Testing after Eating

[Laconic]

Should it be 2 hours after finishing meal or two hours after the first bite, have heard some conflicting opinions....

 

[trophywench]

After the first bite since we start to absorb glucose as soon saliva hits the food.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

After the first bite since we start to absorb glucose as soon saliva hits the food.

Probably that's the intent. But it's all approximate, so I wouldn't (and don't) worry about half an hour or so in either direction. The idea's to try and measure when your blood sugar is highest after eating, which might be 2 hours after you first start eating, or maybe before that (or after), depending on exactly what you ate (amongst other things).

 

[Browser]

I asked this very question a while back but nobody responded. I wondered about the two hour period after eating and wanted to know how a quick meal eaten in ten minutes might compare with a longer leisurely meal, say lasting 45 minutes, in terms of when to test.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I asked this very question a while back but nobody responded. I wondered about the two hour period after eating and wanted to know how a quick meal eaten in ten minutes might compare with a longer leisurely meal, say lasting 45 minutes, in terms of when to test.

It’s an interesting conundrum @Browser.

I guess the answer is that the timing of peak BG after a meal (which is what many people are hoping to find) will depend on a number of factors and be significantly influenced by the constituents of the meal eaten, as well as the duration of the meal itself - eg a bowl of cereal, vs a 2 hour meal beginning with a prawn salad starter and ending 2 hours later with dessert, cheeses and port.

One of the reasons, I think, why 2 hours it’ll often used is that generally it allows people with a slightly wonky ‘first phase’ insulin response to have secreted some phase 2 insulin, and that any extra spike at around 1 hour will have been short lived. Plus the old guidance recommended BG being below 9 by 2hrs after the meal, so there was a useful target to aim for too (even if BG may have been higher before 2hrs).

 

[Laconic]

I tested earlier after eating and was 4.4 later I’ve always been between 5.0 to 5.5

 

[grovesy]

I sometimes find I am a bit lower at the 2 hour after finishing eating.

 

[zoombapup]

I usually forget what time it is, so its "very approximately" 1-2 hours ish. What I'm interested in really, is what the peak is and how quickly I fall back to within a normal range in compared to before the meal. I wish I could do the continuous monitoring thing though, because even a 1-2 hour test is just far too bloody random in terms of finding peaks. Especially as everyone mentions, the fact that both individuals and the foods have a part to play in spikes. So honestly, I just eyeball it in terms of timing.

 

[ColinUK]

I’ve read guidance that suggests to test “at least” 90 minutes after the first bite. I tend to aim for two hours or thereabouts as a practical target.