Tag Archives: Diabetic snacks

Diabetic Snacks: Part Two!

Posted on by
2

Full Service Prison Cafeteria

In my previous post on Rethinking Diabetic Snacks for Type 2 Diabetics, I mentioned that there are two theoretical justifications for the practice or prescribing bedtime snacks for type 2 diabetics.  I would like to expound on these two issues here and also comment on another issue that I failed to mention in the first article but that is important:  the non-medical security issues of having diabetic snacks.

Myth:  Four Meals are Better than Three for Type 2 Diabetics

The first justification for diabetic snacks is the idea that if Type 2 diabetics eat several small meals rather than 3 big meals, there will be more even absorption of calories and carbs.  This would cause smaller blood sugar spikes at meals.  In other words, four meals (counting the bedtime snack) is better than three meals. Continue reading →

Rethinking Bedtime Snacks for Type 2 Diabetics

Posted on by
14

I had an obese Type 2 diabetic patient at one of my jails recently who wrote a long grievance about not receiving a bedtime snack.  He argued in the grievance that he had received a bedtime snack at previous facilities where he was incarcerated (which was true) and a bedtime snack was “the standard of care” for Type 2 diabetics.  I thought that this argument was ridiculous, especially since this patient routinely purchases lots of candy bars and Ramen Noodles from the commissary (think 30-40 candy bars a week).

However, despite the fact that bedtime snacks are routine at many correctional facilities, I believe that bedtime snacks for Type 2 diabetics in a correctional setting is, in most instances, a bad idea and bad medical care.   I would like to discuss why this is so by discussing what our overall goals for Type 2 diabetic management are, where the whole idea of diabetic snacks came from in the first place, and then present three cases. Continue reading →