If you got the news that you had prediabetes, no doubt you panicked – at least for a minute or two. According to the latest federal data from 2016, one-third of adults in the United States have prediabetes. In prediabetes, blood sugar levels are higher than normal but lower than the threshold for a diagnosis of diabetes.
The good news is that prediabetes can be reversed by changing your diet (eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy products) and getting regular exercise. For someone diagnosed with prediabetes, weight loss is key.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend 5 to 7 percent weight loss (and regular exercise) to lower your risk of type 2 diabetes.
There’s another reason to take a diagnosis of prediabetes seriously. According to a new study by the American Heart Association, people who reverse their prediabetes can lower their risk of heart attack, stroke, and death.
Researchers at Tangshan People’s Hospital in a northern province of China (where the prevalence of prediabetes is slightly higher than the US) studied more than 14,000 co-workers, mostly men, at a coal company for over 11 years. Blood sugar was checked in 2006, 2008 and tracked through 2017. Between 2006 and 2008, about 45 percent of prediabetes participants returned to normal blood sugar. Another 42 percent stayed the same and 13 percent developed diabetes.
Tracking the groups through 2017, researchers found that those who returned to normal blood sugar had a 38 percent lower risk of heart attack and a 28 percent lower risk of stroke than those who transitioned to diabetes. Their risk of dying for any reason during follow-up was 18 percent lower than the risk of those with diabetes.
While this wasn’t a clinical study (so we can’t say it applies to people outside of China), it is noteworthy. The bottom line is that reversing prediabetes affects the risk of cardiovascular disease.
That’s just one more reason to eat healthy, exercise, and lose a few pounds if you need to.
questions and answers
Q: Are canned fruits and vegetables good for my diet or should I only eat fresh?
A: We have all heard the message “fresh is best” when it comes to food. Choosing fresh and local foods is a great idea, but there is also room for canned fruits and vegetables.
When fruits and vegetables are used for canning, they are picked in the utmost freshness. A study by the University of Illinois found that frozen and canned fruits and vegetables contain higher levels of some nutrients than fresh due to shipping and storage times.
Canning can only minimally affect the amount of minerals, fat-soluble vitamins, protein, fat, and carbohydrates in any food. The high heat used in canning can make vitamins less water-soluble, but heat can also increase the levels of certain antioxidants like lycopene in tomatoes.
So don’t be afraid of canned food. They offer an easy, economical and storage-stable way to include vegetables and fruits in your daily meals. Ideally, choose fruit canned in water instead of heavy syrup, and choose vegetables with no added salt (or rinse them out to reduce sodium).
Smoked salmon and asparagus pasta salad
When I think of spring – and spring vegetables – I think of asparagus. When I was growing up, my parents had a huge stain. The first sign of spring was asparagus popping through the ground.
Mom always had the hope that it would happen in time for Easter. That didn’t happen in central Illinois this year, but fresh asparagus is popping up in grocery stores.
Here is a recipe from today’s nutritionist for a smoked salmon and asparagus salad. Serve to celebrate spring!
ingredients
“3 ounces of smoked salmon
»1 small bundle of fresh asparagus (approx. 20 spears)
»8 ounces orecchiette pasta
»1½ tablespoons of olive oil
»Juice from 2 lemons
»1 teaspoon of crushed tarragon leaves, dried
»2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
»2 tablespoons of feta cheese
»Ground pepper to taste
Directions
Bring a large stock pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Cut the salmon into thin strips and set aside. Cut the asparagus and discard the ends. Cut the spears into 2-inch pieces on the diagonal.
Put the pasta in boiling water and cook for 8 minutes until al dente. Let the asparagus fall into the water for the last 3 minutes of cooking. While the pasta is cooking, mix the oil, lemon juice, tarragon, and mustard in a small bowl with a whisk. Drain the pasta and asparagus in a colander and immediately run under cold water.
Put in a bowl. Pour the dressing over the pasta and toss it together. Add salmon and feta and mix gently. Top with ground pepper.
Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
details
Servings: 6
Per serving: 204 calories; 9 grams of protein; 31 grams of carbohydrates; 6 grams of fat (1 gram saturated); 6 milligrams of cholesterol; 2.5 grams of fiber; 2 grams of sugar; 340 milligrams of sodium
– Charlyn Fargo Ware is a registered nutritionist at the SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois. Contact them at [email protected]or follow her on Twitter: @NutritionRd, or click here to see more columns. The opinions expressed are their own.
