Meal Scheduling for Diabetics

A diabetic needs to develop a daily food intake schedule to control and maintain blood glucose level within desired limits.

Major goals for a diabetic

1. Eat Balanced Food
2. Eat enough calories to reach and/or maintain desired body weight.
3. Control blood glucose level.
For a balanced diet, 55% of calories are derived from carbohydrates, and a dominant source for blood glucose. The blood glucose peeks after we eat carbohydrates. Therefore, the Carbohydrates need to be spread out among breakfast, lunch, dinner. One must not skip breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you are taking insulin or medications to lower blood glucose, skipping a meal may result in hypoglycemia (insulin shock). This necessitates creation of a food intake schedule.

The basic rules to formulate a schedule

1. Eat Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner every day. Allow a minimum of four hours in-between any of the two meals. Each meal should include Carbohydrates, Proteins, and fats.
2. Optionally, include 3 or more snacks in between meals to further spread out the carbohydrates. Allow a minimum of two hours after each meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) for snacks. Bedtime snack may needed to prevent hypoglycemia. Bed time glucose level should be 100 to 160 mg/dL.
3. Adjust the time spread if one is taking insulin. Insulin injection is taken about 30 minutes before eating. Timing depends on the form of insulin. A physicians may prescribe a fast acting insulin with each meal and basal insulin at night.

Sample Schedule

We will assume 7 am as 'time-zero' to create a typical food intake schedule
7 am - 7:15 am: Breakfast
9: 45 am - 9:50 am: Snack
This snack follows about 2½ hours after the breakfast
12:15 - 12:45 pm: Lunch
Lunch follows about 2½ hours after the snack, and about 5 hours after the breakfast
3:15 pm - 3:20 Snack
This snack follows 2½ hours after the lunch
5:45 pm - 6:15 pm: Dinner
Dinner follows 2 to 3 hours after the snack, and about 5 hours after the lunch
8:45 pm: Snack
This snack follows 2½ hours after the dinner.

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