How to Reverse Pre-Diabetes

Diabetes is a silent disease. Most people don’t get any symptoms but they may be on the doorstep of diabetes – they could be in pre-diabetes stage. Pre-diabetes is a condition where blood sugar level is slightly higher than normal. HbA1C test that measures the average sugar level in the blood for last 60 days can effectively help in diagnosis of Pre-diabetes. HbA1C levels between 5.7 to 6.4% indicates pre-diabetes.

If you have a family history of diabetes, it is advisable to get your HbA1C levels tested at least once a year. The good news is that at this stage, pre-diabetes is reversible.

In 2017, one of my family members had elevated HbA1C level of nearly 6.4% which falls in higher range of pre-diabetes. Through proper diet, exercises and specific practices, I was able to help in lowering the HbA1C level to 5.6%. We have broadly discussed about diet in the previous blog, so here are some of the practices that help in reversing pre-diabetes.

(These are just general recommendations based on experience. We are all unique and our bodies respond differently to different substances. Do not simply follow the general recommendations without consulting nutrition specialist.)

1. Lose weight (you will benefit significantly even if you lose 5% of your body weight)
2. Workout
   • Walking on low impact aerobic, high impact interval training, strength, flexibility.
   • Walk about 500 steps 45 minutes after each meal to prevent sugar spikes.
   • Build more muscle (more/larger muscle takes more sugar out of the blood)
3. Lose belly fat.
   • More belly fat usually means more risk or pre-diabetes.
   • E.g. Male with 40 inches waist and females with 35+ waist are far more susceptible to pre-diabetic conditions.
4. Cut down on high glycemic food and sugar.
   • Drink green coffee bean extract. (most powerful antioxidant)
   • Anti-inflammatory diet (seasonal fruits and veggies are best. Sugar causes inflammation)
   • Limit carbohydrates post noon, less or no carbs in dinner is advisable.
   • Fruits should be best kept to breakfast
   • Watch you fat intake as well.
5. Take soluble fiber .
   • Eat sugar in moderation, offset it with fiber or nuts or seeds (fiber content in food lowers the glycemic index of the food).
   • When we eat roti (which has carbohydrates and fiber), we apply ghee on it. This is because Ghee helps in reducing the glycemic index of the food, which means that ghee ensures slow absorption of sugar into the blood stream, just like fibers).
6. Avoid Fruit Juices since they have more fructose
7. Eat foods that are rich in Anti-oxidants.
8. Consuming cinnamon in food (either as spice or cinnamon powder with water) helps in controlling blood sugar levels.
9. It is claimed that Organic Apple Cider Vinegar improves insulin sensitivity and reduce high blood sugar. It is best consumed (5 ml) 30 minutes before lunch.