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Keto Diet For Prediabetes: Meal Plan & Food List To Follow 2024
Updated on
- Written by Paige Anderson, CRDH
Medically reviewed by
Dr. Maya Frankfurt, PhD
Facing a prediabetic diagnosis can be discouraging and make you feel like your health is out of your control. Fortunately, a ketogenic diet has the potential to help some people avoid progressing to type 2 diabetes and even reverse prediabetes completely!
Prediabetes is a condition that causes your blood glucose levels (blood sugar) to run higher than normal but not so high that you’re considered diabetic. Eating certain foods, especially a high carbohydrate intake, can make it difficult for your body to keep your blood glucose at normal levels.
A ketogenic diet helps control blood sugar by keeping your carb intake low, with moderate protein and an emphasis on healthy fats. With the right balance of macros, a ketogenic diet has been shown to decrease your risk for insulin resistance and improve outcomes for prediabetes.
Keto For Prediabetes Meal Plan
Adopting a keto diet for prediabetes involves following a low-carb, high-fat approach, as suggested by the prediabetes diet guidelines, with a focus on whole foods from the keto diet food list.
- Breakfast: Keto Berry Yogurt
- Lunch: Keto Avocado And Greens Delight
- Dinner: Keto Salmon And String Beans With Berries
- Snacks: Keto Nourish Snack Combo
Keto Diet For Prediabetes Meal Plan
Breakfast: Keto Berry Yogurt (Approx. 350 Calories)
Start your day with a satisfying and nutritious breakfast that combines creamy full-fat yogurt with the crunch of chia seeds and shredded coconut. Top it off with a burst of fresh raspberries for a fruity kick. Pair this yogurt bowl with a glass of fortified almond milk sweetened with erythritol-free monk fruit and a touch of pure vanilla extract to complete your delicious and keto-friendly morning meal.
| Breakfast | |
| Full-fat yogurt | Six oz |
| Chia seeds | One tablespoon |
| Shredded coconut | One tablespoon |
| Raspberries | One half cup |
| Fortified almond milk (unsweetened) | One cup |
| Monk fruit sweetener (erythritol-free) | One – two drops |
| Pure vanilla extract | One – two drops |
Lunch: Keto Avocado And Greens Delight (Approx. 400 Calories)
This lunch is a keto-friendly and prediabetes-conscious meal that combines creamy baked avocado halves, each cradling a perfectly cooked egg, served alongside a refreshing green salad featuring non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and green peppers. The salad is drizzled with a keto-friendly dressing made with olive oil and vinegar. To keep you hydrated and refreshed, it’s paired with a cooling cucumber water.
| Lunch | |
| Avocados (halved) | Two |
| Eggs | Four |
| Broccoli florets | One cup |
| Cauliflower florets | One cup |
| Green bell peppers (sliced) | One half cup |
| Extra virgin olive oil | Two tablespoons |
| Cucumber water | Four cups |
Dinner: Keto Salmon And String Beans With Berries (Approx. 600 Calories)
Indulge in a flavorful and nutritious Keto dinner featuring a tender salmon filet seasoned to perfection. Paired with roasted string beans topped with your choice of hemp hearts, chia seeds, or chopped walnuts for added crunch and healthy fats. Enjoy a refreshing side of blackberries and a soothing cup of herbal tea to complete this satisfying low-carb meal.
| Dinner | |
| Salmon filet | Six oz |
| String beans | One cup |
| Olive oil (for roasting) | One tablespoon |
| Chia seeds | One tablespoon |
| Blackberries | One half cup |
| Unsweetened herbal tea (e.g., peppermint, chamomile) | Eight oz |
Snacks: Keto Nourish Snack Combo (Approx. 600 Calories)
Elevate your keto snacking game with this flavorful mix of walnuts, cheese, sardines, and decadent fat bombs. Wash it down with a glass of fortified almond milk sweetened with monk fruit and pure vanilla extract for a delicious and satisfying low-carb snack experience.
| Snacks | |
| Walnuts | One oz |
| Fat bombs (made with coconut oil, cocoa powder, and stevia) | Two |
| Cheese | One oz |
| Sardines | Two oz |
| Fortified Almond Milk (sweetened with monk fruit and pure vanilla extract) | One cup |
4 Benefits Of The Keto Diet For Prediabetes
Higher Energy Levels
When your blood sugar runs high, it means your body can’t access glucose from the foods you eat and use it effectively as an energy source.
