Diabetes is a disease which affects both children and adults. People with diabetes cannot move blood sugar from the bloodstream into the muscles and cells as quickly as healthy individuals do. Whether or not you take medications for diabetes, managing the disease with good nutrition is important. The American Diabetes Association states that when diabetes is uncontrolled, it can lead to complications like neuropathy and heart disease. Just as what you eat is important for managing diabetes, so is when you eat it.
Step 1
Start each day off with a healthy breakfast as soon as possible after you wake up. The goal of diabetes management is to keep blood sugar levels from rising too high or dropping too low. The St. John Providence Health system states that skipping a meal, even skipping breakfast, can cause your blood sugar levels to drop. Additionally, skipping breakfast can cause you to eat too much for lunch, swinging your blood sugar levels up too high. Choose a heart-healthy breakfast within a half an hour of waking up. Oatmeal with low-fat milk, scrambled egg whites and sautéed vegetables or whole wheat toast and turkey bacon make healthy breakfast options.
Step 2
Eat a mid-morning snack two to three hours after breakfast. According to the website Diabetes Care Plan, blood sugar levels rise in the body after you eat a large meal. Yet if you eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day, your blood sugar levels will be more stable. A few hundred calories such as a string cheese and crackers or a protein bar around 10 or 11 in the morning will give you the energy you need to keep going.
Step 3
Break for lunch around the same time every day. Your body recognizes patterns and eating meals around the same time each day helps to maintain steady blood sugar levels, according to the St. John Providence Health System. Don't eat a large lunch as if you were eating only two or three meals a day. Instead, eat until you are satisfied, but not uncomfortably full.
Step 4
Snack again in the afternoon to avoid a drop in your blood sugar levels. Many people, diabetics and healthy individuals included, feel tired around 3 to 4 in the afternoon. This fatigue is typically caused by a drop in blood sugar levels. In order to avoid this, eat a small snack such as a handful of nuts and a piece of fruit around 2 to 3pm.
Step 5
Choose a light, healthy dinner with some protein like meat or beans, a few hours before bedtime. Eating too close to bedtime can cause hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar levels, while you sleep, making you wake up hungry and possibly even weak or tired. According to Biomedical Engineering Online, eating an early dinner reduces the risk of hypoglycemia in diabetics. Plan dinner for around 5 to 6 every evening.
Tips and Warnings
- If you take insulin, talk with your doctor or Registered Dietitian about the best possible timing of meals based on your medication schedule.
