30/07/2023
👉 BACKGROUND
During my India trip, I was told by multiple family members and friends...
"People with diabetes should eat every 2 hours."
It had almost started to frusturate Mahi and me, hence this post.
👉 TYPE1 DIABETES
People with T1D inject insulin prior to their meals; hence, they can have a flexible schedule for meals. While eating at the same time every day may help in better sugar management, but they definitely don't HAVE to eat every 2 hours. They can, if they want to!
👉 TYPE2 DIABETES
People with type 2 diabetes uually have better blood glucose control if their meals and carbohydrates are spaced evenly throughout the day.
Long intervals between meals can lead to potentially dangerous low blood sugar levels. Too many carbohydrates at any one time can raise blood glucose too high, even if you take diabetes medicine.
👉 DIABETES DIET PLAN
But there are no one-size-fits-all diabetes diet plans, so it's not surprising that recommendations for how often to eat are also still wide-ranging.
Some health professionals suggest eating small, frequent meals four to six times a day. In contrast, others suggest larger, limited meals two to three times a day.
There’s no one ‘perfect’ meal plan or schedule for people with Type1 or Type2 Diabetes and there will be some variations from person to person.
👉 WHAT DO STUDIES SHOW?
One study compared two larger meals with six smaller meals for people with type 2 diabetes. It found that two larger meals reduced body weight and fasting blood sugar than six small meals a day, even when daily calories were the same.
A 2019 study compared intermittent fasting with a nine- hour eating window compared to no time restrictions on eating with type 2 diabetes. They found that fasting improved blood sugar values after meals.
📍CONCLUSION
Overall, experts have pointed out the potential to be able to eat on a schedule that works best for you and is most convenient for your life, provided that you’ve talked with your health care provider.