Managing Diabetes at Weddings and Parties

An Indian wedding is a specific problem for diabetes, and it is not really about the sweets. It is that dinner is served at eleven at night, after five hours of standing around with a plate of fried snacks.

The timing problem

Eating very late, very fast, after a long gap, tends to produce a higher reading than the same food would earlier in the evening. Late meal timing is one of the clearer findings in research on circadian rhythm and glucose.

So the single most useful thing is to not arrive hungry. Eat something sensible at home — curd, chana, a small meal — before you leave. You will then choose at the buffet rather than falling on it.

At the buffet

• Do one full lap before taking a plate. Decide, then serve.
• Fill half the plate with salad, tandoori items and vegetables first. What goes on first tends to be what you eat most of.
• Pick one sweet, deliberately, rather than three by accident.
• Water between drinks. Alcohol can cause a low hours later, particularly if you take insulin or a sulfonylurea.
• Walk afterwards, even ten minutes, before you sleep.

On being watched: you do not owe anyone an explanation for what is on your plate. "I am fine, thank you" ends the conversation without starting a discussion about your health at someone else's wedding.

See also weddings, restaurants and festival food.