Keeping your blood sugar and insulin within a normal range with a low carb diet like keto can help stabilize your energy levels by giving your body a different fuel source that doesn’t require insulin. Certain supplements may also boost energy levels while on keto.
Weight Loss
It may seem counterintuitive, but a high fat diet low in carbohydrates may help you lose weight faster than another low carb diet that includes more grains and lean proteins. Just be sure to focus on healthy fats and incorporate plenty of fiber, as weight loss with keto may not last if you’re eating too much of the wrong kinds of fats or neglecting other nutrients.
Some people may have more long-term success if they use keto to lose weight initially and slowly transition back to a more sustainable diet like the Mediterranean diet for maintenance.
Lower A1C
A1C is a blood test that measures your average blood sugar levels over several weeks. A diet of keto-friendly foods was shown to control A1C quickly and keep blood sugar levels under control.
Reduction In Insulin Resistance
One of the problems with prediabetes is that it can damage your body’s response to insulin, meaning sugars stay in the blood instead of being stored properly. Although the effect of keto on insulin resistance is still up for debate, some research shows[1] that it may improve your body’s ability to use insulin effectively, thereby helping prevent a diabetes diagnosis.
Prediabetes Diet Food List To Follow
For a ketogenic diet to work, the bulk of your calories should come from high fat foods like salmon, olive oil, nuts, and seeds. However, you also need good sources of fiber, vitamins and minerals, too! Here is a short list to get you started, and you can find a more thorough food list here.
- Olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil
- Avocados
- Nuts and seeds
- Non starchy vegetables like spinach, cabbage, and broccoli
- High fat fish like salmon
- Eggs
- Berries and other low carb fruits like melon
- Some cheeses
- Meat
Prediabetes Diet Food List That You Should Avoid On The Keto Diet
- Potatoes and other starchy vegetables.
- Oatmeal and large servings of whole grains.
- Fruit Juice.
- Foods with added sugar.
- Refined grains.
- Dried Fruit.
- Fried foods and large servings of processed meats.
- Flavored yogurts that may have hidden sugars.
What Is The Keto Diet?
A ketogenic diet helps to control blood glucose levels by preventing spikes in blood glucose. The body breaks down carbohydrates into sugars such as glucose and the hormone insulin transports the glucose from the blood into the liver for storage. When you eat certain foods, especially carbohydrates, your body releases lots of insulin to process those sugars and get your blood glucose back to a normal level.
Other low carbohydrate diets such as the Mediterranean-Plus diet may offer similar health benefits[2] to a ketogenic diet and be easier to maintain for many people. While a Mediterranean-Plus diet includes many of the same foods as keto, such as olive oil, it also incorporates a more generous portion of carbohydrates like whole grains. The unmodified Mediterranean diet is not typically considered a low-carbohydrate diet due to its emphasis on abundant supplies of whole grains, fruits, and starchy vegetables.
However, some studies show that a ketogenic diet specifically may help people lose weight quickly and make blood sugar control easier. A drawback to the keto diet is it may elevate low-density lipoprotein[3] or LDL cholesterol levels while decreasing high-density lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol levels — thus raising cardiometabolic risk factors, although this research is controversial[4].
By making fat your main energy source, you will start to produce ketone bodies, which allow your body to use fat as a fuel source instead of carbs or protein. This can help your body balance insulin levels by avoiding those big fluctuations in carbohydrates and insulin-triggering amounts of protein.
In general, a ketogenic diet requires about 60-70% of your daily calories to come from dietary fat, and total carbs stay under about 5-10% of your diet, depending on what version of keto or another low carb diet you’re following.
Prediabetes: What Is It?
