Dinner for pre-diabetes prevention

Control the total calories to 30%-35% of the whole day, and the proportion of carbohydrates does not exceed 30% of the total calories in dinner. Give priority to low-glycemic ingredients and adjust the order of eating. There is no need to go hungry or completely quit your favorite foods. Most people can return their glucose tolerance to normal levels within 3-6 months.

Many people may not have a concept of "pre-diabetes". In fact, the physical examination report shows that fasting blood sugar is 6.1-7.0mmol/L, or blood sugar two hours after a meal is 7.8-11.1mmol/L. The islet function has not yet reached the diagnosis standard of diabetes, and the pancreatic islet function has already been slightly damaged. This stage is completely reversible, and dinner adjustment is the lowest threshold among all intervention methods and the easiest to adhere to.

Last week, a 996 Internet operator came to me for consultation. His body fat was 28%, and he was just stuck on the pre-sugar level. He tried to control his sugar at home, and only ate a cucumber at night. As a result, he got up so hungry in the middle of the night on the third day and showed off two packs of soda crackers. The next day, his fasting blood sugar soared to 8.2, which was worse than before. To be honest, there is really no need to become an ascetic in controlling sugar. There are actually two mainstream ideas in the nutritional circle regarding the adjustment of dinner in the early stage of sugar. No one is absolutely better. It all depends on which one suits your own lifestyle.

One is the extremely low-carbohydrate dinner idea that has become popular in recent years. It means that there is almost no refined carbohydrates in the dinner, and even grains are consumed as little as possible, and the meal is mainly filled with high-quality protein and high-fiber vegetables. A fitness blogger I know was diagnosed with prediabetes during a physical examination two years ago. This is what he ate: a pan-fried steak of about 150g for dinner, two large plates of fried lettuce, and a few small tomatoes. Occasionally, he added a small piece of braised pork belly when he was craving for food. Combined with strength training three times a week, his blood sugar after meals dropped from 8.1 to 6.2 in two months. But this plan is not suitable for everyone. If you are a copywriter or programmer who sits in the office every day and your mind is spinning, you will most likely be in a daze by 10 pm after eating like this. You will not even be able to watch the drama. In severe cases, you will suffer from insomnia. On the contrary, it will increase your fasting blood sugar the next day, which is not worth the loss.

The other is a more stable and balanced low-GI plan, which is to leave a small part of the dinner for multi-grain staple foods, such as a fistful of brown rice or half a stick of steamed corn, paired with a palm-sized portion of high-quality protein such as fish, shrimp, and chicken breast, and two fistfuls of green leafy vegetables. The advantage of this is that you almost never feel hungry, and people who have to take care of children and do housework after get off work can also handle it. My aunt Zhang downstairs was diagnosed with pre-diabetes last year. Her teeth are not good and she cannot eat too many hard dishes, so she just eats according to this plan. Sometimes pumpkin is used instead of multi-grain rice for dinner, with braised pork ribs and stir-fried cabbage. She doesn’t do any special exercise. After half a year, it is completely normal to have her sugar tolerance checked again. Of course, this solution also has limitations and is not suitable for people who are particularly sensitive to carbohydrates. I have met a user before who found that even if he ate half a piece of corn, his blood sugar would spike to over 8 after a meal. So don’t force yourself to do it. It would be more appropriate to reduce your carbohydrate intake.

I will mention a small and costless detail to everyone who consults. Don’t eat the staple food first. Eat two bites of vegetables first, then two bites of meat, and finally eat some multigrain rice. Just such a small action can reduce the increase in blood sugar after a meal by about 20%. Don’t believe it, I have used a dynamic blood glucose meter to test myself before. For the same meal, if I ate white rice first, my blood glucose would be 7.2, but after adjusting the order, it would only be 5.9. The difference is really big.

Don’t think that you can’t go out for dinner because of sugar control. Many friends around me who are early in sugar still make hot pot appointments with us. Just be careful not to touch sesame sauce and sand tea sauce with a lot of sugar, and use light soy sauce + millet spicy + a little vinegar for dipping For food, cook more tripe, fat beef, and green leafy vegetables. If you really want to eat staple food, eat half a piece of corn. Don't drink sweet drinks, just order sugar-free oolong tea. Don't get in the car and go home directly after eating. Walk slowly for 20 minutes, and your blood sugar will not fluctuate at all.

There are also several misunderstandings that have been circulating for a long time. Some people say that you should completely avoid meat, especially fatty meat, in the early stage of sugar consumption. It is really unnecessary. A small piece of braised pork belly raises blood sugar much slower than a small bowl of white rice. As long as you don’t eat three or five pieces at a time, it will be fine; some people say that dinner must be a must. You have to finish eating before 6 o'clock, and you don't have to be so rigid. If you get off work overtime until 8 o'clock every day, it is unrealistic to insist on eating at 6 o'clock. As long as you don't lie down within an hour after eating, it will be fine even if you eat at 8:30. Standing for 10 minutes after eating, checking your mobile phone, and clearing the table are all useful activities.

I have met so many people who were in the early stage of sugar addiction, and I found that those who were able to adjust in the end were not the ones who were particularly hard on themselves and ate boiled vegetables every day, but those who could integrate sugar control into their lives. There is no need to use a food scale to weigh the grams every day, and there is no need to worry about measuring blood sugar every time. Eat more slowly during dinner, take two less bites of rice, pick up two more chopsticks of vegetables, go downstairs and take a few steps after eating, and your blood sugar will gradually stabilize. It is really not that difficult.