Should You Eat These Foods If You're Prediabetic?

By Owen Yang, Berlen Zhang, Sohan Raval, Christian Guerra

You’ve likely heard that too much sugar and processed food can lead to diabetes, but what does that really mean? According to the Cleveland Clinic, diabetes occurs when blood sugar (glucose) levels are too high, increasing the risk of complications like heart disease, nerve damage, and kidney failure. But it doesn’t happen overnight. Prediabetes is an early warning sign, offering a crucial chance to turn things around. The good news? The right foods can play a powerful role in preventing diabetes and restoring healthy blood sugar levels before it’s too late. Let's see what these right foods actually are. (For best functionality, please switch your browser to Google Chrome!)

Let's Begin ↓

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What actually makes a food bad for someone with prediabetes?

Almost 98 million Americans (1/3 of all Americans) are prediabetic according to the CDC. The two graphs below depict what makes a food bad for a prediabetic. The first graph shows a good example of a food that has minimal glucose spikes after consumption, while the second graph shows an example of a food that has a high glucose spike after consumption. Everyone knows that eating high sugary foods like cookies, ice cream, and drinking soda further detriments one's diabetic condition. But do you know about the seemingly healthy foods that spike your glucose levels and put you at further risk for Type II diabetes? Since now you know what makes a food bad for someone with prediabetes, let's see if you can guess which foods are good and bad for prediabetics! Continue below to play our game and test whether you are eating any of the foods that are spiking your glucose levels!

Good Example: Salmon

Minimal glucose spike - Good for prediabetics

Bad Example: Cereal

High glucose spike - Bad for prediabetics

Let's Play ↓

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Should You Eat These Foods If You're Prediabetic?

Please Select 4 Foods Or Drinks You Think Are Good For Prediabetics

The macronutrients data below is obtained from the food log of 16 prediabetic individuals from BIG IDEAs Lab Glycemic Variability and Wearable Device Dataset

Should You Eat These Foods If You're Prediabetic?

What actually makes a food bad for someone with prediabetes?

Good Example: Salmon

Bad Example: Cereal

Should You Eat These Foods If You're Prediabetic?

Please Select 4 Foods Or Drinks You Think Are Good For Prediabetics

How Much Your Glucose Spikes After Eating Each Food

Foods that do not spike Glucose

Foods that do spike Glucose