According to the CDC, as many as 1 in 3 adults in the US may have prediabetes,[5]a condition marked by higher than normal blood sugar levels that fall short of a true diabetic diagnosis. Fortunately, many people can reverse prediabetes with a few lifestyle changes such as a low carbohydrate diet coupled with effective exercise and weight loss.
Prediabetes can be a problem because it can lead to type 2 diabetes, where your blood sugar levels tend to stay so high they can cause serious medical issues if left untreated. Chronically high blood glucose can lead to damage to your blood vessels, kidneys, heart health, and other systems.
Signs And Symptoms Of Prediabetes You Need To Know
Unfortunately, prediabetes doesn’t usually give you noticeable symptoms. While type 2 diabetes usually presents with problems such as frequent urination, losing weight without meaning to, low energy, and extreme thirst, prediabetes can fly under the radar for a long time.
However, some risk factors for prediabetes and diabetes should alert you to keep a close eye on your blood sugar levels. For example, you are at higher risk if you have a family history of diabetes, a history of high blood pressure or obesity, or are of certain ethnic background.
Ways To Diagnose Prediabetes
Blood tests are the only way to diagnose prediabetes definitively. It is important to get several different types of blood tests, as they test for slightly different things. One may come back normal while another shows prediabetes.
Blood tests to diagnose prediabetes include:
- Glucose Tolerance Test
- Fasting Glucose Test
- Fasting Insulin Test
- A1C Test
Conclusion
A low carb diet can help lower blood glucose levels and prevent insulin resistance for many people by reducing triggers for insulin production and keeping blood sugar at a consistently lower level. The ketogenic diet takes that idea a step further by significantly limiting carbs and focusing on the majority of calories coming from fats.
Whether you’re considering keto for weight loss or any other reason, it’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor and weigh your options before changing your diet. With careful planning and guidance from an effective app and your doctor’s input, a ketogenic diet may help you prevent the progression from prediabetes to diabetes by helping control your blood sugar.
Remember that keto doesn’t have to be a permanent lifestyle change! You may be able to benefit from it in the short term and slowly reintroduce more proteins and carbs while monitoring how it affects your blood sugar to maintain improvements to your prediabetic condition.
Although a high fat diet like keto may not be the best solution for everyone, eating fewer carbs and avoiding hidden sugars is likely a good strategy for people with prediabetes. Coupled with increased exercise and a few lifestyle changes, you can take back control of your blood sugar and your health!
+ 5 sources
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- Dyńka, D., Katarzyna Kowalcze, Filip Ambrozkiewicz and Agnieszka Paziewska (2023). Effect of the Ketogenic Diet on the Prophylaxis and Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus: A Review of the Meta-Analyses and Clinical Trials. [online] 15(3), pp.500–500. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15030500.
- Gardner, C.D., Landry, M.J., Perelman, D., Petlura, C., Durand, L.R., Aronica, L., Crimarco, A., Cunanan, K.M., Annie, Dant, C.C., Colhoun, H.M. and Sun Yeou Kim (2022). Effect of a ketogenic diet versus Mediterranean diet on glycated hemoglobin in individuals with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus: The interventional Keto-Med randomized crossover trial. [online] 116(3), pp.640–652. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqac154.
- Briand, F., Mayoux, E., Bruno, E., Burr, N., Urbain, I., Clément Costard, Mark, M. and Thierry Sulpice (2016). Empagliflozin, via Switching Metabolism Toward Lipid Utilization, Moderately Increases LDL Cholesterol Levels Through Reduced LDL Catabolism. [online] 65(7), pp.2032–2038. doi:https://doi.org/10.2337/db16-0049.
- Hu, T. and Bazzano, L.A. (2014). The low-carbohydrate diet and cardiovascular risk factors: Evidence from epidemiologic studies. [online] 24(4), pp.337–343. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.numecd.2013.12.008.
- Anon, (2023). Prediabetes. [online] Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/reports/reportcard/prediabetes.html.
Written by:
Paige Anderson, CRDH
Medically reviewed by:
Medically reviewed by:
