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Regardless of the test results, the nurse was right. If your diet is primarily made up of white, refined foods (white sugar, potatoes, white bread/white flour), you're on the road to diabetes, as is your husband.
You need to eat more whole grains, more fresh fruits and vegetables, and lean proteins, including legumes. You both should be getting at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. All processed sugars should be cut out--no soda, no cookies, and look out for sugars hidden in bread, cereal, and other places. You can still drink fruit juice, provided it's 100% juice, and you're only drinking 1 glass a day. 100% fruit juice is great with some club soda, and a 8 oz. glass of orange juice (preferably not from concentrate) counts as a serving of fruit.
Choose breads that are whole wheat, with at least 3-4gs of fiber per slice. If you eat cereal, it should be high in fiber. Ideally, you want a fiber intake of at least 25-30g a day. It sounds impossible, but if you eat a high fiber cereal for breakfast, then have a sandwich later in the day made with high fiber bread, that along with your 5 servings of fruits and vegetables will certainly put you in that bracket of fiber consumption. We also eat high fiber flatbreads and use those to make wraps, or high fiber tortillas for when we have burrito night.
Too many people don't eat enough legumes. Add more legumes to your diet, and you'll be adding more protein and more fiber as well as necessary micronutrients in one fell swoop.
I have a list of what I call "power foods"--foods that pack extra nutritional punch:
Bananas
Apples (or pears)
Spinach/Greens (NOT iceberg lettuce)
Almonds
Tuna fish
whole wheat bread with flax seeds
olives
avocados
natural peanut butter
beans (red beans, black beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans [hummus], etc)
lentils
oatmeal
yogurt (plain or flavored, no sugar added)
Notice that some of the foods on that list are fatty, like the avocado. But avocado is high in fiber. An avocado has more fiber than an entire cantaloupe! It makes a great substitute for mayonnaise on sandwiches. Eating natural peanut butter instead of Jif or Skippy is also a great way to get of additional sugars. But not all sugars are created equal--which is why you should still get at least 2 servings of fruit daily, hence the bananas and apples (great snacks).
Furthermore, read labels! The sugar content of any processed food is clearly printed on the nutrition information, as is the fiber content. If a food that is made from flour does not have fiber in it, PUT IT BACK.
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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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