Support and Signposting for Patients

What is Pre-Diabetes?

Pre-Diabetes means that your blood sugars are higher than usual, but not high enough for you to be diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. It also means that you are at high risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. you are unlikely to be experiencing any symptoms with pre-diabetes.

Pre-Diabetes is also sometimes borderline Diabetes. Higher than normal blood sugar levels can be detected via blood tests. The medical terms for higher than normal blood sugars are:

Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG)

Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT)

Impaired Glucose Regulation (IGR)

Non-Diabetic Hyperglycaemia

NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme

You may be eligible for a free place on the Healthier You: NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, designed to help you make long-term lifestyle changes and reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

📞 Call the Xyla booking team on 0333 577 3010 (Monday to Friday, 9:00am – 4:30pm) or

🌐 Register online using the link below.

Please note: This service is available only to those under the age of 80.

Preventing Type 2 Diabetes – Your Lifestyle

Research has consistently shown that for some people combined lifestyle interventions – including diet, physical activity and sustained weight loss – can be effective in reducing the risk of Type 2 Diabetes by half.

Being at risk doesn’t mean you will definitely develop Type 2 Diabetes. Now is a great time to start making healthy changes to the foods you eat and your activity levels to reduce your risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

Our Health & Wellbeing team can support you in making these changes.

At the Practice, we have a Health & Wellbeing Team who can signpost you to services who can support with: 

Weight Management

Reducing Alcohol Intake

Healthy Eating

Physical Activity

For more information and to be referred contact the surgery here: 📞 0116 259 6206

With small changes to your lifestyle, you can reduce your blood sugar levels to within the normal range. We recommend that your HbA1C (blood sugar) is checked every year. 

Note:  If you suddenly feel very thirsty, tired, or the need to wee more often you should contact the surgery to get your HbA1C (blood sugars) checked sooner.

Leicestershire Weight Management Service

This free programme supports you in making sustainable, healthy lifestyle changes by focusing on:

Balanced eating

Increased activity

Long-term wellbeing

❌ This service does not offer weight loss medications, injections, or gym memberships.

How to join:

📞 Call: 0116 305 0730 (Leave a message if prompted – the team will call you back.)

🌐 Or complete the self-referral form:

Self Refer

Or click here for more information.

Exercise

Any physical activity can support our health. This can be walking, doing some chair-based exercises or joining a class.

Active Together

The Active Together Website has a lot of information about exercise in the local area.

Visit Website

You can learn more by completing an enquiry form:

Contact Form

📞 Or call: 01858 828282 (ask for the Active Team)

📧 Or email: activetogether@harborough.gov.uk

Diet and Alcohol

Here are some helpful tips that could help reduce your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes

1. Choose drinks without added sugar

We know there is a link between having full sugar fizzy and energy drinks, and an increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes. Cutting down on these can help to reduce your risk and support keeping your weight down. If you are finding it hard to cut down, look out for diet or low calorie versions of soft drinks and check there’s no added sugar.

Try not to replace sugary drinks with fruit juices or smoothies as these still contain a high amount of free sugar. Try plain water, plain milk, tea or coffee without added sugar, as replacements. Evidence also shows that drinking unsweetened tea and coffee is associated with a reduced risk.

Crystal clear water being poured into a glass from a pitcher. Refreshing and hydrating concept.

2. Choose higher fibre carbs

brown wooden bowl with brown wooden spoon

Eating white bread, white rice, sugary breakfast cereals or other simple starchy foods, known as refined carbs, are linked with an increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes. But wholegrains such as brown rice, whole wheat pasta, wholemeal flour, wholegrain bread and oats and linked to a reduced risk so choose these instead.

When you’re out shopping remember to check food labels to see if a food is high fibre. Compare different foods to find the ones with the most fibre in them.

Other healthy sources of carbs include:

fruit and vegetables

pulses such as chickpeas, beans and lentils

dairy like unsweetened yogurt and milk

Having more fibre is also associated with lower risk of other serious conditions such as obesity, heart diseases and certain types of cancers. It’s also important to think about your carbohydrate portion sizes.

3. Cut down on red and processed meat

Having more red and processed meats like bacon, ham, sausages, pork, beef and lamb are all associated with an increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes. They also have links to heart problems and certain types of cancer.

