Long before you receive a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, your body is living in a “prediabetic” state. Without any monitoring, prediabetes usually becomes type 2 diabetes—in which the body can no longer control blood sugars—and this can lead to heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, vision loss, nerve damage, and so on.
“If you’re not getting routine bloodwork, prediabetes can lurk in your body for years without you ever knowing it,” says Julie Campbell, RD, a registered dietitian at Atlantic Health System. “In some extreme cases, people end up in the hospital with a heart attack and that’s when they also discover that they have type 2 diabetes.”
But Julie says the good news is in the “pre,” because prediabetes isn’t diabetes. It’s your body’s health before diabetes, and it means you can still reverse the disease progression with a few lifestyle changes.
1. Remove Sugar From Your Coffee
The best way to improve eating habits is to start with one thing. You don’t need to make lots of changes overnight. The one small change with the greatest impact is eliminating sugar-sweetened beverages. To start, eliminate sugar in your coffee and throw out soda.
2. Add an Egg When You Eat a Pancake
Breakfast sets the tone for blood sugar for the day. However, most breakfast foods are carbohydrate heavy. Choose savory food items to add to your breakfast like eggs, Greek yogurt, turkey bacon, or avocado to set yourself up for a day with fewer blood sugar swings.
3. Swap in Veggies and Whole Grains
Enhance the foods you’re eating rather than eliminate them. Choose complex carbs like whole grains, beans, lentils, and whole fruits. Add protein, non-starchy veggies, and healthy fats to your meals. A balanced meal with different food groups creates stable energy levels and more regulated blood sugar.
4. Limit Processed Foods
If you’re craving processed foods like chips and pretzels, go for it but be mindful of portion sizes. Look at the serving size on the food label first. These foods have addictive qualities that make it really easy to consume more than one portion.
5. Eat Whole Fruits
Fruits in their natural form, rather than as a juice, are packed with fiber. Fiber helps control blood sugar and helps you feel full. A great fruit choice is berries—they’re fiber-rich, naturally sweet, and have a low glycemic index.
How Do You Know If You Have Prediabetes?
The best way to find out if you have prediabetes is to ask your doctor to test your hemoglobin A1C. This is a blood test that will show your average blood sugar over the past two to three months. If your A1C is below 5.7%, you are within a normal range. If it is between 5.7% and 6.4%, you have prediabetes. If it is higher than 6.5%, you have type 2 diabetes.
Small Changes, Big Returns
Julie has seen plenty of people significantly lower their A1C with just a few small lifestyle modifications.
“It’s a domino effect,” she says. “Start with one small, manageable change like removing sugar from your coffee. It takes about two weeks for your taste buds to adjust. Then keep taking baby steps to build big improvements—not just in your diet but in your sleep habits, physical activity, and stress levels, too.”
Be Proactive About Your Health
To stay safe and healthy, it's good to have a primary care provider who knows and understands your health history and wellness goals.