Glucose intolerance can potentially lead to diabetes if you do not modify your diet. Glucose intolerance is commonly called high blood sugar, hyperglycemia or pre-diabetes. This condition develops over time when your pancreas becomes unable to make enough insulin or when your cells cannot use insulin effectively. A diet for glucose intolerance consists of no more than 200 g of carbohydrates per day, according to MedlinePlus.
Regular Intervals
Eating small, regularly spaced meals helps to maintain your blood sugar levels. Divide the 200 g of carbohydrates by six. Eat six small meals per day, one meal every two to three hours, ensuring the carbohydrates you eat are mostly slow-digesting carbs.
Best Carbohydrates
The best carbohydrates to eat when you have glucose intolerance are those that are digested and absorbed into your bloodstream slowly, minimizing the buildup of sugar or glucose in your blood. Such carbohydrates have plenty of slow-digesting starch instead of fast-digesting starch and may also be high in fiber or protein. These carbohydrates have a low-glycemic index; the glycemic Index categorizes carbohydrates according to their impact on your blood sugar, or blood glucose. Carbohydrates with a low-glycemic index of less than 55 have a minimal impact on your glucose levels while carbohydrates with a moderate or high glycemic index of 55 or more have a more noticeable impact on your blood sugar. A proper diet for glucose intolerance contains primarily cooked spaghetti noodles, cooked fettuccine noodles, whole-wheat breads, boiled beans, apples, oranges, pears, cherries and skim milk as the primary sources of carbohydrates.
Healthy Fats and Lean Protein
Including fats and protein in your meals further minimizes the impact of carbohydrates on raising your blood sugar. To improve your health and reduce your risks of other chronic diseases like heart disease, obesity and high blood pressure, select foods low in saturated fat. Unsalted nuts, lean meat, lean poultry, low-fat dairy and fatty fish are excellent components for a meal, especially if you must eat fast-digesting carbs like a baked potato or white rice. Eat only one serving, or ½ cup, of fast-digesting grains under such circumstances.
Considerations
Blood sugar levels change not only according to your diet, but also your activity level, stress, weight gain and sudden illnesses. Exercising within two hours of a meal can help you manage your blood sugar because exercise has an insulin-like effect on glucose, facilitating the entry of glucose into your cells without much insulin. Furthermore, if you must absolutely have a piece of cake or a baked potato, reserve the treat for your post-workout meal. After a moderate to highly intense workout session, a rise in your blood sugar from your post-workout splurge is balanced by your cells; the cells act like sponges, soaking up the glucose in your blood and storing it for your next training session.
References
- MedlinePlus: High Blood Sugar
- MedlinePlus: Counting Carbohydrates
- "Exercise Physiology, Energy, Nutrition & Human Performance"; William McArdle, et al.; 2007
- "ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal"; Glycemic Index: An Educational Tool for Health and Fitness Professionals; Stephen Wong, Ph.D., et al.; November/December 2003
- "ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal"; Applying Concepts of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load to Active Individuals; Melinda Manore, Ph.D., et al; September/October 2004
