Bottom Line/HEALTH:How many meals per day should a diabetic eat?
Osama Hamdy, MD, PhDIt depends on their medications. Most people will require three major meals and then maybe two snacks during the day—one in the late morning and then one maybe in the afternoon. I personally don’t encourage too many snacks. If someone is eating a lot of carbohydrates, it is much better to split the carbohydrates during the day—maybe six smaller meals sometimes for some people would have a much better effect on blood sugar.
Bottom Line:And one thing I noticed is the calorie breakdown of the meals in the “Why Wait” program seems to be that the dinner has more calories than breakfast or lunch, which is somewhat different than the old, you know, “Eat breakfast like a king and dinner like a pauper.” So what’s the strategy for that?
Hamdy:We make it very easy and simple. Meal replacements that we are using in the program have 200 calories. If you are using two meal replacements and two snacks, each snack 200 calories, then at the maximum you will end up for your breakfast and lunch around 800 calories. Most people are rushing in the morning. This will be easy for them just to get the shake or, you know, to eat a smaller snack. At lunch, sometimes people don’t have much time. But people would love to enjoy their dinner. They have the family, they have the friends, they have the partner, lover. You know, they can spend a nice time with the supper, and whatever you eat in the supper now you will stay within the caloric intake.
Bottom Line:So your recommendation is more for lifestyle purposes than for balancing blood sugar purposes?
Hamdy:Yes, but you don’t have to miss the breakfast. Breakfast is needed. Either the shake or the snack or whatever you will use as we explained in The Diabetes Breakthrough, I think it will be very beneficial.