Many people focus on healthy eating but ignore the equally important factor of eating on time. Irregular eating habits such as skipping meals, eating late dinners, frequently snacking at night or hastily eating breakfast,... can all silently disrupt the blood sugar control process.
In particular, late dinner is a noteworthy issue. The later you eat dinner, the harder it is to control blood sugar. The reason is that at night, the body's circadian rhythm slows down, the ability to secrete insulin decreases, causing blood sugar levels after dinner to often increase higher than when eating the same portion during the day.
Accordingly, you should prioritize carbohydrate consumption during the day and reduce the amount of carbohydrates and protein in dinner. This eating method not only limits nighttime hyperglycemia - a factor that can cause sleep disorders - but also contributes to supporting pancreatic function recovery.
The recommended reasonable energy distribution ratio is breakfast accounting for 30-35% of total energy/day, lunch 30-35% and dinner 25-30%. Many people, especially diabetic patients (diabetics), initially find it difficult to apply, but after only a few days of implementation, they often notice a noticeable decrease in post-meal drowsiness and improved morning energy levels.
Another notable point is the "second meal effect" - that is, the quality of the previous meal may affect the blood sugar of the next meal. For example, if breakfast has enough protein such as eggs, milk, tofu..., blood sugar after lunch usually increases more slowly and stably. This is a long-term effect that medication can hardly bring, while diet and eating times can make a clear difference.
People who maintain the habit of not eating dinner too late, exercise after meals, and allocate meals reasonably throughout the day can significantly reduce blood sugar levels.
Besides the time to eat, the way to combine food also plays an important role. When eating starch along with protein and fat, the process of emptying the stomach takes place slower, so post-eating blood sugar increases more slowly. This is also the core principle of controlling blood sugar levels in the diet.
