According to a recent study, less than 10 percent of people diagnosed with pre-diabetes know that they are at a high risk for developing diabetes! This is important information to understand because diabetes can lead to eye, kidney, heart, circulatory, and weight problems that are very serious. It is estimated that some 57 million people have pre-diabetes and it could be you!
Pre- diabetes is generally defined as a fasting blood sugar between 100 mg/dl and 125 mg/dl. Over 126 mg/dl and you’re looking at full diabetes. As the website, www.diabetes.org says, “If you have pre-diabetes, you can and should do something about it.”
What can you do? A lot!
First, get yourself tested and aim for a blood sugar under 99 mg/dl. If you’re looking to be optimal (not just in range) then get your sugars under 90 mg/dl. The higher the sugars, the more abdominal weight gain I see in my patients and it's nearly impossible to get off unless the sugars are lowered.
Second, cut out the sugar…all of it. No high fructose corn syrup, no sugar, no brown sugar. Eliminate the cookies, cakes, ice cream, and pieces of chocolate, whipped cream in your coffee, syrups, high sugar soy milks, high sugar cereal, and anything else that is high sugar. Start reading labels! Did you know that spaghetti sauce has sugar in it? Diabetes and pre-diabetes requires a serious dietary overhaul and you can do it!
Third, start exercising that is high intensity and makes you sweat. Easy walks around your neighborhood aren’t burning any sugar and you need those muscles pumping to burn it effectively.
Fourth, start lifting weights. This pushes your muscles even more to burn sugar as fuel and gets it out of your bloodstream.
Fifth, eat healthy hormone-free protein and vegetables. How can you go wrong with protein and vegetables?