There are many ways to help prevent the onset of prediabetes and diabetes. Making healthy lifestyle changes, including losing weight and getting regular exercise, is a great place to start. The good news is that weight loss and other healthy lifestyle changes have been found to be more effective than medications for reversing prediabetes. So if you’re following the South Beach Diet, you’re taking the right steps.

To reverse prediabetes (and prevent type 2 diabetes), try these South Beach Diet smart-eating guidelines:

• Eat whole grains, such as brown rice, barley, quinoa, wild rice, bulgur, slow-cooking oatmeal, and whole-grain breads and pastas (starting on Phase 2).
• Enjoy beans and other legumes frequently (on all Phases).
• Enjoy plenty of vegetables, prepared without unhealthy fats (like stick margarine and butter) or sweetened sauces.
• Consume whole, low-glycemic-index fresh fruits (starting on Phase 2), like berries, apples, and/or citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruit halves. Avoid canned or jarred fruits with added sweeteners or syrups.
• Include nonfat or low-fat dairy in your diet, such as fat-free or 1-percent milk, plain or artificially sweetened low-fat plain soy milk, and nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt. Starting on Phase 2, you may add four ounces per day of artificially sweetened low-fat or nonfat flavored yogurt.
• Focus on lean proteins, like fish and shellfish, skinless poultry breasts, and lean cuts of beef. Use healthy cooking methods, such as baking, roasting, broiling, or grilling.
• Avoid saturated fats and trans fats; instead, choose monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, found in olive oil and canola oil, for example, or foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as fatty fish.

See all South Beach Diet Tips.