What To Do If You Are Pre Diabetic

Why Is Prediabetes Bad For My Health

If youve been told you are prediabetic, this is a warning that you are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and as a result are more likely to have heart disease or a stroke. Its estimated that12.3 millionpeople in the UK are in this category. Being at risk doesnt mean youll definitely develop type 2 diabetes, but it does mean that without changes to your diet and lifestyle you are more likely to.

If you do developtype 2 diabetes, it can significantly impact the quality of your life and reduce your life expectancy. Thats because people with persistently high blood sugar are at risk of damaging their blood vessels and overtime this may lead to issues such as kidney failure, blindness and serious nerve damage.

That said, there are lots of things you can do to reduce your riskor delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Reduce Calorie And Fat Intake

Research has shown that losing 5 to 7 percent of your body weight can help decrease blood glucose levels and help other health goals, such as improving blood pressure, raising HDL and lowering triglycerides. You can accomplish this goal by consuming fruits, vegetables and whole grains and staying away from processed foods. Nutritionists often recommend sticking with a variety of food, so that your taste buds wont get bored and you can continue a healthy diet.

Yellow Reddish Or Brown Patches On Your Skin

Necrobiosis Lipoidica

This skin condition often begins as small raised solid bumps that look like pimples. As it progresses, these bumps turn into patches of swollen and hard skin. The patches can be yellow, reddish, or brown.

You may also notice:

• The surrounding skin has a shiny porcelain-like appearance
• You can see blood vessels
• The skin is itchy and painful
• The skin disease goes through cycles where it is active, inactive, and then active again

necrobiosis lipodica.

Take action

• Get tested for diabetes, if you have not been diagnosed.
• Work with your doctor to better control your diabetes.
• See a dermatologist about your skin. Necorbiosis lipodica is harmless, but it can lead to complications.

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Signs And Risk Factors For Prediabetes

You can have prediabetes for years but have no clear symptoms, so it often goes undetected until serious health problems such as type 2 diabetes show up. About 88 million adults in the United States live with prediabetes, but as many as 85% of people with the disease are unaware of it.

The American Diabetes Association recommends that most adults begin diabetes screening at the age of 45. If you are younger than 45 but have excessive belly fat or live a sedentary lifestyle you may want to assess your diabetes risk.

If you or a loved one is concerned about prediabetes take a;CDC risk assessment. The test takes about one minute and allows you to print a copy of your results so you can review the results with your doctor.;

The risk factors for diabetes include:;

• Being overweight

What About The Glycemic Index

The GI ranks food according to how much it spikes your blood sugar. In general, experts donât think itâs a great tool for people with prediabetes. It can be really confusing. And you might leave out foods that are healthy. Instead, itâs better to make sure your meals and snacks are a mix of carbohydrates, fats, and protein. If youâre not sure how to do that, ask your doctor or dietitian.

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What Are Examples Of Good Food Choices For A Prediabetes Diet

Choosing quality fats and proteins means choosing real food rather than processed versions. Believe it or not, a serving of organic full-fat Greek yogurt with real raspberries will be much more satisfying, and better for your blood sugar and weight, than the fat-free fruity version.

Good protein choices include:

• Dark meat from pastured poultry

Check labels because hydrogenated fats are often are used in packaged bakery products.

Whole Grains And Starches

Grains and starches make up an important part of your diet for pre-diabetes. The amount you need depends on age, sex and activity level but for health and weight management, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommends you make at least half of your grain and starch choices whole grain. For everyone age 9 and over, this amounts to three to five servings or more of whole grains every day.

A whole-grain food has more fiber than a refined grain food. Fiber in food takes longer to digest helping you to feel satiated longer. Good grain and starch choices for pre-diabetics include:

• Whole-wheat bread

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Best Diet Plan To Reverse Prediabetes

A great thing about;prediabetes;is that it is often reversible. In most cases, you do not even need medications, all you may need are the right;diet plan, additional;healthy lifestyle;choices such as exercising and avoiding smoking, and a lot of dedication and patience.

There is no single best;diet;plan for prediabetes. If you ask 100 people, What is the best diet for prediabetes?, you may get 100 different answers and they may all be correct.

Your plan should help you control your weight, provide the nutrients and;healthy foods;you need to lower risk for diabetes and other chronic diseases, and fit into your lifestyle so that you can make it work for the long term.

There are guideline to healthy eating when you have prediabetes, which well go over below.

No Cost Health Kit To Lower Your Risk Of Diabetes

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Talk To Your Doctor About Managing Your Prediabetes

This may seem like a no-brainer, but make sure you work with your primary care physician to manage your symptoms. Dr. Jones says, In some cases prediabetes can be managed through changes to nutrition and physical activity. Other people may benefit from a drug to help manage blood sugar levels. Your doctor can also help you learn how to take your own blood sugar so you can monitor yourself between visits.

