{"id":1645564,"date":"2021-05-11T09:49:37","date_gmt":"2021-05-11T14:49:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/?p=1645564"},"modified":"2023-10-27T02:44:42","modified_gmt":"2023-10-27T07:44:42","slug":"everything-about-prediabetic-diet-nutritionist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/article\/everything-about-prediabetic-diet-nutritionist\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything You Need to Know About a Prediabetic Diet, According to a Nutritionist"},"content":{"rendered":"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. has prediabetes<\/a> and more than 84% of those people don't know they have it. Like having poor eating habits, prediabetes can also increase your risk for developing type 2 diabetes.\r\n\r\nFortunately, type 2 diabetes is preventable\u2014and a prediabetic diet can help.\r\n\r\nAccording to the American Diabetes Association<\/a>, early action is key for people who have prediabetes or are borderline diabetic. Lifestyle changes play a definite role in getting blood sugars back into a normal range.\r\n

What Is Prediabetes?<\/h2>\r\nWhat you eat and drink affects your blood sugar levels. Eating a lot of refined carbohydrates, as well as frequently drinking sugary beverages, can cause your blood sugar to rise. If your fasting blood sugar is high but not considered high enough to have type 2 diabetes, that's considered prediabetes.\r\n\r\nLook out for signs for prediabetes<\/a>, like being excessively thirsty, losing weight without trying or urinating frequently. Annual blood tests can also help you keep track of your blood sugar trends from year to year.\r\n\r\nLearn more about the foods to avoid when you have prediabetes.<\/a>\r\n

Can I Eat Sugar If I'm Prediabetic?<\/h2>\r\nYes, the good news is that you can have sugar on a prediabetic diet. However, the type of sugar and how much sugar you eat play a role in controlling blood sugar levels. There are naturally occurring sugars found in foods with nutritional value, such as plain milk products (lactose) and whole fruits (fructose). You may also know that carbohydrate-rich foods like pasta, rice and bread contain starch, which converts to glucose in the body.\r\n\r\nIn order to improve blood sugar levels, choose carbohydrates with less added sugar and more fiber, like whole grains, fruit and vegetables. The American Heart Association<\/a> recommends that adults limit added sugar to 6 teaspoons a day (about 100 calories) for women and 9 teaspoons a day (about 150 calories) for men.\r\n

Counting Carbs for Prediabetes<\/h2>\r\nYour carbohydrate-rich foods, such as starchy vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas and corn), fruits, grains, milk, yogurt and beans, peas and lentils (also called pulses), affect blood sugar levels. It's important to monitor how much carbohydrate you eat throughout the day to manage your blood sugar.\r\n\r\nA prediabetic diet is optimized by understanding how to portion control carbohydrates throughout the day. If you understand how to count carbohydrates, it's a cinch to keep your blood sugar in a healthy range! The number or grams of carbohydrates is counted based on serving size of a food. What does a serving of carbohydrates look like?\r\n\r\nOne serving of carbohydrates is 15 grams, such as:\r\n