Prediabetes usually develops quietly, without any clear signs. Many people have it and don’t even know. In prediabetics, your body begins to struggle with controlling blood sugar levels. If you leave this untreated, it can quietly raise the risk for heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
Prediabetes shouldn’t have to turn into diabetes. Research shows that lifestyle changes, like improving food choices and managing stress, can cut your risk of progression by more than half.
At Kairos Functional Medicine in Texas, we help patients find out the root causes behind insulin resistance and teach practical steps to bring their blood sugar back into a healthy range.
What is Prediabetes?
Prediabetes is a stage where your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not so high to be called Type 2 diabetes. This usually occurs when your body doesn’t handle insulin as well as it should.
Insulin is the hormone that helps move sugar from your blood into your cells for energy. When your cells stop responding properly, it causes insulin resistance, in which your sugar begins to stay in the bloodstream. Over time, this forces your pancreas to work harder and increase your blood sugar levels.
There are a few simple tests that are usually used to check for prediabetes:
- Fasting blood glucose: If your level is between 100–125 mg/dL, this signals prediabetes.
- A1C test: In this test, results between 5.7% and 6.4% show that your blood sugar has been high over the past 3 months.
- Oral glucose tolerance test: If your level is 140–199 mg/dL two hours after drinking a sweet solution, then you are prediabetic.
Symptoms of Prediabetes You Shouldn’t Ignore
Unlike diabetes, prediabetes does not show any signs in the beginning. You may ignore them as just stress or getting older. But it is necessary to understand these early symptoms before they turn into type 2 diabetes.
If you are prediabetic, you may see the following signs:
- You are feeling tired, especially after meals
- You are craving more sweets than usual
- You are gaining weight around the belly
- Urinating more than usual
- Your eyes are blurry or trouble focusing
- Your cuts are taking longer to heal
- You see dark, thick patches on the neck or underarms, which is a key sign of insulin resistance
Prediabetes Symptoms in Women
Prediabetes does not show up the same way for everyone. Women, especially those who are still menstruating, often see signs that are tied to hormones and reproductive health.
Studies show that insulin resistance is common in women with PCOS, up to 70% of women may have it, which raises the risk of prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Values from these studies show that nearly 1 in 4 women of reproductive age are already prediabetic, many without knowing.
Women may experience the following symptoms:
- Vaginal yeast infections or frequent UTIs
- Heavier or irregular menstrual cycles
- You see vaginal dryness
- Have lower sexual desire
- Difficulty getting pregnant
At Kairos, we help women understand these changes and take early steps to protect their health.
Causes of Prediabetes
Prediabetes doesn’t happen suddenly. It occurs slowly, especially from your everyday habits and health factors.
1. Poor diet
If you eat a lot of sugar, refined carbs, or processed foods, your blood sugar may spike too often. Over time, this makes it harder for your body to handle glucose.
2. Sedentary lifestyle
When you don’t move much during the day, your muscles don’t use glucose well. This makes your body less sensitive to insulin.
3. Excess weight
Carrying extra weight, especially belly fat, can affect hormones. These changes cause insulin resistance.
4. Chronic stress
Stress hormones like cortisol raise blood sugar. If you stay stressed for long, your body may struggle to bring it back down.
5. Sleep issues
Not sleeping well can affect your ability to manage glucose. Even a few nights of poor sleep may affect your overall insulin function.
6. Family history & genetics
Having diabetes in your family raises your risk. But lifestyle choices still play a big role in whether it will develop or not.
Insulin Resistance vs Prediabetes
People often confuse the two, but they’re different. Insulin resistance means your cells don’t respond the way they should to insulin. To keep your blood sugar in control, your pancreas has to pump out extra insulin.
Prediabetes develops when the pancreas can no longer produce enough insulin to overcome this resistance, causing blood sugar levels to rise above normal but not yet high enough to be classified as diabetes.
Can You Reverse Prediabetes?
Yes, you can reverse prediabetes by maintaining your lifestyle with healthy eating, daily exercise, less stress, and weight control. These habits can help blood sugar return to the normal range.
In some cases, doctors may recommend metformin for diabetes. This medication helps your body use insulin more effectively. Still, it is not a cure on its own. It works best when you combine it with healthy habits.
A Prediabetes Diet Plan That Works
If you want to reverse prediabetes, what you put on your plate truly matters. We recommend using a simple plate method that’s easy to follow every single day:
- Fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables like leafy greens, broccoli, peppers, or cauliflower.
- Keep 25% of the plate for healthy carbs, such as brown rice, farro, or quinoa.
- Use the remaining 25% for lean protein such as grilled chicken, turkey, fish, or tofu
You can try the following diet plan to manage your prediabetes:
- Breakfast: Try scrambled eggs with spinach and avocado. If you prefer something lighter, Greek yogurt topped with chia seeds and fresh berries works great too.
- Mid-morning snack: Eat a handful of almonds or celery sticks dipped in hummus.
- Lunch: Grilled salmon or chicken paired with roasted vegetables and a serving of quinoa works best for lunch.
- Afternoon snack: You can eat crisp apple slices with almond butter.
- Dinner: Baked salmon with broccoli and cauliflower rice, or any other lean protein with veggies.
- Evening: if you’re still hungry in the evening, you can have herbal tea and a small handful of walnuts.
If you’d like a personalized 7-day meal plan to manage your prediabetes, you can simply reach out to us at Kairos.
Conclusion
Prediabetes doesn’t mean diabetes is certain. By knowing your prediabetes range and following a proven diet plan, you can take control of your health and lower your risk.
At Kairos Integrative Care, Lola, one of our board-certified practitioners, combines functional medicine with medical care to create a plan that helps you feel in control of your health.
We see patients in Houston, Sugar Land, Richmond, and nearby areas (77046 & 77478). We accept most major insurance plans, including Blue Cross, Aetna, Ambetter, Cigna, and more. If you can’t make it to the clinic, telemedicine visits are also available across Texas.
Book your appointment today!
