How frequently should diabetics eat? Can they fast?
Long held wisdom for diabetics has been that they should eat in small potions and frequently i.e. 5 times or more. And there are reasons behind it, diabetes primarily is an ailment of high blood sugar, and blood sugar depends on its arrival rate. When one eats lot of food sugar level goes up dramatically; and it falls down later depending upon how well insulin is able to handle it, and also, how body is able to consume those calories. Theoretically speaking if rates of glucose arrival and glucose consumption are matched, there wouldn’t be much problem even if insulin isn’t working perfectly. Now this is practically not possible, it would mean one would require eating all day and all night and one’s digestive system would also require working all the time, hence came the idea of eating frequently in small potions.
But what are you eating?
Equally important is this question. If you are eating something that gets digested slowly over a period of time and is not loaded with carbs, it is really not necessary to eat that small and that frequently. If your diet is comprised of complex carbs, is balanced with fats and proteins, and has good raw component, eating less frequently would be a better idea. Because when you eat more frequently most of your body’s resources get consumed in handling the food itself, and body doesn’t get enough opportunity to heal or repair.
Significance of fasts
Our digestive system and brain are two big resource guzzlers. Together they guzzle over 60-70% of body resources and thereafter body is left with only 30-40% resources for everything else. In such a situation repair, healing, rejuvenation and immunity take back stage. On the contrary when one goes on fast, and if it is a body-and-mind fast, resources for repair, healing, rejuvenation and immunity becomes almost ten folds, and these things start happening at a magical rate.
Why diabetics cannot fast?
Diabetics cannot fast with their regular medicines. The medicines diabetics take are primarily hypoglycaemics and if they are taken without food they end up lowering blood sugar to dangerously low levels. Diabetics can fast after adjusting medicines, or possibly without medicines, and this requires medical consultation. Nonetheless, most diabetologists are not comfortable with idea of fasting as administering pills and taking regular meals is so much convenient from their point of view.
I think all the diabetics must learn calibrating their medicines on meal-to-meal basis. As it is practically neither possible for diabetics to stick to just one food type all their life, nor it is practical for diabetologists to adjust dosage on meal-to-meal basis. If one wishes to remain diabetic, this little skill should be acquired. Else one can just do away with diabetes, there is no point carrying this complex ailment.
(this article refers to type 2 diabetics)