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Blood sugar reading after eating food

nessa1970

nessa1970

Well-Known Member
Messages
386
Location
New Zealand
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Does anyone know how long it takes to get a blood sugar reading that’s accurate after eating? Like say, you ate a large chips and a Big Mac , how long till you would have the full accuracy of that digested food in a blood sugar reading ? Like , around about how long after eating ? Curious
 
There is no definite answer.
Different foods are digested at different rates.
Those of us treated with insulin are aware of fast acting carbs such as jelly babies which can impact out blood sugars in ten to fifteen minutes.
On the other hand, fatty carby foods such as curry or pizza can take 5 hours to reach their peak.

Plus you have to add the "we are all different" factor.
And the "when did you last take your insulin and how much do you have on board" factor.
 
nessa1970 said:
Does anyone know how long it takes to get a blood sugar reading that’s accurate after eating? Like say, you ate a large chips and a Big Mac , how long till you would have the full accuracy of that digested food in a blood sugar reading ? Like , around about how long after eating ? Curious
Click to expand...

Ah, it all depends on the person, the time of day, the exercise, the stress and on and on, BUT, generally I find if you eat things like chips/pizza they take longer to process because (I think) the fat delays the body from gastric emptying so it does it hours afterwards. So, in 2 hours you may find your glucose levels have gone back to 'normal', ie within the 2mmol target, but 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 (!!!) hours later they may have started to rise again without having eaten anything more. If you eat purer carbs (ie no fat) then it **may** come down after 2 hours but this is SO general that you really do have to test it all yourself. x
 
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nessa1970 said:
Does anyone know how long it takes to get a blood sugar reading that’s accurate after eating? Like say, you ate a large chips and a Big Mac , how long till you would have the full accuracy of that digested food in a blood sugar reading ? Like , around about how long after eating ? Curious
Click to expand...
It depends on the amount of carbohydrate and GI (glycemic index) of the food. The chips and bun raise blood glucose very quickly, within minutes. But fat in the hamburger patty reduces glycemic index of the meal. Supply of glucose into the blood would probably peak within 30 minutes. What happens to the blood glucose after eating is the net effect of glucose supply, insulin action and insulin sensitivity.
 
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