Best and Worst Pre-diabetes Food List for Menopause.
If you have had a pre-diabetes diagnosis you are going to want to know how to protect yourself from the onset of type 2 diabetes in the future.
Once you understand that the body isn’t run by calories and that a restrictive diet isn’t going to give you the long-term results you desire you can begin to reverse prediabetes in a sustainable way that doesn’t mean giving up all your favourite foods for the rest of your life.
Food can be used for medicine, food can be used to celebrate and it should be enjoyed, all while nourishing your body.
In this post discover the best and worst prediabetes food list for menopause, some foods may surprise you.
What is Pre-diabetes
Following a blood test, you may have been advised by your GP that your blood glucose levels are higher than normal.
If they are under the threshold of type 2 diabetes then you are considered pre-diabetic.
This is a warning.
Early intervention will help you take control of your blood sugar levels to protect yourself from the increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future.
Although type 2 diabetes is a manageable disease is it a pre-cursor for more serious health issues such as heart disease and dementia which are the highest causes of death in women post-menopause.
You can read more about pre-diabetes and insulin resistance in my previous blog posts; Simple Reverse Pre-Diabetes Meal Plan for Menopause and Easy to Make Recipes for Pre-Diabetes Dinner Ideas.
The goal of a pre-diabetes diet is to increase insulin sensitivity thereby reversing insulin resistance.
What is the Best Diet for Pre-diabetes
I hate the word diet.
It makes me think of food restriction, being hungry or dreading Monday mornings.
The word DIET comes from the Greek word Diaita meaning Way Of Life.
The way you eat through menopause and beyond has to become your way of life and it has to fit your lifestyle as well as adapt as life inevitably ebbs and flows or it won’t be sustainable.
Thankfully a prediabetes diet isn’t about restriction, it’s about nourishing and understanding your body.
Understanding for instance, that 100 calories of anything, cake, carrots or peanuts, is still 100 calories but it is how your hormones use these calories in your body.
The best way to nourish your body and create balanced blood sugar levels is to eat well-balanced meals containing nutritious foods such as fibre-rich foods, high protein sources and healthy fats.
You may have been recommended to avoid foods which have a high glycemic index.
A great way to do this is by focusing on whole foods.
Whole foods contain all the nutrients that nature intended such as fibre, so although they may contain natural sugars, the fibre reduces the impact on your blood sugar levels.
A Mediterranean diet is a good option with its abundance of lean proteins, olive oil and high-fiber foods.
However, following a specific diet can lead to feelings of deprivation and although a Mediterranean diet is delicious, it is not necessarily what you are going to crave in the depths of winter in the UK.
All Food is Good Food
A little caveat to this statement would be All REAL Food is Good Food.
Sadly so much of our food contains ultra-processed edible ingredients that do not nourish your body.
They are full of simple carbs lacking in dietary fibre containing inflammatory seed oils and lack essential nutrients.
Many of these products are labelled with compelling statements such as ‘high protein’ and low sugar’ which make you think you are making choices that will improve your overall health, but sadly they are pumped with artificial ingredients
Become a label detective, read nutrition labels (even if you have to take a photo of them and enlarge it so you can see it!) and not just the traffic lights on the front which are misleading.
Fat is good unless it is from inflammatory vegetable oils and seed oils. Fat provides the body with essential nutrients and provides satiety through taste and feeling full.
The body needs cholesterol from fat, the brain is made up of 25% cholesterol. Fatty foods such as oily fish, eggs and nuts also provide serotonin which helps with memory and feelings of happiness.
What you will realise though is the fat sources I recommend are from whole foods, not ultra-processed such as factory-produced pastries, cakes and biscuits.
If you want to eat pies, sausage rolls, cakes, bread and biscuits, start making your own. Control the ingredient quality and consume them as part of balanced meals.
Best and Worst Pre-diabetes Food List for Menopause
As I have said, the worst are the non-food stuffs, the edible substances such as energy drinks, sugary drinks, breakfast cereals, and items that have been manmade.
The type of carbohydrate matters for blood sugar control. However, if you only eat white rice, eat white rice, just balance it well within a whole meal.
Fruit juice is an example of a high-sugar beverage, although it will have lots of goodness, the fibre has been removed therefore it will cause high blood sugar. Enjoy fruit juice as part of a balanced meal.
You will be pleased to know that the list of best foods is full of variety.
- Whole grains – brown rice, oats, quinoa
- Non-starchy vegetables are generally vegetables grown above ground, this includes raw carrots.
- Whole starchy foods – root vegetables such as sweet potatoes and cooked carrots
- Whole fruit – especially berries and avocado
- Seeds such as chia seeds and flax seeds
- Nuts
- Dairy products
- Lean proteins such as chicken breast but don’t be afraid of higher fat protein, your brain will thank you for it.
- Anti-inflammatory oils – coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, butter, ghee, avocado oil.
No food should ever be banned because it can lead to feelings of deprivation and disordered eating.
What I do recommend though is monitoring how you feel when you eat certain foods whether they are real foods or ultra-processed foods and making decisions about what you eat based on what supports your health goals and make you feel full of vitality.
Lastly
The root cause of weight gain in menopause is your body not switching between sugar burning and fat burning.
The fat which can accumulate around your middle is a sign of insulin resistance, it is known as your insulin meter. If you have experienced an increase in your waist circumference on your journey through menopause, following the guidelines in this post will support you in helping your body use stored fat as well as sugar for fuel.
Every body and every lifestyle is different. Creating hormone harmony requires an holistic approach, cortisol can create high blood sugar levels without eating a bite
I invite you to book a free Wild Well-Being call with me to discuss your unique lifestyle and how you can lose belly fat and manage your menopause symptoms naturally without restrictive diets or HRT.