Diabetes is essentially a condition of inappropriate insulin response that results in abnormal blood sugar highs and lows. The most important aspect of controlling diabetes is regulating blood glucose levels through careful meal planning and, in some cases, insulin supplementation. The timing of your meals is just as important as what you eat as you work to maintain your blood sugar.
Hypoglycemia
Going a long time between meals places diabetes patients at risk of becoming hypoglycemic, which means their blood sugar drops too low. During hypoglycemia, people have trouble thinking clearly, are at higher risk of having an accident while driving and are at risk of slipping into a coma or even dying.
Hyperglycemia
Because Type 2 diabetes is usually a result of impaired insulin response, uncontrolled high blood sugar -- hyperglycemia -- is a common problem among diabetics, and a major cause of diabetes complications. Eating more than you planned to eat or eating too often for your insulin to keep up with your carbohydrate load puts you at increased risk of developing hyperglycemia.
Timing Your Meals
Although every person with diabetes has a unique set of needs and preferences, at least one thing is universally true for diabetes: You should never skip meals. The exact timing of your meals will be specific to you and your needs, but they should be at regular intervals and roughly two to five hours apart.
Safe Glucose Range
Allowing your blood sugar, or glucose, to either drop too low or spike too high places you at risk of side effects, from dizziness and fainting to blindness, coma and death. According to the American Diabetic Association, you should plan the content and timing of your meals around the goal of keeping your blood sugar between 70 and 100.
Meal Size
Ask your doctor about the number of calories you should eat each day and how those calories should be distributed among carbohydrates, protein and fat. Once those numbers are determined, spread your carbohydrates out evenly among your meals to minimize blood sugar spikes and dips. Keeping a uniform number of carbohydrates coming into your body at regular intervals is vital to maintaining healthy and constant blood sugar.
References
- "Krause's Food and Nutrition Therapy: 12th Edition"; L. Kathleen Mahan and Sylvia Escott-Stump; 2008
- American Diabetes Association; Living with Diabetes: Blood Glucose Control
- "Nutrition and Diagnosis-Related Care: Fifth Edition"; Sylvia Escott-Stump; 2002
