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What are some good foods to eat for someone who is pre-diabetic?

 

A person with pre-diabetes can follow a diabetes meal plan with great success. Most recommendations for diabetes are applicable for pre-diabetes.

Basically, the best foods to eat (in portioned amounts) are:

  • Fruits and vegetables of all colors
  • High fiber/whole grain carbohydrates
  • Lean/low-fat meat and dairy products
  • Heart healthy fats (olive/canola oil/nuts/seeds/nut butters)

Basic suggestions:

  • Always include fiber and protein with your carbohydrates. This slows down the absorption of carbohydrates and thereby prevents a spike in blood sugar. For example, instead of just light popcorn, add 1 tbsp of parmesan cheese to the popcorn (fiber, protein, carbs), an apple or whole grain cracker with peanut butter (fiber, protein, carbs), turkey meatballs with pasta, etc.
  • Aim to get a minimum of 25 grams of fiber/day. Aim to get this from fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains.
  • Increase physical activity.  In fact, just 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity, coupled with a 5-10% reduction in body weight, produced a 58% reduction in diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association completed a Diabetes Prevention Program and found that making healthy changes to ones diet and increasing physical activity could prevent pre-diabetes from developing into Type 2 Diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association also has a position statement on the Prevention and Delay of Type 2 Diabetes which provides more in-depth explanations and suggestions. http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/suppl_1/s47.full.pdf+html

One way that Market Street can assist you is with our Heart Healthy Diabetes Management (HHDM) Nutrition Tag. Our HHDM identifies products throughout our store that have 3 grams of fat or less, 1 gram of saturated fat or less, 0 grams of trans fat,  480 mg of sodium or less, 20 mg of cholesterol or less and at least 3 grams of fiber for one serving.

Lastly, I'd encourage you, if you haven't already,to meet with a Registered Dietitian (RD) and preferably a RD that specializes in diabetes (Certified Diabetes Educator - CDE). Here is a link to finding a CDE in your area: http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/home_21343_ENU_HTML.htm. An RD can provide you with individual attention on how to manage pre-diabetes and prevent Type 2 Diabetes.

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Alicia M. Brown, MS, RD, CSSD, LD
Health & Wellness Marketing Manager

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Tyra M. Carter
Tyra M. Carter, PhD, RD, LD

Corporate Dietitian

Dr. Tyra Carter, PhD, RD, LD focuses on helping our guests get the most for their money through wise shopping tips and economical meal planning. She takes complex nutrition information and... more»

Alicia M. Brown
Alicia M. Brown, MS, RD, CSSD, LD

Health & Wellness Marketing Manager

Alicia Brown, MS, RD, CSSD, LD is responsible for educating team members, store guests and community groups on issues relating to... more»

This information is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult your health care provider for individual advice.

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