Husband Just Told He's pre-diabetic..need Some Quick Advice to Change That!

South beach diet is good for pre-diabetic. Calorie King is a good website for learning how many carbs/sugars are in foods that aren't labeled (i.e. fruit).

I am a big fan of eating small meals throughout the day and you would be amazed how easy this is for men to assimilate to. Men love to eat. Ok, a normal man usually needs about 2000 calories a day but normally men tend to eat alot in one sitting and eat more than that...so all you need to do it break it up. If you prepare his meals this is a great way for him to practice this without even knowing its a "diet" really its not...its a life change. Every two-three hours he needs to eat..if you tell him this he might be excited to try. Prepare each meal to be approximately 3-400 calories each and to start off it can be foods he enjoys but stay away from the sugery or starchy foods. have him eat 5 times a day at 400 calories each and he's got 2000 calories and he kept his metabolism moving all day. Any Exercise he can incorporate into his daily life would greatly benefit him and this might be something you both could do together. This is a diet alot of Doctors recommend for people with Diabetes or that need to loose fat. I eat like this with of course less calorie intake in each meal but i've managed to keep the wieight off for years. You will normally see results fast. weight normally starts to come off about 3 lbs. a week or so depending on your activity level and its perfectly healthy. Good luck.

I would recommend that your husband get on an exercise regime quickly. Start small and work his way up in level of intensity. Cardio is important, but so is lifting weights (this will help with weight loss ).Diet is very very important as well. As far as nutrition goes, go to the American Diabetes Associations website at www.diabetes.org and they will provide information on the "exchange plan" to help your husband learn new eating habits.

Go purchase a diabetic cook book and start cooking out if it for the whole family. I am sure it is healthier than regular cookbooks anyway.

I was just recently diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes and I had no idea what to do. I thought I ate pretty healithly but I didn't know for sure. The nurse practitioner gave me this website for www.sparkpeople.com and you can count all the calories just by adding the foods you eat. It will also break it down with sugar/carbs so your husband can have a visual of what he can and can't eat. Truthfully it has been a lifesaver.

i really like anita's advice below me, a raw food diet is an excellent idea. After losing my father who's diabetes, in combination with other things ultimately led to his death I have done a little research. Your husband MUST refrain from eating or drinking things that have simple carcohydrates in them. basically anything with white flour or white sugar will push into full blown diabetes. Beer is especially bad for him. If your husband is a drinker, i suggest red wine. Try getting the sweetener "stevia" available in powder or liquid form to sweeten his coffee or tea with, there is also a new product called "xylitol" out there, that is another great sweetener that works better in baked goods than stevia does. There is also a powder made out of a bean that you can sprinkle on food that draws the carbs out of the intestines. you can get it in vitamin form called "phase 2". "agave nectar" is also very low spiking, it has a consistency like honey, but it is very alkaline to the body. I have heard great things about a product called "cinnabetic" an extract of cinnamin, "Gymnema Sylvestre","chromium picolinate" "bitter melon extract" also have been said to be effective. Also to help reduce cravings for sugary, starchy foods you may want to put your husband on a yeast cleanse, a buildup of yeast in the body can cause sugar and/or bread cravings. A great way to go about that is by using "oregeno oil" or "oregenol" its an antimicrobial oil that has many uses, some of which being for cold and flu season, but has proven to be very versatile.

K., I just read this week about a documentary. They took 25 diabetics and put them on an all raw diet. Within a few months, they no longer had diabetes. Its extra effort, but it may be worth it to you.

Before I was a Mom, my husband and I went on the Hallelujah Diet. Its mostly raw. I lost 1/2 pound a day and we felt better than we've ever felt before. When we got kids, I didn't take the time to prepare those foods and went back to a whole foods diet.

If you don't want to go that radical, then whole grains and whole foods such as fruits and veggies work best good(like someone has already said).

Hope this helps.

A.

Hi K.,

My husband is a diabetic and I am a borderline diabetic. My husband takes medication to control his (he isn't as disciplined as I am) and I control mine through diet and exercise. I have taken a lot of time and energy in creating healthier eating habits for the two of us. I have plenty of recipes to share with you that will get you started in the right direction. Exercise also plays a key part in controlling diabetes. Try talking walks in the evening together. Not only will you be helping him but you can spend some quality time together. Fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains are the key. Avoid processed foods (usually the inner aisles at your local supermarket) and shop the perimeter. Don't drink fruit juices but have a piece of fruit instead. Too much sugar in the fruit juices and it gets into the blood stream quicker than eating an apple or an orange. When you eat a piece of whole fruit which has natural sugars, then it is released into the blood stream at a slower rate. If you are interested in recipes, I have some that will get you started. They are easy to prepare and healthy for the whole family to eat. You won't have to make separate meals for him and the rest of the family.

Again, I can't stress enough the importance of diet and exercise. I know from my readings when I miss a day of exercise or if I eat something I shouldn't. Let me know if I can be of further help.

M.

Hi K.,
Diabetes can be reversed (or prevented) through diet and exercise! It's great you know now - so you CAN make a difference! I wuld love to send you a great CD I have about Diabetes from a wonderful woman, Dr. Pam Popper. She gives fabulous guidelines on improving diet and lifestyle. You may be able to find info on her website www.wellnessforum.com. It's worth the time and energy now! Unfortunately a lot of what the Diabetes websites offer often times are based on sponsors and funding, so often times those foods may not be the very best. I would go with what others have suggested -raw foods and whole food nutrition. I also know about a fabulous whole food nutritional product that contains 17 fruits, vegetables and grains - Juice Plus. It's perfect for people with diabetes, because the natural fruit sugars are removed! It's beneficial in so many ways, with improving immune response, increasing antioxidants and reducing oxidative stress. I know several people with diabetes who have thrived with this product. Try to eat the very best you can, but Juice Plus helps to fill in those gaps. If you'd like more info, let me know or you can take a look at www.HamreHealth.com. You can read about the research there too. Good luck! We can make a difference in our health! Congrats for taking action! :)
Krystal

My husband is borderline diabetic and we cut out all of the regular drinks. Now we only drink diet. He happens to be addicted to Whataburger so it was a challenge but now he forgoes the fries and onion rings. We made little changes and in about a year he lost about 30 pounds. Good luck.