Testing Before & After Meals
Recognizing blood glucose patterns through frequent testing is an important part of your diabetes management when using insulin, especially if you are using multiple types of insulin or making several injections per day. Fasting and pre-meal tests show how long-acting or background insulin controls blood glucose between meals and overnight. Testing blood glucose after meals shows how food and rapid acting insulin, or mealtime insulin, are working together. Looking at trends in your blood glucose levels and making changes to your diabetes treatment plan, along with your healthcare provider, can help you achieve improved blood glucose control. Check out the tips below to help manage your blood glucose patterns before and after meals. For insulin tips on dining out, check out our Dining Out with Diabetes series, powered by Fit4D.
Before meals:
Low blood glucose may be caused by:
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•Too much background insulin. The amount you take may need to be adjusted/decreased.
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•Alcoholic beverages. If you consume alcohol, have it as part of a meal or snack containing carbohydrate. Ask your healthcare provider how to safely fit it into your meal plan.
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•More physical activity than usual. Check your blood glucose before and after activity. Add a snack or decrease your mealtime insulin if your blood glucose is under 100 mg/dl.
High blood glucose may be caused by:
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•Too little background insulin. The amount you take may need to be adjusted/ increased.
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•Effects of your body’s hormones. The dawn phenomenon is a rise in blood glucose in the early morning hours. The Somogyi effect is the body’s response to low blood glucose overnight. Both of these situations are caused by hormones produced by your body. Discuss with your healthcare provider if you should test your blood glucose in the middle of the night to learn more about how hormones may be affecting your blood glucose levels. You may also need to adjust your background insulin or bedtime snack.
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•Illness or stress. When sick or stressed check your blood glucose more often. You may also need to adjust your mealtime insulin.
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•Less physical activity than usual. You may need to decrease your carbohydrate intake or increase your mealtime insulin. You may also need to increase your physical activity.
After meals:
Low blood glucose may be caused by:
High blood glucose may be caused by:
Fine tuning your post meal glucose level:
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•Manage your carbohydrate intake. Because too much or too little carbohydrate can affect your post meal glucose try to maintain a consistent carbohydrate intake, refine your carbohydrate counting skills or learn to match your insulin dose to the carbohydrates you are eating.
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•Test before and after your meals. This information can help you identify trouble spots and adjust your mealtime insulin dose along with your healthcare provider. To easily identify which tests were taken before and after meals, check out the pre- and post-meal markers on Bayer’s CONTOUR® and CONTOUR® USB meters. To learn more, click here.
Be sure to consult with your healthcare provider before making changes to your treatment plan.
Feeling confident in managing my highs and lows – now that’s a Simple Win!
Written by: Fit4D Nutrition Coach Cindy Zwart, RD, LDN, CDE
Sources: American Diabetes Association, Joslin Diabetes Center, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Cleveland Clinic Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation