Pre-diabetes diet food list to reverse pre-diabetes
The results from my latest A1c test show that my numbers were a little high – over 5.6 % but still within the pre-diabetes range. I was somewhat surprised by this because I thought I was eating correctly for my activity level. I eat plenty of fruits and veggies and had one cheat day per week. I exercise five days per week and make sure to include both cardio and resistance types of workout each time.
I am convinced that my diet is to blame for the A1c results and will need some tweaking going forward. For the next few months or until my next check up I will be following a stricter pre-diabetes diet plan. You see, I thought I could get away with having some extra cheats during the week. I also did notice my pants waist getting a little tighter in-spite of my activity levels.
Time to upgrade my pre-diabetes diet food list
My daily food intake went like this –
A typical day’s diet started with two types of fruit – either an orange and a banana or bananas and some seasonal fruit, a cup of tea and an occasional slice of toast.
For brunch I had either a protein smoothie or a meal of chicken and veggies with a small portion of carbohydrate (rice, pasta or some form of potatoes). I snacked on nuts and sugar sweetened fruits bits throughout the day.
I made sure to include a yogurt at some point during the day – afternoon or before I go to bed. My dinner consisted of a protein source along with some green veggies and a portion of carbs.
To reverse pre-diabetes you need to be more vigilant
Although I was being careful to follow a pre-diabetes diet food plan there were some blatant mistakes I made with my eating plan.
For starters, I ate out once per week. Whenever someone else prepares your food there is a potential problem. Sugar is added to so many food items we consume that we have become numb to its presence. For example, if you have a salad with your meal you’ll usually add a dressing to it. If you are not careful you could be adding a source of sugar to your salad.
I have gotten use to having a drink with my meals – lemonade or an after meal alcohol drink – another source of sugar.
Commercial eateries make their foods in bulk and sugar is one of the main ingredients on most of their menu selections. You find it in items such as marinades, paste or sauces.
I usually have a yogurt during the day. This is another source of sugar. After reading the label I discovered that my favorite brand has sugar as one of its main ingredient.
My healthy snacks were also sabotaging my change in lifestyle. You see, the fruit snacks and nuts I ate for my in between meals cravings have hidden sugars as part of their ingredient.
Reverse pre-diabetes by being more mindful
If your sugar levels have been creeping up lately here are some changes you can make starting today.
- Know what’s in the foods you are eating. Become a label reader. Most packaged foods have sugar as one of their ingredients.
- Choose low-glycemic fruits to satisfy your sugar needs.
- When eating out choose eateries that offer healthy food choices. Be sue to tell your server how you want your meals prepared.
- Eat heavy meals at least three to four hours before going to sleep. One of the worst things we do to our bodies is eat a heavy meal and then go to bed shortly thereafter.
- Be sure to give your body and mind at least seven hours of rest and recovery (sleep) each day.
- Stay hydrated throughout the day. Your drink of choice should be water. Avoid sweetened drinks like the plague. I try not to drink from plastic bottles. I get my water from a charcoal-filter water source I store in my refrigerator.
- Do a pantry and refrigerator clean – Periodically go throughout all the places you store food. Get rid of anything that is not part of a pre-diabetes diet food plan.
- If you have been exercising at the same pace each day then it’s time to ramp it up. I do HIIT (high intensity interval training) three days per week and work a different muscle group five days each week. Be sure to do abdominals two to three days each week as part of your workout routine.
Can you think of any other changes you can make to normalize your sugar levels?
I made the above changes and I am sure my next check-up will show improved numbers.