice when it comes to diabetes.

• Packaged Snacks

Whether it is chips, tea time snacks or anything you binge on while watching television, it all adds to your blood sugar levels and not in a good way. Made mostly with sub-par quality of oil, these snacks are highly processed and low on nutritional value. 

• Fruit Juice

Much like dried fruits, processed fruit juices are also a problematic choice for a healthy diet when looking for controlling your blood sugar levels. Believe it or not, some of the highly preserved juices are as good as carbonated drinks in terms of their sugar content. 

What Should I do if I am Prediabetic?

When you discover that you are prediabetic, you should start working on your health immediately. Regular exercising, eating good food with plenty of nutrition, and fixing your sleep schedule should be of topmost priority. In a situation like this, it is also important to stay away from any junk food items. Here are some prediabetic symptoms:

• Increase in thirst and Urination

Feeling extreme thirst and an increase in urination are common symptoms. When glucose starts building in your blood, your kidneys are forced to work overtime to filter and absorb the excess glucose.

• Excess Hunger

You might also feel hungry as the body gets tired and thus consumes more energy than usual. With the high glucose levels in the body, blood can’t convert the food you eat into energy. This can cause an increase in hunger. 

• Fatigue

The fact that your body stops producing insulin after a point makes your cells resist any insulin your body is making. This condition, again, makes you tired easily and thus many people suffering with a dip in their sugar levels rush to grab something to eat. 

• Blurred Vision

Even though the eye isn’t the only organ that gets affected due to diabetes, it is the first one to go through changes. With the effective management of your blood sugar levels through a good diet, exercise and sleep balance, you can make most of these symptoms as well as the condition go away.

Foods that Can Help Reverse Prediabetes

• Drinking more Water

There are many all-around benefits of water, be it your skin, hair or any other concern – water saves the day. Same is the case with Diabetes. Drinking more water can help reverse as well as prevent Type 2 Diabetes. This simple yet effective solution is sure to bring about a change in your life.

• Giloy Juice

For your prediabetes diet, Giloy is the best choice. Giloy juice is known to have glucose burning properties, hence it should be the number one choice for moderating sugar levels in the body. The herb is a hypoglycemic agent which helps lower blood sugar levels naturally. Not only this, Giloy also helps in the production and management of insulin, the imbalance of insulin in people leads to diabetes. 

• Apple Cider Vinegar

Needless to say, Apple Cider Vinegar Drink is a sure shot solution for many ailments. Many people make ACV an important part of their fitness schedule, as it helps a lot in weight management. There are many other benefits of ACV including being a strong part of the diet for prediabetes. A small study had concluded that simply taking no more than 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar makes a person’s fasting blood sugar drop by 4% the next morning.

• Neem Juice

Diluting some amount of neem juice with water and having it between meals or early morning is a great way to fight prediabetes. When looking for a diet for prediabetes, you must stick to such healthy juice options. Neem is known to have chemicals that help in the management of insulin levels in the body. 

• Karela Jamun Juice

The Karela and Jamun juice combination is quite literally known as the ‘The Ayurvedic Juice for Diabetes’ this is because of its ability to control the body’s blood sugar levels effectively. Karela not only aids insulin secretion in the body but also helps kill any other sweet cravings.