Reversed Prediabetes: One Man’s Incredible Year-Long Journey

Prediabetes is a common condition were 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, one Reddit user named Taylor shared their experience reversing prediabetes. 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.

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.

Key Points

* 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.

Recommended 1 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-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.