If you have diabetes, should you take a snack or not?

Some data suggest that you should, while other data indicate the opposite. Which option is the right one?

Generally, consuming snacks is recommended if there is a risk of your blood sugar (glucose) level dropping too low and causing a condition called hypoglycemia. If this happens, you may experience sweating, weakness, tremors, and even loss of consciousness. Having a snack between meals that contains carbohydrates can prevent this. The highest risk of hypoglycemia is among individuals using diabetes medications, especially insulin.

If you don’t use diabetes medications, you are usually not at risk of hypoglycemia. If you have type 2 diabetes and your primary therapy involves diet and exercise, low blood sugar concentration should not be a concern. Therefore, snacking is not necessary. However, there might still be a reason to have additional food between meals – hunger! If you can’t go between meals without food, have something healthy. During the first two weeks of the Majamayo Center program, we recommend that your snack be either vegetables or fruit.