Being told by your doctor that you have prediabetes is a major cause for concern — people with diabetes start out as having prediabetes. So in other words, it is a precursor to diabetes.
The problem with diabetes is that it’s a chronic disease. Once you have it, you have it for the rest of your life. And by the way, there are no drugs available that can make it go away. Those that doctors prescribe for diabetic patients are only meant for managing the disease, not curing it.
So if you have prediabetes, it’s of utmost importance for you to strictly monitor what goes into your mouth every single time — consuming the wrong foods can cause your prediabetes to transition into diabetes.
Without any more ado, here are some of the foods to avoid if you just found out that you have prediabetes:
White Foods
There are a couple of reasons why white foods such as white pasta, bread and rice are bad for anyone who is suffering from prediabetes. First, they are high in carbohydrates that you body converts into sugar. Second, white foods are devoid of fiber that helps regulate the amount of sugar in the bloodstream.
Needless to say, the intake of white foods can cause a considerable spike in the levels of sugar in your blood. In order to keep prediabetes from turning into diabetes, it’s of utmost importance for you to keep high blood sugar at bay.
Sugary Beverages
Some of the most nice-tasting drinks on the face of the planet are those that pack a lot of sugar. While it’s true that they are so pleasing to the taste buds, these drinks are extremely dangerous for those who are told by their doctors that they have prediabetes.
Certainly, sodas and fancy coffee treats should be eliminated from your diet if you have prediabetes. Considerably limit your intake of fruit juices and cocktails as they, too, tend to pack a lot of sugar.
Dried Fruits
Everyone knows that fruits are good for the health because they are loaded with antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately, they should be taken in moderation by people with prediabetes and diabetes because most of them are high in sugar.
The process of drying fruits causes water to evaporate, leaving behind high concentrations of sugar. This is exactly the reason why it’s a good idea for you to considerably limit your intake of dried fruits in order to keep your prediabetes from turning into diabetes sooner or later.
Flavored Yogurt
Time and again, you may have come across tons of online articles encouraging you to add yogurt to your diet because of the fact that it’s rich in muscle-building protein and bone-strengthening calcium. What’s more, yogurt is loaded with beneficial bacteria that are good for your gut.
Having prediabetes, sadly, requires you to carefully choose your yogurt. Flavored ones are a complete no-no due to the fact that they tend to contain lots of sugar. Even those that are flavored with actual fruits are bad for you. When shopping, opt for plain Greek yogurt.
Honey and Maple Syrup
It’s common knowledge that refined sugar is bad. Unfortunately, the same is true for naturally-existing sugar especially if you are diagnosed with prediabetes. Refined or not, sugar can wreak havoc on your blood sugar levels.
Needless to say, replacing refined sugar with honey and maple syrup is not really the best strategy there is. If you cannot live without the saccharin taste of refined sugar or a healthier alternative from nature, consider going for stevia as it is several times sweeter than refined sugar but does not contain any sugar.
WARNING: If you are suffering from prediabetes, make sure that you follow your doctor’s orders so that you may keep the problem from worsening and turning into a disease that’s incurable and associated with so many different serious complications if it’s not managed properly.