Try to get your protein from healthier foods like:

pulses such as beans and lentils

eggs

fish

chicken and turkey

unsalted nuts

Fish is really good for us and oily fish like salmon and mackerel are rich in omega-3 oil which helps protect your heart. Try to have at least one portion of oily fish each week and one portion of white fish.

Top view of a healthy mix of nuts and dried fruits with an apple and stethoscope.

4. Eat plenty of fruit and veg

Including more fruit and vegetables in your diet is linked with a reduced risk of Type 2 Diabetes. But did you know there are also certain types of fruit and veg that have been specifically associated with a reduced risk?

These are:

apples

grapes

berries

green leafy veg such as spinach, kale, watercress, rocket.

It doesn’t matter whether they are fresh or frozen, try to find ways to include these in your diet. Try having them as snacks or an extra portion of veg with your meals.

It can be confusing to know whether you should eat certain types of fruit, because they contain sugar. The good news is the natural sugar in whole fruit is not the type of added (or free) sugar we need to cut down on. But drinks like fruit juices and smoothies do contain free sugar, so eat the whole fruit and veg instead.

5. Choose unsweetened yogurt and cheese

Yogurt and cheese are fermented dairy products and they have been linked with a reduced risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

You might be wondering whether to choose full fat or low fat? When it comes to dairy and risk of Type 2 Diabetes, the amount of fat from these dairy foods is not as important. What is more important is that you choose unsweetened options like plain natural or Greek yoghurt and plain milk.

Having three portions of dairy each day also helps you to get the calcium your body needs. A portion of dairy is:

200ml (1/3 pint) milk

30g cheese

125g yoghurt

Woman with manicured nails holding yogurt container and spoon, standing by a wooden table in a kitchen.

6. Be sensible with alcohol

Close-up of two friends toasting with cold beer glasses at a lively bar, celebrating friendship and good times.

Drinking too much alcohol is linked with an increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes. As it is also high in calories, drinking lots can make it difficult if you are trying to lose weight.

Current guidelines recommend not regularly drinking more than 14 units per week and that these units should be spread evenly over 3-4 days. Try to have a few days per week without any alcohol at all.

Drinking heavily on one or two days per week, known as binge drinking, will also increase the risk of other health conditions such as certain types of cancer.

7. Choose healthier snacks

If you want a snack, instead of crisps, chips, biscuits, sweets and chocolates, go for things like:

unsweetened yoghurts

unsalted nuts

seeds

fruits and vegetables

But watch your portions as it’ll help you keep an eye on your weight.

Top view of a stylish antipasto spread with olives, prosciutto, and cheese.

8. Include healthier fats in your diet

It’s important to have some healthy fat in our diets because it gives us energy. The type of fat we choose can affect our health.

Some saturated fats can increase the amount of cholesterol in your blood, increasing your risk of heart problems. These are mainly found in animal products and prepared food like:

red and processed meat

butter

lard

ghee

biscuits, cakes, sweets, pies and pastries

Healthy fat foods include:

fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and tuna

avocados

nuts and seeds

olive oil, rapeseed oil and sunflower oil

Coconut and palm oil can also affect our cholesterol levels. If you are at risk of Type 2 Diabetes, you are likely to be at an increased risk of heart problems so try to reduce these foods.

We also know that the type of fat found in oily fish like salmon and mackerel is linked with a reduced risk, especially if you are from a South Asian background.

9. Cut down on salt

Eating lots of salt can increase your risk of high blood pressure, which can lead to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Having high blood pressure has also been linked to an increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

Try to limit yourself to a maximum of one teaspoonful (6g) of salt a day. Lots of pre-packaged foods like bacon, sausages, crisps and ready meals already contain salt. So remember to check food labels and choose those with less salt in them.

Cooking from scratch will help you keep an eye on how much salt you’re eating. Instead of adding extra salt to your food try out different herbs and spices to add in extra flavour.

a wooden bowl filled with white powdered sugar

10. Getting vitamins and minerals from food instead of tablets

You might have heard that certain vitamins and supplements can reduce your risk of Type 2 Diabetes. Currently we don’t have evidence to say this is true. So, unless you’ve been told to take something by your healthcare team, like folic acid for pregnancy, you don’t need to take supplements.

It’s better to get all your vitamins and minerals by eating a mixture of different foods.