The ultimate prediabetes overview, including what the diagnosis means for you, what you may be experiencing, and what treatment options you have with a special focus on the prediabetes diet.
What Is This Prediabetes Diagnosis?
What exactly is prediabetes? Will it turn into diabetes? Will prediabetes go away?
Prediabetes is when your blood glucose, or blood sugar, is running higher than normal. Your blood glucose naturally increases and decreases over the course of a day as you burn and take in energy. But when it stays higher than normal for longer periods, this can cause health problems like a higher risk of stroke and heart attack.
If you have prediabetes, your insulin is not responding normally to glucose. Insulin is a hormone needed to remove glucose from your blood to make energy for your body. Your blood glucose can remain high after you eat if your pancreas doesn’t release enough insulin or your insulin isn’t working quite like it should.
Prediabetes Tests and Result Ranges
How do you know if your glucose is in the prediabetes range?
Your may have had one of the following blood tests that measure your risk for prediabetes:
Note: These are the levels for the United States. Diagnostic criteria varies country to country.
A fasting blood glucose takes a snapshot of the glucose in your bloodstream at the instant your blood was drawn for your test. This is a very common lab test. If your level was between 100 – 125 mg/dl (5.6 – 5.9 mmol/L), you fall into the prediabetes range based on current standards.
Hemoglobin A1c also measures glucose, but in a different way. This test (your A1c) looks at the red blood cells and what percentage of them are covered with glucose. It’s normal for some glucose to be attached, but too much may indicate higher than normal glucose levels for longer periods of your day. If your A1c was between 5.7 – 6.4%, you would be considered in the prediabetes range. This is also a very normal test to have done as part of your annual physical.
The oral glucose tolerance test is another way to test glucose levels. This test is more time consuming because they will be checking your response to a standardized glucose-containing drink. You will be provided with a test solution and have your glucose tested at the two hour mark. The prediabetes range is when your glucose level is still 140 – 199 mg/dL after two hours.
Prediabetes Symptoms
You may be wondering “Why didn’t I know I had prediabetes? I didn’t feel any different.”
One of the reasons that prediabetes goes unnoticed by many is that there are usually no symptoms.
This means that you could have prediabetes for years and not know.
Without regular blood tests and your knowledge of the prediabetes ranges for blood glucose or hemoglobin A1c, you may not know your blood glucose is staying high and causing damage to your body.
Without common symptoms, what can you watch out for?
Monitoring your blood work is a currently the best way to watch for prediabetes. Continue getting your annual (or more frequent) blood work and keep in close contact with your doctor regarding these numbers.
Already know you have prediabetes? Finish reading this prediabetes overview and check out my Prediabetes Resource Library so you know what you can do!
If you notice that your fasting blood glucose or hemoglobin A1c are creeping up, be sure to take note. Consider why those numbers may be increasing and discuss your options with your doctor or medical team.
Your doctor may not always reach out to discuss your lab results in the prediabetes range. So it’s extra important to know the ranges and what that means for your health.
Prediabetes Treatment
Prediabetes can be reversed, but many lifestyle changes will likely be necessary. Medications may be needed in some cases. Let’s go over the two categories of treatment in this prediabetes overview:
Prediabetes Medication
While lifestyle changes are more likely to result in successful reversal of prediabetes, sometimes medications may be needed.
You may need medications if you’ve already made lifestyle changes without improvement in your fasting glucose or hemoglobin A1c.
The most common medication prescribed for prediabetes is metformin.
If your doctor prescribes a medication to help you manage your glucose, you will still likely need to make changes to your lifestyle in order to lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes in your lifestyle and preventing or delaying complications associated with high blood glucose.
Feel like you need help with making these changes? Check out my Prediabetes Resource Library to learn how you can adjust your lifestyle without giving up everything you love!
Prediabetes Diet (& Lifestyle!)
Changes or improvement in your diet (and lifestyle!) will likely be necessary as part of your prediabetes treatment plan.
We will cover the basics in this prediabetes overview.
The exact changes you’ll need to make will vary based on your individual needs.
Key Points for Lifestyle Changes in this Prediabetes Overview
Here are a few of the key points to consider when looking at changes to what you eat and drink:
Eat more non-starchy vegetables
These vegetables are so important for our health. They help us include more fiber, vitamins, and minerals in a low calorie package. Many have a high water content as well, which can help us feel more satisfied with our meals and snacks because of the increased volume.
In addition, non-starchy vegetables are low in total carbohydrates, which means they have a minimal impact on your blood glucose.
Choose whole foods whenever possible
Eating more whole foods and limiting ultraprocessed options can help you manage your glucose. You’ll know what goes into your foods and will be avoiding ingredients that could be impacting your glucose without your knowledge.
An example would be choosing a bowl of oatmeal with apples and cinnamon instead of a flavored instant oatmeal packet.
Minimize added sugars and refined grains
Added sugars and refined grains provide carbohydrates that quickly break down into glucose in our bodies. This means they will cause a bigger spike in glucose than a whole grain or complex carbohydrate.
Examples of added sugars include table sugar, honey, molasses, high fructose corn syrup or corn syrup, maple syrup, date syrup, and so much more!
Refined grains are usually white products like white rice, white bread, or white pasta. However, some other include many flour and corn tortillas, many cereals and crackers, and instant oatmeal.
Include a variety of lean meats or plant-based proteins
Protein can help you manage your glucose, especially if you eat it before you eat your carbohydrate-dense foods!
Make sure to choose a variety of protein sources. If you’re choosing to include meats and poultry, try to stick with leaner options!
Try including some plant-based proteins too, like beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds. These plant-based options can help you manage your glucose, even though they have carbohydrates.
Prediabetes Overview: Diabetes Plate Method
The four key points above are important concepts to remember when it comes to choosing meals and snacks. This doesn’t tell you what to eat though!
The diabetes plate method is a low-stress method you can try to help you plan meals.
To follow the diabetes plate method, you’ll choose non-starchy vegetables for half of your meal. Then you’ll choose a lean protein and a carbohydrate-dense food to each fit into a quarter of your meal.
This method allows you to choose foods you already know you love, but you may have to change how much of each you eat.
The key with all of these changes to impact your carbohydrate intake.
This doesn’t mean you have you have to follow a low or very low carbohydrate diet.
Instead, focus on choosing quality carbohydrates like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and dairy products over highly processed foods.
This can help you limit your intake of added sugars and refined carbohydrates.
Prediabetes Overview: Will I Be Able to to Reverse Prediabetes?
I believe you can, but only you can decide!
Keep in mind that there are some factors out of your control. Your genetics and age cannot be changed, yet they can impact your risk. Lifestyle changes you make cannot directly impact these risk factors. However, lifestyle factors can still greatly impact your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, even if you have genetics or other unmodifiable risk factors working against you.
Do you still have questions or need support for managing your glucose even after reading this prediabetes overview? I have two great options for you!
To provide you with a safe space for support and all your questions. I’ve created a free Facebook group, called Prediabetes Support Group (Dietitian Hosted). I would love to have you join us!
Want to figure out exactly which lifestyle changes could help you the most? Check out my Beat Prediabetes Resource Library! My resource library covers tons of topics and includes worksheets to help you stay on track.
These resources can help you understand exactly what steps you should be taking to improve your fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1c, insulin resistance, and insulin sensitivity. And that means you’ll be on your way to understanding how to reverse prediabetes!
Leave a Reply