Whatever you do, dont ignore prediabetes. Be proactive and take charge of your health. Make changes to your lifestyle and work with your doctor to help control your blood sugar. Youll feel better, and youll help prevent diabetes.

Being Diagnosed With Prediabetes Doesnt Mean You Will Develop Diabetes Your Doctor Can Help You Come Up With An Effective Plan To Keep Your Blood Sugar Low So That You Can Keep Diabetes Away For Good

Prediabetes, the common precursor to diabetes, affects more than 86 million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.;An estimated 90 percent of people with prediabetes dont even realize they have this condition. Experts also estimate that three out of four people with prediabetes will eventually develop diabetes.

The good news, however, is that once your doctor determines that your blood sugar is high enough to be classified as prediabetes , there are plenty of preventive measures you can take to stop the onset of full diabetes. The window of opportunity to prevent or slow the progression of prediabetes to type 2 diabetes is about three to six years.

Make sure you take the following steps to be on the right path to fight prediabetes and take the appropriate steps to lower your blood sugar level.

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Get Screened For Sleep Apnea

Many people with prediabetes also suffer from sleep apnea but don’t know it. Treating these folks with a CPAP device at nightwhich blows a constant pressure of air through a tube and face mask, keeping your airways openimproves blood sugar levels and lowers your diabetes risk, according to a 2015 University of Chicago study published in the medical journal American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. If you snore or don’t feel well rested despite regularly getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep, ask your primary care doc for a referral to a sleep specialist.

Common Medication That Can Help Treat Prediabetes

If you need medication to help manage your prediabetes, your doctor will most likely prescribe;Glucophage , Whelan explains. Metformin reduces how much glucose your liver makes and can also lower insulin resistance. Also, people with prediabetes are often prescribed medication to help them manage their;hypertension, if applicable, Whelan says.

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The Right Prediabetes Diet

What is the best, or right prediabetes diet? That may be a burning question on your mind if you have been recently;diagnosed;with;prediabetes;, or if you have known about your prediabetes for a while now.

The good news about prediabetes is that it is reversible, meaning you can prevent the progression of type 2 diabetes. The Mayo Clinic states that by following a healthier diet by eating nutritious foods and adding daily activity to your routine, you can regulate your blood sugar.

• So What Is the Healthiest Diet for Prediabetes?

Worst Desserts: Cheesecake Sorbet Frozen Yogurt

Its not hard to understand why cheesecake is one of the foods to avoid for prediabetes. Have you looked at the nutrition facts for cheesecake? Its really scary, says Weisenberger. For one, slices are rich in saturated fat, which can impair insulin sensitivity, plus a portion packs 27 grams of sugar, more than a woman should eat in an entire day. Weisenberger also isnt a fan of the other side of the spectrum: fat-free desserts like sorbet or frozen yogurt. These contain a ton of added sugar that increases your blood sugar but offers minimum nutrition, she says.

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The Right Diet For Prediabetes

• Takeaway

What is prediabetes?

A prediabetes diagnosis can be alarming. This condition is marked by abnormally high blood sugar most often due to insulin resistance. This is a condition in which the body doesnt use insulin properly. Its often a precursor to type 2 diabetes.

According to the Mayo Clinic, people with prediabetes are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. With prediabetes, you may also be at risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

However, a prediabetes diagnosis doesnt mean youll definitely get type 2 diabetes. The key is early intervention to get your blood sugar out of the prediabetes range. Your diet is important, and you need to know the right kind of foods to eat.

Ketogenic Diet For Prediabetes

A;ketogenic diet;is a type of low-carbohydrate diet that is on the extreme end. The goal is to limit;carbohydrates;so much that the body does not have enough glucose a type of carbohydrate to fuel the brain normally. Instead, the body shifts to a metabolic state called ketosis, and produces ketone bodies to fuel the brains activities.

The theory behind a ketogenic diet for prediabetes is that when your body is in;ketosis, you can be sure that you do not have excess carbohydrates in your diet. Since carbohydrates in your diet are broken down into glucose that goes into your bloodstream, being in ketosis assures that you are not inundating your bloodstream with excessive amounts of glucose due to the foods you eat.

A ketogenic diet for prediabetes;might include about 20 to 50 grams per day of non-fiber carbohydrates, or about 5 to 10% of total calories from carbohydrates. The rest of your calories come from fat and;protein. The food choices on this diet are similar to those on other low-carb diets, but you may need to further restrict some of the moderate-carbohydrate options that might be easier to fit in on a more moderate low-carb diet. Examples include fruit and;starchy vegetables;.

