Nutrition and diet in prediabetes: detailed description

The fundamental point in prediabetes therapy is not drug treatment, but a low-carbohydrate diet with limited fat consumption. Without proper nutrition, no other measures will help normalize the pancreas and stabilize sugar levels within normal limits.

For patients with prediabetes, doctors may recommend one of two suitable diets. Diet No. 9 is suitable for those whose weight is normal, but for people with extra pounds and obesity, the doctor will suggest adhering to the requirements of diet No. 8. These two diets differ only in the recommended daily intake of calories and carbohydrates: diet No. 9 - up to 2400 kcal, diet No. 8 - up to 1600 kcal per day.

In diet No. 8, the consumption of salt (up to 4 g per day) and water (up to 1.5 l) is limited. However, overweight patients should consume more vitamin C, iron, calcium and phosphorus than people with normal weight.

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What can and what can not?

In order to more easily navigate the requirements of the dietary table, it is worth carefully studying the information explaining which foods can and cannot be eaten with prediabetes.

So, let's list the permitted products for prediabetes:

• Bread and other products made from rye flour and bran, as well as whole wheat flour
• Any pasta made from whole wheat
• Vegetable broths and soups based on them
• Okroshka
• Lean meat (veal, chicken, rabbit, turkey) – can be boiled, stewed with vegetables and baked
• Boiled tongue
• Sausages: boiled doctor's sausage and chicken sausages
• Lean fish (pollock, pike perch, pike, hake, etc.) – boil or bake in the oven
• Canned fish without added oil (in its own juice or tomato)
• Milk and low-fat dairy products (kefir, cottage cheese, yogurt)
• Cottage cheese made without added salt
• Dishes made from cereals (buckwheat, pearl barley, oatmeal and barley)
• Rice and wheat porridge (in small quantities)
• Pumpkin, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, asparagus, Jerusalem artichoke, celery and many other vegetables
• Any kind of cabbage
• Lettuce and greens
• Some carrots and beets
• Dishes from soybeans, beans, lentils and peas
• Fresh and baked fruits
• Fruit puree, jelly, sugar-free mousse
• Fruit kissels without sugar
• Nuts
• Homemade sauces with milk and tomato
• Low-fat sauces for dishes
• Black and green tea, herbal teas and decoctions, rosehip decoction,
• Compotes without sugar
• Fresh vegetable juices
• Fruit juices for children
• Mineral and purified water (preferably still)
• Any vegetable oils (unrefined)

In addition, it is allowed to eat first courses cooked in weak meat or mushroom broth without fat, low-fat sour cream (once a week) a couple of times a week. Potatoes can be very small and only boiled or baked. Butter can be added to prepared dishes in small portions.

Now let's list the foods and dishes prohibited for prediabetes:

• Yeast dough pastries with added butter and puff pastry
• White flour pasta
• Rich meat and mushroom broths, as well as dishes based on them
• Vermicelli soup
• Fatty meats (eg pork, duck, lamb) are prohibited in any form
• Smoked meats and sausages

• Any canned meat
• Fatty fish in any form
• Smoked, dried and salted fish
• Canned fish in oil
• Fish roe
• Homemade milk and high-fat dairy products
• Fatty cottage cheese, high-fat sour cream, cream
• Sweet dishes made from milk
• Hard and brine cheeses
• Fresh and dried grapes (dates and bananas also have high sugar content)
• Ice cream, jams, preserves, creams, candies
• Semolina and dishes made from it
• Instant porridge
• Canned vegetables
• Ketchup, mayonnaise, store-bought sauces, hot spices and fatty gravies
• Sweet carbonated drinks
• Grape and banana juice
• Lard, rendered internal fat, lard
• Margarine

To facilitate the work of the pancreas, it is recommended to switch to fractional meals (up to 6 times a day with a portion of no more than 200 g). Products from cereals and porridge for prediabetes (except rice) are best consumed in the morning, fruits - in the first half of the day, protein foods - at lunch and in the evening.

It is necessary to exclude from the diet foods and dishes that contain fast carbohydrates (honey, sugar, sweet fruits, premium flour), semi-finished products, fast food products, high-calorie sugar substitutes. In prediabetes, it is better to replace sweet fruits with sour-sweet or sour ones.

Dried fruits are not prohibited products for prediabetes, but you should still not consume them in large quantities.