A 51-year-old woman with diabetes on both sides of her family believed that a high blood sugar level was something she would have to live with. Her HbA1c had reached 10.4%, while her fasting blood sugar was 241 mg/dL.

Nutritionist Lovneet Batra has shared the woman's journey, explaining how changes in her diet and daily eating habits helped bring her HbA1c down from 10.4% to 5.3%.

"Genetics only loads the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger. Nutrition support doesn't replace medicine, it builds the foundation for your clinical treatments to succeed," her Instagram post reads.

Before suggesting a diet plan, Batra carries out what she calls an ABCD assessment.

The A stands for anthropometric assessment, which looks at factors such as weight, height, body fat, waist size, age and the person's needs at that stage of life. The B stands for biochemical assessment, which involves checking blood reports and other health markers.

The C stands for clinical assessment, which looks at the person's symptoms and other physical signs. The D stands for dietary intake patterns to identify hidden nutritional.

Batra says the plan does not involve extreme dieting, avoiding family meals or counting every calorie. Instead, she recommends making practical changes to her client's daily meals. The focus is on getting enough protein, eating more fibre and changing the order in which food is eaten, Batra explains.
 
Batra explains that even the way a plate is organised can affect blood sugar levels. Her client learned which foods to eat first, how to combine familiar local foods to stay full for longer and how to include her favourite treats in her meal. Her HbA1c fell from 10.4% to 7.4%, then 6.2% and eventually 5.3%.

Batra also shares a message from the woman, who said, "This is almost 6 months of stopping all diabetic medication and only following what I have learnt from you." Her client later reported that she was maintaining her HbA1c around 5.8-5.9 without medication.

"The goal isn't to diet for three months. The goal is to know how to eat for life," Batra explains.
 



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