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Why Smoking And Prediabetes Are A Deadly Combination

Smoking;can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, especially if youve already been diagnosed with prediabetes. In fact, it can decrease blood from flowing to your muscles and elevate stress levels all of which increases your risk of insulin resistance. Preliminary research also suggests nicotine may affect blood sugar control.

Here are some proven ways you can quit smoking:

• Individual, group, or telephone counseling
• Treatment delivered via a mobile phone
• Nicotine replacement products, like over-the-counter nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges, or prescription inhalers or nasal sprays

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What Is A Prediabetes Diet

A diet for prediabetes looks a lot different than a typical American one. I like to tell my clients to reserve half of your plate for vegetables, a quarter of your plate for protein, and a quarter of your plate for healthy carbohydrates, such as whole grains and fruit, says McKittrick.;

A person with prediabetes should not eat processed carbohydrates that are high in sugar, but instead get carbohydrates from whole grains, fruits, legumes, and starchy vegetables . If you want to cut out;carbs, you certainly can, but you dont have to, McKittrick says. They taste good, they give you energy, and usually it’s not sustainable to give them up completely.;

Also shoot for;25-30-grams of fiber;from food each day, as fiber-rich foods such as oatmeal and crunchy vegetables improve insulin resistance and keep you fuller, longer.

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Increase Your Fiber Intake

Getting the recommended daily amount of fiber in your diet can help control blood glucose levels.

Most people dont get the recommended intake of;25 to 30 grams of dietary fiber per day, says Leigh Tracy, RD, a dietitian and diabetes educator at the Center for Endocrinology at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore. Increasing their intake of non-starchy vegetables to half a plate at both lunch and dinner is a great way to get to reach that goal.

Choose The Right Foods

Dr. Hamdys research shows that those who followed a Mediterranean eating plan, without restricting calories, showed a greater improvement in glycemic control and insulin sensitivity than those who followed other diets.

Foods such as oats, whole grains, yogurt and dairy products, green leafy vegetables, apples, blueberries, walnuts, brown rice and legumes are associated with a reduced diabetes risk, Dr. Hamdy explains. Its important to eat protein such as fish, chicken and turkey, whole grains and dairy.

He also recommends using the glycemic index as a tool to determine how certain foods can affect your blood sugar. The index ranks foods on a scale from 1 to 100. Foods that are high on the GI, such as those with lots of processed carbohydrates, will raise your blood sugar faster. Foods ranked lower on the GI scalesuch as those rich in fiber, protein, and fatmore gradually raise blood sugar levels. The American Diabetes Association offers more information on the GI as well as diabetes-friendly recipes.

And dont forget to practice portion control. Consider switching to a smaller plate and drinking a full glass of water with every meal to curb your appetite.

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Choose Your Carbs Carefully

Be careful about the kinds of carbohydrates you eat and spread them evenly throughout the day.; Remember, it is important to control your portions and not overeat!

Healthier choices:

Whole grains , beans, lentils, fruits, and non-starchy vegetables .

Minimize intake of:

White bread, white rice, pasta, pastries, potatoes, sugared soda, highly processed foods . Remember, the more processed a food is, the less fiber, vitamins, and minerals it has leaving behind mostly starch.

Avoid:

Pastries, sugared soda, highly processed foods !; These foods are mostly empty calories with no nutritional value which can add extra calories to your diet.

After Diagnosis With Prediabetes

If you are diagnosed with prediabetes following tips from the CDC-led;National Diabetes Prevention Program can help you make lifestyle changes that stick. The program has helped people lover their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by nearly 60% .

Contact a health professional immediately if you are feeling general symptoms of diabetes including:

• Increased hunger

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What Are The Treatments For Prediabetes

If you catch it early, prediabetes can usually be reversed with;diet;and exercise. Depending on how high your blood sugar is when youre first diagnosed, your doctor might elect to put you on one medication or a combination in order to get your glucose back down to a healthy level.

Going on medication for prediabetes treatment is not cut and dry, Antonucci says. Your blood sugar levels, A1C, medical history, and other complications might put you in a situation where medication should be added to your treatment plan to avoid type 2 its case by case, so work with your doctor to arrive at the best treatment for you.

Diabetes: 12 Warning Signs That Appear On Your Skin

Diabetes can affect many parts of your body, including your skin. When diabetes affects the skin, its often a sign that your blood sugar levels are too high. This could mean that:

• You have undiagnosed diabetes, or pre-diabetes

• Your treatment for diabetes needs to be adjusted

If you notice any of the following warning signs on your skin, its time to talk with your doctor.

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