Eat to your meter? How?

Thank you @Mr_Pot and @lovinglife for your swift and helpful replies which have clarified the timing issue for me.

I think, too, I have been overlooking the fact that these tests are to assess the effects of WHAT I have eaten on my glucose levels, rather than the actual figure, if you know what I mean.

aylalake said:

Thank you @Mr_Pot and @lovinglife for your swift and helpful replies which have clarified the timing issue for me.

I think, too, I have been overlooking the fact that these tests are to assess the effects of WHAT I have eaten on my glucose levels, rather than the actual figure, if you know what I mean.

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Initially you can divide foods into Good, Bad and Maybe. You need to test them to convince yourself but the carb content is a good guide. When you are used to the results from meals made with the Good group you can start to experiment with adding something from the Maybe group. In my Maybe group were things like, lentils, peas, beans, carrots etc. I found I could eat them without too much rise in BG but the quantity was critical. These are the type of foods where everyone is different.

aylalake said:

Resurrection of an old thread (sorry) but it is relevant to my question which is regarding “first bite”.
When I cook, I taste for seasoning etc. What if I prepare a meal, taste or nibble a bit as I go along, then pop said meal in the oven for an hour before I actually eat a portion of it?
What counts as “first bite”?

Similarly, if I know the meal is going to take an hour to cook, but I have been fasting for 24 hours, just got home from work after being stuck in traffic, and absolutely have to have something to eat (eg. a piece of cheese or slice of ham), how does the post prandial test time work in that case?

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IMO these are very valid queries. Dr Bernstein says that his bg starts to rise even if he just thinks about his next meal and starts to salivate! As others have said, 2 hours is just a vague target. In fact, as with everything else around diabetes, everyone is different.

If you can bear to use a lot of strips over a short period, I suggest you test just before the meal, (or just before you put anything in your mouth, if you want to be very precise) then at 1 hour and if you see no rise, then at 1hr30m, then at 2 and so on until you have seen a rise and fall of your bg. You note how long it takes to rise, how high it goes and when it reaches a peak, how long it takes to come down. A person with a completely normal response to carbs would probably see a rise at 1 hour, but back to normal levels by 2 hours. By contrast, in my case because I suffer from delayed stomach emptying (a common diabetic complication) I may see no rise or even a fall by 1 hour and even after 2 or 3, but once my bg goes up it tends to stay up for hours. My response to this is to eat very low carb so that my bg won't rise extremely high, seeing as I will be stuck at that bg for so long.

If you can find a pattern in your bg response to meals you commonly eat, you will know when best to test in future to catch the changes. However, a larger meal or one containing more fat may well take longer to digest and raise bg. The time of day you eat also has an influence. Most people find they cope worse with carbs at breakfast, and some of us cope worse in the evening.

Again, a very helpful and informative reply. Thank you.