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I recently got my Diabetes status alert level to “OMGITSNEAR,” which means that I have to both lose weight and be pickier about what I eat. I was wondering if there are any common drinks or foods that I should avoid which might seem healthy at first glance but are not.

Any advice for people trying to avoid diabetes while eating right?

– Victor

I can certainly understand the confusion you’re dealing with at the moment.  Diabetes is a scary and intimidating disease and there is a lot of misinformation out there about it.  To many folks a diabetic is someone who isn’t allowed to eat candy bars, but the reality is that not only can a diabetic person eat a candy bar if they want to there are times when a candy bar could be the best thing to keep them from going into a coma!  I could go on at length about Diabetes here (and my original response to you started down that path), but I’ll do my best to stay focused so that Krystalle doesn’t beat me with the editor stick.

If I’m reading your email correctly your Doctor has surmised that you are currently pre-diabetic.  What this means is that you’ve taken a fasting blood glucose test and that your results were higher than normal but not yet high enough to qualify you as having Type II Diabetes.  Your doctor has, in essence, fired a warning shot across your bow.

The situation you are currently in simply means that your body is developing a resistance to insulin.  This is making it more difficult for you body to break down the food you eat and convert it into energy, thus causing excess glucose (sugar) to enter your blood stream.  This is different from Type I Diabetes, which is a genetic disease where your body simply does not produce enough insulin.  The good news is that, as a lifestyle disease, Type II Diabetes is often able to be managed with a good diet and exercise routine.   What’s even better for you, as a pre-diabetic, is that Type II Diabetes is completely preventable.  The American Diabetes Association asserts that “[w]hile…some medications may delay the development of diabetes, diet and exercise worked better. Just 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity, coupled with a 5-10% reduction in body weight, produced a 58% reduction in diabetes.” (emphasis added)

At this point in the game you really don’t have to worry about counting carbohydrates or eliminating them altogether from your diet.  What you need to do is start taking better care of yourself in a manner that you can live with for the rest of your life.  If, for you, that means you switch to a low-carb diet that’s great but it is not required.   The big thing here is that whatever you do cannot be temporary.  Your body is telling you that you need to change your ways, and if you don’t listen you could end up paying a pretty hefty price.

For further support of my “don’t start fretting about carb counting” statement you need look no further than the American Diabetes Association web site.  The following tips come from an article posted there that specifically addressed the pre-diabetic diet:

• Eat lots of vegetables and fruits.
• Choose whole-grain foods over processed grain products.
• Include dried beans and lentils in your meals.
• Include fish in your meals 2-3 times a week.
• Choose lean meats like cuts of beef and pork that end in “loin.”  Remove the skin from chicken and turkey.
• Choose non-fat dairy such as skim milk, non-fat yogurt, and non-fat cheese.
• Choose water and calorie-free “diet” drinks instead of regular soda, fruit punch, sweet tea and other sugar-sweetened drinks.
• Choose liquid oils for cooking instead of solid fats that can be high in saturated and trans fats.
• Cut back on high calorie snack foods and desserts like chips, cookies, cakes, and full-fat ice cream.
• Eating too much of even healthful foods can lead to weight gain. Watch your portion sizes.

Long story short?  Eat less and exercise.

I know, we’re like a broken record around here.

If you’re looking for a specific diet to follow I highly recommend Weight Watchers®.  I personally know several people who have prevented and or “cured” Type II Diabetes by following the program.  As I said above, though, the key factor here is finding something you can live with and sticking to it.  Make some positive lifestyle changes and the threat of diabetes you have hanging over your head will soon be a thing of the past.

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