By María Galvis, Creator of Healthy Bitez by Maru, www.healthybitez.com
What to eat if I am prediabetic? What diet for prediabetics should I follow?
What foods should I avoid to avoid suffering from diabetes? Which ones are good for me?
These are some of the most frequent questions that are usually asked at the time of being diagnosed as prediabetic.
But after the diagnosis, you will be wondering: what is the next step?
What is Prediabetes?
We begin first to define what prediabetes is.
Generally, prediabetes means that your blood sugar is higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetic.
This condition usually has no obvious symptoms, compared to diabetes. It is important to have medical check-ups if you have a family history of diabetes.
When you have prediabetes, the change you make in your diet and lifestyle will be key to reducing your risk of suffering from type 2 diabetes.
Let’s look at this as a red flag. It is your body telling you that something you are not doing right and that you must take action if you want to improve your health.
From this moment you must make certain changes that range from substituting foods, stopping consuming those that do not benefit you and creating an easy and simple meal plan.
The first thing you should do is review how your diet and lifestyle have been so far:
Your doctor can guide you on the changes to start making.
Analyze how your diet has been before and make a list of small changes that you can implement from NOW.
Pay special attention to foods high in carbohydrates. It is these that alter blood glucose levels.
White flours, sugar, white rice and pasta. etc. they are foods that must be eliminated from the diet. You can substitute it for low-glycemic foods, such as quinoa.
Include more green foods in your diet:
Green vegetables provide lots of fiber, chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help maintain blood glucose effectively.
You can consume them either solid in salads and as part of the meal; or in the form of juices. Try to include them in almost all your meals (including snacks).
High fiber foods such as oats, legumes, sweet potatoes, nuts and seeds among others will be your allies in the diet.
Fiber provides a feeling of fullness and prevents you from wanting to “overeat”. It also maintains intestinal health in good condition.
Create an easy-to-prepare diet with simple but nutrient-dense foods.
Avoid highly processed foods such as high-sodium frozen meals, instant soups, or canned foods as much as possible.
Prepare a varied menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It also includes some snacks; These help to keep the metabolism active.
In this way you can create a healthier eating habit that allows you to control blood sugar levels and thus insulin acts in your body naturally, and without those unwanted ups and downs.
Do not forget your check-ups with your doctor and ask about the best options in terms of diet and lifestyle for better health.
And if you need more help, contact us and we will gladly help you create a personalized meal plan. I also invite you to visit my website www.healthybitez.com with tips on nutrition, health, some recipes.
