Hi Jeanie,
I, as a fellow pre-diabetes diagnosee (diagnosis = 6 weeks ago), also had a real problem finding a diet that might work.
Low sugar:
As other people have mentioned already, the diet needs to be low in sugar (check labels - many diet forms of dairy, for instance, have added sugar so go for full fat versions as you don't need to lose weight) - I would look for < or equal to 4g of sugar per 100g of product.
Low carbs:
The received wisdom on this is that a diet lower in carbs will definitely lower blood glucose levels and give your pancreas a rest as carbs are just chains of sugars that break down during digestion as much as fruit or sweet things will, leading to a BG (blood glucose) spike.
I did the following: cut out potatoes, white refined carbs (bread, pasta, noodles etc.) and replaced with low GI alternatives. Especially good are things like Quinoa, Bulgarwheat, Buckwheat, Sweet potatoes, New potatoes (esp cold ones - as they cool the GI reduces) and Basmati or wild black rice.
Beans and Pulses (plant protein/carbs sources):
There is also a body of evidence that eating more beans and pulses/legumes (things like butter beans, aduki beans, kidney beans, lentils etc.) helps to stave off diabetes and other diseases like heart disease, cancer and stroke. They are also an excellent source of carbohydrate.
What your plate should look like:
Half of your plate should be vegetables (exclude the starchy types - parsnips, potatoes, plantain etc.) with 1/4 carbs and 1/4 protein.
Ideally most meals should contain vegetables and protein as well as some form of carbs like those mentioned again.
The diet regime that I am on means I only eat my carbs at night with my evening meal.
Caffeine - New research coming out of the US
I know that you said you don't need to lose weight, unlike me, but I thought I would just share some really interesting information about caffeine: whilst not YET in the public domain, according to my dietician (the same Dr that co-wrote the 5:2 diet cookbook with Mimi Spencer) there is a growing body of evidence from research in the USA that caffeine guards against developing full-blown diabetes as well as Alzheimer's by lowering blood sugar.
I've not drunk coffee for around 12 years but with her advice have started to drink 2 cups a day. I think that whilst we're not hearing about this research now, we will be in a couple of years - and remember where you heard it first!
Good fats and protein are your friends
Good fats = olive oil and similar/avocados etc.
Protein sources = chicken, oily fish and some beans/pulses. Try to aim for 2 servings of oily fish a week if you can.
Go easy on the fruit
It's been suggested that you restrict your portion of fruit to no more than 2 a day - best eaten in the morning or with lunch. A portion = something that fits into the palm of your hands. Esp good are the Northern European stone fruits (plums, peaches etc.) and apples, pears. Blueberries and other berries are very low in GI and have anti-oxidant health-boosting properties.
You should aim for another 3 portions of vegetables a day (remember half your plate should be veggies.) Concentrating on green veg will lower the sugar content - bright colours = higher sugar content.
I hope this has been helpful, Jeanie.
Just to give you a context, I have reduced my weight by over 28 lbs in 6 weeks* and my Fasting BG (with regular exercise) is now around the high 4- low 5 mmol/litre. I would heartily recommend exercise - I try to jog for 25 mins, 4 x a week. I found it hard to begin with but it's having a marked effect on my BG levels.
Do let us know how you get on. And remember - you're not alone. We're all here to help and support each other.
Best,
Suzi
* One week I did the Roy Taylor Newcastle diet - see more here:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/magres/research/di ... versal.htm
