How to Turn Pre-Diabetes Around

Roughly 60% of Americans are living with chronic illness, many of whom are suffering from diabetes. However, nine in 10 cases of diabetes are preventable. Type 2 diabetes makes up almost 95% of diabetes diagnoses, and it can often be prevented by making lifestyle changes that are readily available and attainable. 

When your blood sugar levels start to reach pre-diabetic levels, it starts to become harder to avoid a full-blown type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Since November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, now is a great time to learn how to turn pre-diabetes around. 

If you’ve been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, our team at Medinet Family Care Clinic wants you to know how to take charge of your blood sugar levels and restore them to a healthy state.

What is pre-diabetes?

Pre-diabetes is the precursor stage before reaching type 2 diabetes. It’s common in the United States, affecting more than one in three adults. 

Type 2 diabetes develops when your pancreas can’t produce enough insulin to keep up with demand or when your cells become insulin-resistant, which means that they’re no longer able to respond normally to insulin. 

If you have pre-diabetes, it means that your blood sugar levels are elevated, but they aren’t high enough for you to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, 90% of people with pre-diabetes don’t even know they have it. 

How to turn pre-diabetes around

The good news is that most cases of pre-diabetes can be completely reversed by making lifestyle changes. If you attempt some of the following health improvements, it can help you avoid full-blown diabetes, or, at the very least, delay its onset:

Lose weight

If you’re overweight, losing a few pounds is one of the best things you can do to improve your blood sugar levels. That goal may seem unattainable, but you can just drop around 7% of your current body weight to reap the health benefits. You don’t have to reach your ideal body weight to start to see those blood sugar levels going down.

Exercise regularly

Regular exercise is an essential part of any healthy lifestyle, and it’s even more vital for preventing type 2 diabetes if you’ve been diagnosed with pre-diabetes. 

You want to aim to get at least 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise as many days as you can during the week, and you can fit it in however it works best for you. It could be something as simple as taking a brisk 10-minute walk after each meal to get those 30 minutes of daily exercise.. 

Change your diet

A healthy diet is centered on fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, legumes, whole grains, lean proteins, and unsaturated fats. It also ideally excludes foods that are highly processed or contain trans fats and added sugars. 

What you choose to drink is also important for reversing pre-diabetes. Whenever you can, try to go for water or unsweetened beverages like plain tea or coffee. You may need to also cut out alcohol and steer clear of sugary drinks like fruit juice and soda. 

If you work to implement all of these healthy habits into your daily life, you should be able to see those blood sugar levels drop to a normal range. 

The bottom line

If you’ve received a pre-diabetes diagnosis, it’s the perfect time to start taking your health back and making some lifestyle changes.

So if you’re ready to reverse pre-diabetes and get on with a healthier life, you can contact us at Medinet Family Care Clinic located in Houston, Texas by calling our office at 409-996-2058 or by using our online scheduler today.