Should you always test exactly 2 hours after meals?

[Tashia]

I ask this because for lunch I had a little big of macaroni and cheese and some dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. I was making my 2 year old lunch and just didn't feel like making me something different. I checked 2 hours later and was surprised to see a reading of 127/7.1 I thought this was too good to be true. So for my snack I had mac and cheese again just out of curiosity. I tested after 30 minutes and I got a BG of 212/11.8!!

So my question is should I be testing 30 minutes after meals or is 2 hours suffice? Or could it be that certain foods digest quicker?

[adiantum]

I test 2 hrs after the first bite & maybe another after 3 hrs if Ive had something new.

It might be a good opportunity to start your young one off on good healthy food & not introduce them to junk or rich foods like this . It will give them a better chance of avoiding D when they are older.

[Tashia]

I test 2 hrs after the first bite & maybe another after 3 hrs if Ive had something new.

It might be a good opportunity to start your young one off on good healthy food & not introduce them to junk or rich foods like this . It will give them a better chance of avoiding D when they are older.

Ahh Gee thanks so very much for the parenting advice that I didn't ask for. To tell you the truth my son will not eat macaroni or any pasta for that matter so I was trying to broaden his menu a bit. In fact he refused it again today (big surprise there)

Whatever.........:mad:

Never mind I'll figure it out on my own.

[Gordonm]

There are certainly a lot worse foods than mac and cheese and nuggets that most kids gorge themselves on. If that is what your child will eat then feed it to him. Nothing wrong with mac and cheese. Kids need some fat in their diet. It is the donuts and cakes and cookies that they eat 10 of that will promote poor eating habits. Enough with the parenting advice.

Your original question, I will sometimes test 30 minutes to an hour after to see what certain foods will do as far as spiking my BS. Some will go up and down real fast others will slowly make it rise. Trial and error are the best way to judge this. Not everyone is the same. Most of the time foods high in fat will have a rise in BS over a longer period of time.

[Tattoo azz]

I send hearty congrats to your son for not liking maccaroni cheese (it is the devils food). Testing after abt 2hrs is the best way to go. Some foods do digest quicker but its easier to just test 2hrs after for everything its less hassle.

2year olds are cool thats when they get all interested in stuff like worms and what happens when you pull a cats tail.

hope this helps
Azz

[xMenace]

Information is power. If you learned something, it is useful. Often you won't know until you try. Once in awhile I'll test every 30 minutes for say four hours. I learn a lot more doing this once than by testing once after every meal. My 2hr pp is for compliance. I'll use it to base any correction on. A 30 minute is way to soon to correct for.

[RobiJo]

Everyone has a spike after eating, especially food with carbs. While your 2 hour test might seem scary, it's whether it comes down is what matters most and shows how your meds are working. Those on insulin would be crazy to correct at 30 min and if they did they would likely be low later on. Since your not on insulin, your 2 hour mark that is in good range is fine.

As for the Mac N Cheese... I wish my students had parents that cared enough to even bother making them something like Mac n cheese, as many eat the McDonald's drive through and worse 3x/day. There are much worse foods out there. Tashia try not to take it too personal. Some people have very strong food opinions and think the same rules should be applied to everyone. That's not the case--especially for a picky 2 year old. Props to you for trying to add variety! And by the way I LOVE mac and cheese :) You can make it for me anytime!

[ant hill]

So my question is should I be testing 30 minutes after meals or is 2 hours suffice? Or could it be that certain foods digest quicker?

Hello Tashia :), We look at 2 hours after your first bite.

Your Test at 30 minutes would be the peak of BG as this is quite normal to have this reading. Macaroni & cheese is a slow glucose release and so that would last you for quite a while. However I would have a test to look at your physical activity like after you have done the shopping or anything that gets your heart rate up and as soon as you get to relax have a test then and see how you go.

OK here is a interesting experiment, Have a rather sinister meal or a bar of chocolate and get to do a workout that will create a sweat and then have a test. You may be quite surprised. :D

I send hearty congrats to your son for not liking maccaroni cheese (it is the devils food).
All good food in moderation is the key I think. ;)

2year olds are cool thats when they get all interested in stuff like worms and what happens when you pull a cats tail.
And pull your hair too LOL.

[owlyn]

Pardon me while I get up off the floor from laughing so hard. Never use the words "always" and "exactly" when dealing with diabetes, unless it something like, "I'm always never exactly sure what the heck is going on with my BG level."

[Stuboy]

yeh, i wouldnt' usually test any time before that 2 hour mark.
It's not unusual for a non-diabetic to go into double figures after a high carb meal like pasta. So a diabetic would be higher still in that time.

I usually test a minimum of 2 horus after eating, if it's a high carb meal like pasta.. i sometimes wait 2.5hrs or 3.

[fgummett]

Pardon me while I get up off the floor from laughing so hard. Never use the words "always" and "exactly" when dealing with diabetes, unless it something like, "I'm always never exactly sure what the heck is going on with my BG level."
Precisely :D

As already stated, you can expect a spike after eating, testing less than (or more than) 2 hours will teach you about your body's response to a certain food but I wouldn't normally use an early test to decide on an insulin correction.

