Just found out I'm hypoglycemic (Doctor says I can't be vegetarian anymore) - Page 2

[SandyBeachBums]

Eat more often and on a regular schedule. You may need to eat every two hours. You probably shouldn't go more than four hours.

Always eat a snack before bedtime. Something like high protein sprouted bread with peanut butter.

Eat salad before lunch and dinner. It's really good for leveling out the sugar highs and/or lows.

Walk for at least 15 mintues after dinner or high carb meals.

You don't have to add meat back in, but you do need to see a nutritionist. It will be trial and error for you. You do have a moniter, right? Do you know what levels to keep your blood sugar at?

A good "milk" if you like soy milk is Westsoy unsweetned. It's a bit hard to get used to at first, but it's awesome stuff.

Are you overweight at all? The more weight you carry the higher your chances of blood sugar problems. For some people, like me, even carrying an extra 20lbs can make a big difference. I'm 5' 1" and I have a very tiny frame and right now I'm at 126 and my blood sugar is really awful right now. At 100 or 105 it's not much of a problem at all.

I actually would advise against massive amounts of protein because it's so hard on your kidneys. Plus, there is a lot of research about the cycle of insulin in our bodies and how insulin resistance begins. It's a very interesting process.

[Ruthla]

Here are some low-protein, high carb vegetarian ideas:
unsweetened yogurt or kefir (or sweetened with stevia) or cheese- there is almost no lactose in cultured dairy

nuts- you can have a handful for between-meal snacks.

eggs

You may also find that you can tolerate certain beans but not others- you may or may not want to experiement with some of the higher-protein varieties.

[Braylynnesmom]

Thanks everyone for all the ideas. I appreciate it.

I don't do soy- for other reasons...but I do drink almond milk, sesame milk, hemp milk. I won't drink cow's milk, but will eat cheese... unsweetened yogurt (once in awhile) etc.

As for the question of being overweight- I'm 5'10' at 135lbs, so I would say I'm not.

Well, I know I can't handle sprouted grain bread like I said... I can't handle pinto beans for sure. I ate eggs and sweet potatos for breakfast and I guess the sweet potatoes I can't handle (I know they are higher on the glycemic chart), because I got real sick.

So, it'll be a rocky road probably for the next month, seeing what I can handle.



Erica

[kmamma]

YOu may want to look into adrenal insufficiency as well. When you're hypoglycemic, your adrenals may have become overly stressed, or the other way around. A great book is Adrenal Fatigue. Sleep is extremly important, as is avoiding stressful situations. Exercise more, too.
That protein is stressful to your kidneys is an etirely subjective opinion. Ultimately your body tells you what you need. Many folks in the world have lived on high-protein diets and done superbly.
For breakfast, I used to eat protein along with some high-carb food and it made me feel real sick afterwards. If I eat protein with less starchy veggies I feel fine. I also include meat stock in the morning, in the form of a soup. It makes me feel great. Eggs, if eaten on a regular basis will make me feel sick, like as if it caused a blood sugar swing. This is probably due to an intolerance, or maybe just an indigestion issue, which can cause blood sugar swings as well. So look out for food allergies and the like. Also, consider the second meal effect. If you had lots of carbs for breakfast, shape up by lunch and have more protein, you may still feel miserable because of breakfast. Same goes for you last meal of the day when you eat your breakfast the following morning.


Good luck.
Do consider you minerals, as certain minerals as well as some vitamins play a major role in glucose metabolism.