Diabetes: What is the best time to eat breakfast?

Breakfast is the first meal that provides energy for the body after a long night's sleep. For people with diabetes, a full breakfast is very important because it helps stabilize blood glucose levels and helps prevent blood sugar fluctuations during the day, according to Eating Well magazine (USA).

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Many studies show that skipping breakfast makes us feel hungrier, leading to overeating and poor blood sugar control . In addition, maintaining a regular breakfast habit can help improve insulin sensitivity and weight control, two important factors in diabetes care.

Everyone's needs and habits are different. Therefore, there are no specific instructions on when to eat breakfast. However, experts have made general recommendations on the best breakfast times for people who need to control their blood sugar.

Diabetics should eat breakfast within 1-2 hours after waking up.

Diabetics should eat breakfast within 1 to 2 hours after waking up. Eating breakfast within 1 hour after waking up will help activate metabolism and maintain stable blood sugar. This helps avoid fasting for too long, leading to the risk of hypoglycemia . In addition, eating breakfast early also helps structure meals during the day more reasonably.

Meanwhile, eating breakfast within 1 to 2 hours of waking up has the benefit of better regulating hormones like cortisol and glucagon, which are both naturally elevated in the morning and can affect blood sugar.

In addition, breakfast timing should also be consistent with daily routines and medication schedules. People with different work hours, exercise habits, and sleep patterns will have different suitable breakfast times. Meanwhile, some diabetes medications need to be taken with meals to maximize their effectiveness and avoid side effects.

A healthy breakfast for diabetics should include fiber, lean protein, and healthy fats like avocados, nuts, and seeds. They should also eat complex carbohydrates like brown rice and oatmeal, according to Eating Well .