[davef]

Tashia,

I generally test 2 hours after first bite, exactly? well no, but as close I can get. If I eat something that I haven't tried since DX I will generally test 2hrs, 3hrs and 4hrs, to watch for a delayed spike. I believe that some foods can give a spike more than two hours later and I *think* something like macaroni & cheese (yum) would be something that would give a delayed spike.

In relation to your child's diet, you do what works for him and you. I have a 6 year old son, who is very healthy, fit and not even slightly overweight (think he must be the milkman's son) but he is a "fussy" eater. His staples are; milk, cornflakes (dry), white toast, frubes, juice, bread rolls, chocolate, danonino drinks, grapes, rice crispies, he has no interest in "proper" food, not meat (see he can't be mine), no veg etc. But he is very healhty, we have discussed this with the doctor and he said give him time, once he is healthy then leave him alone. I would love to see him eat mac'n'cheese, nuggets etc just for a variety, it will come in time I guess.

[Scrabblechick]

I have no children and therefore do not offer parenting advice unless said child is kicking the back of my airline seat from Denver to Birmingham! In that case, I may have a word or two. LOL.

If I'm eating something new, I'll occasionally check at one hour, just to see where I am. I like to be under the 140 mark at one hour, although I don't always make it. And if you check at 1:45 after eating, your BG probably isn't going to go down noticeably in 15 more minutes. Also, if you check at 2:15, you're probably going to get about the same reading as you would have at 2:00. Since you're not on insulin, the exact times aren't quite as critical. Sometimes, you just have to check when you can.

[fgummett]

I was brought up to always clean my plate and that is a hard habit to break. I believe the that the body is self-regulating given the chance. When my son was much younger (he's 17 now) he would go a couple of days when he would hardly eat enough for a bird and then the next day eat enough for an adult... his Mum expressed concern but I felt it best to let him set his own pace and it has worked out so far.

[Gangrel]

I test very rarely now after a meal, unless I "feel high" and want to see. Or if I feel like I need adjustments, and therefore "information is power" as Xman said.

I try to avoide doing PP checks all the time though, as correcting at that time (unless it's really high, like 12+) will just cause me confusion before the next meal, as I will still have fast acting running through my system, and I refuse to do math and calculate what I have left.

But, as has been said thousands of times before on here, "whatever works for you" is what's best in my mind.

[Janlaton]

Gosh you type ones do test more than type 2s I only test that often if I eat something new or if I am feeling "high".

Follow the advise of your Dr on the timing. Mine says 2xs a day so that is good for me.

Have a great day and don't fret so much on the child but do try to work in the raw fruits and vegs when you can. My boys are 40 & 37. I now have 4 gandchildren and my most serious recent parenting advice was on a 21 hr trip back from Romania to the family in front of me.:D

Janlaton
type2 40 yrs

[shiftzor]

Gosh you type ones do test more than type 2s I only test that often if I eat something new or if I am feeling "high".

Follow the advise of your Dr on the timing. Mine says 2xs a day so that is good for me.

Have a great day and don't fret so much on the child but do try to work in the raw fruits and vegs when you can. My boys are 40 & 37. I now have 4 gandchildren and my most serious recent parenting advice was on a 21 hr trip back from Romania to the family in front of me.:D

Janlaton
type2 40 yrs

That’s what us type 1s do best :D (I am testing 9 times a day on average in the last 2 weeks) I would always test 2hours - 2 hours and 30minutes later, then decide on corrections if required, especially if your carb counting and constantly changing food you eat/injections. Testing after the first hour or so tends to be a good indicator to how high you spike after different kinds of meals. Testing 4 hours and then 6 hours later will determine if you get a spike after the meal, typically high fat meals can cause spikes later on.

[fgummett]

When my son was younger and had friends over, I found that if I asked if they wanted fruit as a snack they would turn their noses up... so I just stopped asking :T I would give them some whole-grain chips or something but at the same time present a plate of apple slices, mini-carrots etc... invariably the apples and carrots were finished before the chips :D

[Eddy]

Gosh you type ones do test more than type 2s I only test that often if I eat something new or if I am feeling "high".


Testing twice per day probably would land me in a coma.


I tested after 30 minutes and I got a BG of 212/11.8!!

So my question is should I be testing 30 minutes after meals or is 2 hours suffice? Or could it be that certain foods digest quicker?


I'm going to disagree with the others about the spike. I try to avoid going that high, period. However, I'm fortunate in that I react very quickly to insulin, and usually can avoid said spikes without substantially pre-bolusing.

Some claim that the m&c was low-glycemic... clearly not, considering your rapid BG rise. Was the pasta made with white flour? If so, try switching to whole wheat elbows instead. I love the reduced "evil coefficient", and actually prefer the taste of whole grains.


Once in awhile I'll test every 30 minutes for say four hours. I learn a lot more doing this once than by testing once after every meal. My 2hr pp is for compliance. I'll use it to base any correction on. A 30 minute is way to soon to correct for.


Excellent point. "Me too!" Profiling staples [and insulins] is highly recommended.

[jspirit]

When I was diagnosed 2 1/2 years ago, I was told by y DNE to test 2 hours after I take my last bite. Everybody here seems to test 2 hours after they start their meal. Is one of these more accurate and proper testing than the other?Now I don't know what to do , but I do eat slowly so maybe that's why?