Pre-Diabetes: The Surprising Truth & HEART Health and Weight Loss
Prediabetes health weight loss. Written by: Sandra Gultry, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Weight Loss and Health Coach who resides in Orlando, Florida.
Alarming statistics about Diabetes:
In 2021, 38.4 million Americans, or 11.6% of the population, had diabetes.
- Two million Americans have type 1 diabetes, including about 304,000 children and adolescents.
- Of the 38.4 million adults with diabetes, 29.7 million were diagnosed, and 8.7 million were undiagnosed.
- 2 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes every year.
- In 2021, 97.6 million Americans age 18 and older had prediabetes.
- About 352,000 Americans under age 20 are estimated to have diagnosed diabetes, approximately 0.35% of that population.
The rates of diagnosed diabetes in adults by race/ethnic background are:
- 6% of American Indians/Alaskan Native adults
- 1% of non-Hispanic black adults
- 7% of Hispanic adults
- 1% of Asian American adults
- 9% of non-Hispanic white adults
It’s real.
It’s common.
And most importantly, it’s reversible.
You can prevent or delay prediabetes from developing into type 2 Diabetes.
Prediabetes Is a Big Deal. Don’t let the “pre” fool you—prediabetes is a serious health condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as diabetes.
Prediabetes puts you at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Read more about this “All Important” topic as I dish out one surprising truth about prediabetes and two simple proven lifestyle changes that you can make to stay healthy and the importance of keeping your weight in check.
Surprising Truth #1: Prediabetes Flies Under the Radar (Prediabetes, health, and weight loss)
You can have prediabetes for years but have no clear symptoms, so it often goes undetected until serious health problems show up.
That’s why it’s important to talk to your doctor about getting your blood sugar tested if you have any of the risk factors for prediabetes, which include:
- Being overweight (One marker is BMI 25 to 29.9)
- Being 45 years or older
- Having a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes
- Being physically active less than 3 times a week
- History of gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) or giving birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds
Race and ethnicity are also a factor: African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, Pacific Islanders, and some Asian Americans are at higher risk.
Surprising Truth #2:Prediabetes = Pre VENT diabetes (Prediabetes, health, and weight loss)
Think of prediabetes as a fork in the road:
Ignore it (or don’t manage it properly like restricting carbs), and your risk for type 2 diabetes goes up. (going to the left)
OR
Lose a modest amount of weight and get regular physical activity, and your risk goes down. (going to the right)
Modest weight loss means 5% to 7% of body weight, just 10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person.
Regular physical activity means getting at least 150 minutes a week of brisk walking (15 minute/mile) or similar activity. This equates to just 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
Don’t Miss this: With the right support, pre-diabetes is reversible in 3 months. Maintaining blood sugar levels between 5.7 and 6.4 for 1, 2 and 3+ years is NOT normal, progress or desirable. I do fault doctor’s when they don’t stress the importance of working with a dietitian. Let’s partner together (or find another dietitian) to reverse the numbers and get you back in good health.
Lifestyle Change #1 : Eating more fiber-rich foods (Prediabetes, health, and weight loss)
Fiber offers several benefits. It helps you feel fuller, longer. Fiber adds bulk to your diet, making bowel movements easier to pass.
Eating fiber-rich foods can make you less likely to overeat. They also help you avoid the “crash” that can come from eating a high sugar food. These types of foods will often give you a big boost of energy, but make you feel tired shortly after.
Examples of high-fiber foods include:
- beans and legumes
- fruits and vegetables that have an edible skin (where fiber resides)
- whole grain such as breads, quinoa or barley, cereals (Example: plain oatmeal, cold cereal like FiberOne Honey Clusters), or pasta (portion control is key)
Lifestyle Change #2: Eat lean meats (Prediabetes, health, and weight loss)
Meat doesn’t contain carbohydrates, but it can be a significant source of saturated fat in your diet. Eating a lot of fatty meat can lead to high cholesterol levels.
If you have prediabetes, a diet low in saturated fat and (everyone) trans fat can help reduce your risk of heart disease. It’s recommended that you avoid cuts of meat with visible fat or skin.
Choose protein sources such as the following:
- chicken without skin
- (limit egg yolk to one per day) / egg substitute or egg whites
- beans and legumes
- soybean products, such as tofu and tempeh
- fish, such as cod, flounder, haddock, halibut, tuna, trout or and powerhouse salmon (wild caught for fish)
- lean beef cuts, such as flank steak, ground round, tenderloin, and roast with fat trimmed (for ground beef/turkey 90% lean or higher)
- shellfish, such as crab, lobster, shrimp, or scallops
- turkey without skin
- low fat regular or Greek yogurt (preference, both healthy options)
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