- Prediabetes affects about 96 million Americans, but only 20% know they have the condition.
- A Redditor shared how they reversed prediabetes, including eating more veggies and fruit.
- Getting enough sleep and losing weight can also help reverse a prediabetes diagnosis.
Prediabetes is a common condition where your blood sugar runs high, but not quite high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. What’s more, only 20% of the nearly 96 million American adults who have prediabetes actually know that they have it. That’s because prediabetes is “silent” since there aren’t any signs or symptoms. Despite those staggering statistics, there is a silver lining. Taking action steps to make healthful diet and lifestyle changes can reverse prediabetes—cutting your diabetes risk in half.
In fact, that was the experience for one Reddit user named Taylor. He shared on Reddit that seeing his blood sugar in the prediabetes range energized him to make some healthy changes. In his Reddit post, he shared the five steps he took to successfully lower his A1c. Read on to find out what steps Taylor took and what dietitians have to say about his approach.
How Taylor Lowered Their HgbA1c
Diabetes can run in families, which is why it was already on Taylor’s radar. So seeing his own blood sugars in the prediabetes range, he knew it was time to make some changes. “I also just generally started to take my fitness and nutrition more seriously,” he says. When deciding where to start, he turned to the internet (like the rest of us!) to find answers to what he should be eating to reverse his prediabetes. After some experimentation, these were the five habits that brought down Taylor’s blood sugars:
- Mixing brown rice with white rice
- Eating more vegetables at dinner
- Eating fruits as snacks (but I still have the occasional brownie or bag of chips).
- Walking after meals
- Following a regular weight-lifting program
Part of the reason that these action steps were so effective is that they were habits that Taylor found easy to incorporate into his day-to-day life. Fun was also a key piece of the puzzle for making movement more enjoyable (and sustainable). “Using an Apple Watch and playing a game like Pokémon Go or Pikmin Bloom motivated me to get my steps in,” says Taylor. You also don’t need to be in the gym every day to see results. Taylor found a workout routine that fit his schedule, settling on two to three full-body gym sessions per week.
Dietitians Weigh In on This Approach
They’re Realistic and Sustainable Habits
Sustainability is the name of the game when you are trying to stop prediabetes in its tracks. That’s one of the reasons why dietitians liked Taylor’s approach. “I really like that these tips focus on realistic, sustainable changes, which is exactly what helps with reversing prediabetes,” says Kathryn Durston, RDN. However, as with all good advice you might find online, you may have to leave some tips that aren’t quite the right fit for you. “It’s important to remember that everyone is on their own health journey, and while some changes may work efficiently for certain individuals, others may need additional guidance or support to achieve their goals,” says Kaitlin Hippley, M.Ed., RDN, LD, CDCES.
Create a More Balanced Snack with Protein
Taylor’s tip to snack on fruit can be a smart way to ensure you get enough servings each day. Most of us fall short—only about 12% of US adults eat the recommended 1 ½ to 2 cups of fruit per day. Even better, research suggests that eating more fruit actually reduces your odds of developing diabetes.
Our experts shared one way to level up your fruit snack: Make it more blood sugar-friendly by pairing it with some protein. “While fruit as a snack is great for fiber and micronutrients, it can still spike blood sugar on its own because it’s mostly carbohydrates. Instead, I recommend pairing fruit with a source of protein for a more blood-sugar-friendly snack. Add a cheese or meat stick, a strained Greek-style yogurt cup, or a bag of roasted chickpeas alongside your fruit,” says Durston.
Walking After Meals is Spot On
Pairing healthy diet changes with physical activity doubles down on lowering your risk of prediabetes. Unfortunately, less than a quarter of US adults meet the recommended physical activity levels. But the good news is that high-intensity workouts aren’t the only effective way to lower blood sugars, either—lacing up your shoes for an after-meal walk like Taylor can be just as beneficial.
Start where you can, even if it’s for two minutes, and build from there. Increasing your walking time to 10-15 minutes can have an even greater impact on blood sugar.
Veggies for the Win
Dietitians wholeheartedly agreed with Taylor’s tip to incorporate more vegetables into your diet. “Non-starchy vegetables are high in fiber and nutrients while low in calories, which supports better blood sugar control. Eating more of these vegetables can increase satiety and naturally encourage smaller portions of carbohydrates at meals,” says Hippley. While Taylor talks about adding more veggies to dinner, there’s no reason to stop there. “Besides more vegetables at dinner, I would recommend incorporating vegetables with lunch, breakfast and snacks whenever possible,” says Sheri Gaw RDN, CDCES. “Aim for at least 2-3 cups of vegetables per day to boost fiber, fullness and blood sugar balance,” she adds.
Additional Lifestyle Changes to Lower HgbA1c
Beyond Taylor’s tips, here are some additional lifestyle changes that could help you manage prediabetes.
- Don’t Skimp on Sleep: Sleep likely isn’t top of mind when you’re trying to work on reversing prediabetes, but it’s more important than you might think. “Getting consistent, quality sleep helps regulate hormones, while chronic stress and poor sleep can raise insulin resistance and make blood sugar harder to control,” says Hippley.
- Portion Control: In addition to sorting out what to eat after a prediabetes diagnosis, consider how much you’re eating as well. “Focusing on portion control is often one of the first changes I recommend to patients because it allows them to continue enjoying their usual foods, but in a more balanced way,” Hippley explains. “Paying attention to smaller portions of carbohydrate-rich foods while increasing non-starchy vegetables can help manage blood sugar without feeling deprived,” she says.
- Aim for a Healthy Weight: Weight loss isn’t always the answer when addressing prediabetes. However, studies show that it can be one tool that may help. “Just a small amount of weight loss, 5-7% of starting weight, can promote lower blood sugar and often reversal of prediabetes,” says Gaw.
Meal Plan to Try
7-Day Meal Plan for Prediabetes, Created by a Dietitian
Our Expert Take
No matter the question, the internet has answers (for better or worse). However, when it comes to your health, it’s always worth checking in with an expert before implementing changes. In this case, dietitians had a lot of positive things to say about one Redditor’s experience with reversing their prediabetes. Research supports the significant impact lifestyle changes can have on diabetes risk and dietitians appreciated that Taylor’s tips were realistic and sustainable. It’s worth trying out a few for yourself!
