Prediabetes: 5 Things You Can Do Today to Prevent Diabetes
Prediabetes doesn't come with symptoms. Most people find out they have it from a routine lab, not because anything felt wrong — which is exactly why it's so often missed until it's progressed further than it needed to.
Here's the good news: prediabetes is one of the most reversible diagnoses in medicine. The choices you make in the months right after finding out matter more than almost any medication could. Here are five places to start.
1. Know Your Number
Prediabetes is diagnosed with a simple blood test — usually a hemoglobin A1C or fasting glucose. If it's been a while since you've had labs done, that's step one. You can't manage what you haven't measured.
2. Move After You Eat
A 10-15 minute walk after a meal measurably blunts the blood sugar spike that follows. You don't need a gym or a workout plan — just a short walk after your largest meal of the day is one of the highest-return habits you can build.
3. Rethink Your Plate, Not Your Whole Diet
You don't need to overhaul everything at once. Start by pairing carbohydrates with protein or fiber — for example, adding beans or nuts to a starchy meal — which slows the blood sugar rise from that meal.
4. Prioritize Sleep
Poor sleep disrupts the hormones that regulate hunger and blood sugar. Even a few nights of short sleep can measurably reduce insulin sensitivity. If diabetes prevention is the goal, sleep is not a side issue — it's part of the treatment plan.
5. Get Support Before It Becomes a Bigger Problem
This is where lifestyle medicine and integrative medicine really come in — figuring out which of these levers matters most for your body, your labs, and your life, and building a realistic plan around it. That's harder to do alone, and it's exactly the kind of care a rushed annual physical rarely has time for.
Want to know where you actually stand? The Long Physical includes a full lab panel — including HgbA1C — plus a personalized Health Optimization Plan, with no membership required. Book here.
I'll also be talking through this in more depth in person at Tea Talk, a free community wellness talk on prediabetes prevention — Wednesday, August 5th at 6pm at Pauline Tea Bar and Apothecary. This talk is for educational purposes and isn't a substitute for medical advice, but it's a great place to start asking questions.