You may wish to indulge in a huge dinner but worry about the impact on your blood sugar if you do. As long as you do not have diabetes, your pancreas will secrete just the right amount of insulin required to keep your blood sugar level within a healthy range. However, if you have prediabetes, diabetes, reactive hypoglycemia or signs of insulin resistance, including a large waist, high triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol levels, a huge dinner could result in excessive blood sugar levels the next day. It is important that you understand the consequences of your food choices.
Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar
In any meal, whether it is breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack, carbohydrates are primarily responsible for raising your blood sugar after you eat. Fat and protein from butter, oil, salad dressing, mayo, bacon, sausages, meat, fish and cheese do not have a significant impact, but both sugars and starches, which are part of the total carbohydrates, are broken down to glucose, which is then absorbed in your bloodstream. If you have a huge dinner, the pizza dough, breads, potatoes, rice and sweets will cause your blood sugar to spike.
Amount of Carbohydrate
The extent to which your blood sugar level rises after a huge dinner will depend on the amount of carbohydrates you eat and your individual tolerance. Some people may be able to keep their blood sugar levels in control after a meal containing 100 to 200 g of carbohydrates, but if you have diabetes or insulin resistance, as little as 30 to 50 g of carbohydrates could be enough to bring your blood sugar up. Count your carb intake in your huge dinner.
Plan Your Huge Dinner
If you intend to have a huge dinner, but want to prevent your blood sugar level from rising too high, keep an eye on your carb intake. Instead of piling your plate with pasta, rice, potatoes, breads, desserts and other carb-rich foods, choose low-carb alternatives. Fill up your plate with plenty of nonstarchy vegetables, which have a low carb content. You can have generous servings of fish, poultry, beef, pork, bacon, sausages and seafood as well as plenty of fat from cheese, butter, cream, salad dressings, sour cream, oils, nuts and avocados, because these foods have very little direct influence over your blood sugar level.
Next-Day Blood Sugar Levels
Your blood sugar level the day following your huge dinner will depend on the amount of carbohydrates you eat and how your body handles them. Get a blood sugar meter to do some testing. Calculate the amount of carbohydrates you eat at dinner and check how your blood sugar level rises in the hours following dinner and the following day. Take notes of what you eat, your carb intake and your blood sugar levels to better understand the link between your food choices and your blood sugar control.
