Best Diet for Prediabetes to Reverse it Faster

Prediabetes does not mean you are in line for type 2 diabetes, it means that you’ve got some time to take the right steps and reverse your condition to normal.

Yes! It is possible to reverse prediabetes if you focus on the three basic steps:

• Take your diagnosis seriously and start acting right away
• Modifying the diet according to your condition
• Make necessary lifestyle changes such as being physically active and reducing stress.

What can Diet Do for Prediabetes – What is The Link?

Prediabetes has an important link with the food you eat. Because the more you eat, the more glucose you have in your body.

That excess glucose is stored as fats and excess abdominal fat leads to inflammation, hormonal imbalance, and insulin resistance.

So, all of this starts with the food you eat. That’s why there is a big link between prediabetes and diet.

Your genes also play a role in prediabetes and diabetes, but then again obesity interferes with the role of genes too.

So whatever factor caused your condition, somehow it’s linked with the diet. Even if it doesn’t, prevention and management are highly dependent on the diet.

What is the Best Diet for Prediabetes?

Many diets are being recommended for the management of prediabetes. Some of the most popular ones are:

• Mediterranean Diet
• Low-carb diet
• Low GI diet
• Vegetarian diets
• High protein diet

But none of them is suggested or simply tagged as the “BEST” diet for prediabetes. This is because it is not the diet that matters, it’s your effort, consistency, food choices, and your activity levels that actually bring the change.

Here, we will go through different diets for prediabetes and compare their results. We will also suggest some ways you can make your diet the most effective.

The Mediterranean Diet for Prediabetes:

The Mediterranean diet refers to the eating habits of the countries that border the Mediterranean Sea. It is a diet influenced by people’s eating habits in the Mediterranean region.

However, food habits differ significantly across these regions due to a variety of factors such as culture, agriculture, and geography.

As a result, there is no single standard Mediterranean diet. However, certain characteristics unify the concept of this diet plan.

Fruits and vegetables are abundant in a typical Mediterranean diet. Furthermore, it contains beans, legumes, nuts, whole-grain foods, and seeds.

This staple diet includes the use of olive oil. Furthermore, people on the Mediterranean diet consume moderate amounts of fish, dairy, and poultry products.

Their diet is low in refined flour, oils, processed foods, and canned foods.

Studies suggest that long-term consumption of a Mediterranean diet that is rich in olive oil improves endothelial cell function, maintains blood glucose levels, and can be used as a treatment for people with diabetes, prediabetes, and heart disease. [Ref]

Low-carb Diet for Prediabetes:

While low-carb diets are frequently recommended for those being treated for diabetes, there has previously been little evidence on whether eating fewer carbs can affect blood sugar levels in people with diabetes or prediabetes who aren’t taking medications.

In a study, the researchers compared two groups: one assigned to a low-carb diet and the other to their regular diet.

When compared to the control group, the low-carb diet group had greater drops in haemoglobinA1c, a blood sugar level marker, after six months.

The group that followed a low-carbohydrate diet also lost weight and had lower fasting glucose levels. [Ref]

If a low-carb diet is followed consistently, it may be a useful approach for preventing and treating prediabetes.

Low-GI Diet for Prediabetes:

A low-GI diet is an expanded version of the low-carb diet. This diet can be combined with other diets to get the best results.

In a low-GI diet, the main aim is to consume foods that have a low glycemic index. This helps to maintain blood glucose levels and to avoid occasional spikes which are often observed in patients with prediabetes and type-2 diabetes.

In a prospective study, 640 prediabetic adults were included which followed a low-GI diet, the study results concluded that in prediabetics, consumption of high GI foods is directly associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. [Ref]

Vegetarian Diet for Prediabetes:

A vegetarian diet composed of unprocessed foods can provide many health benefits for people with prediabetes.

Plant-based foods that are included in the vegetarian diet are particularly fruits and vegetables, nuts, pulses, and seeds, these foods have been shown to aid in the treatment of prediabetes and diabetes.

A wholefood vegetarian diet typically has fewer calories and can also assist you in maintaining a healthy body weight.

Studies suggest that consuming more plant-based and less animal-based diets is associated with a lower risk of insulin resistance, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes. [Ref]

High-protein Diet for Prediabetes:

Some studies have suggested that high-protein diets can be beneficial to reverse prediabetes.

This is because a high-protein diet has been linked to improved insulin sensitivity as it increases GLP-1 and GIP. It also improves the beta cell function and other metabolic parameters

That’s why a high-protein diet can be beneficial but you cannot just start taking high-protein meals without any focus on carbohydrates and fats. Because carbs are the major source of glucose and fat has a major role in weight gain.

So, a high-protein diet should only be combined with other diets to get better results otherwise it won’t be completely beneficial for people with prediabetes.

Simple Ways to Make Your Diet Effective

All the above-mentioned diets can be beneficial if they are not too restrictive and are followed consistently.

Here are some key facts that should be kept in mind while following any diet for prediabetes:

• Keep in mind the factors that have made you come this way. That is primarily excessive weight and no physical activity. So, with any plan, you also need to be consistent with your daily exercise goals. And moderate calorie restriction to achieve weight loss
• Never completely restrict any macronutrient. Be it your carbs, protein, or fat.
• Whatever plan you follow, never forget to count your carbs in each meal so that you never cause any meal to spike up your sugar levels
• Portion control is the most important factor in every diet which is often ignored.
• Along with all this, reduce stress, maintain normal hydration status and get proper sleep.