Anyone hypoglycemic? Any diet recommendations?
1 - 8 of 8 Posts
Joined
·
1,581 Posts
Yes. I have been diagnosed hypoglycemic and have worked with nutritionists to stabilize things. It took a long time but I have been totally free of blood sugar crashes for several years due to VERY careful diet planning.
It makes me so happy to report that because for a while I would crash almost every day and it scared and frustrated Hubby and was uncomfortable for me.
First of all, try to spread your proteins out throughout the day. Food have a glycemic index which means they absorb at different rates. Processed flour and sugar are the fastest while proteins and whole grains are the slowest.
Try to cut a lot of high-glycemic food out and replace them with low-glycemic foods. I try to be realistic though. I still allow myself a treat, you know? But I am SO careful about WHEN and HOW MUCH. If you're going to eat sugar, eat it after you have had a meal with protein in it and don't have very much. Half a cookie will still taste like a cookie, ya know? Fruits have a lot of natural sugar and I eat them only with meals.
Also, have a small snack in between meals. The snack definitely needs to be low-glycemic. Some triscuit with cheese or peanut butter. Coffee with lots of milk. Something like that.
Get yourself on a schedule of meals and snacks that maintains your healthy weight and stick to it. I generally eat (if I am not dieting):
Breakfast: Bowl of cheerios and milk
Mid-morning snack: latte (little or no sweetening) or celery and cream cheese or yogurt or pita chips and hummus...
lunch: something with a little protein, a little bread (whole grain preferred), as much veggies and fruits as I want. Snickers Mini for a treat sometimes.
Mid-afternoon snack: triscuit and cottage cheese maybe
Early dinner (timing is vital...not too late): normal, healthy dinner.
snack before bed: whole grain toast with peanut butter
When I am dieting, I often have a latte for the snacks and eat smaller portions at meals but the same categories of foods. I cut out as much sugar as I can but not so much that my body craves it and drives me nuts. And I personally don't use artificial sweeteners because I don't like the "chemical" aftertaste. I just never eat sugar by itself, EVER. If I do, I can count on my blood sugar spiking in about 10 minutes and then crashing after about 20. Bad idea.
If you do crash, and get all dizzy and grumpy and can't think straight, drink MILK, not juice. The milk has enough sugar in it to get you up again quickly and enough protein to stabilize you until you can have a meal. Try to eat a meal soon after a crash, especially if it is time for one on your schedule.
I would highly recommend seeing a nutritionist... it was so helpful to me.
If you want more info or want to chat, please PM me because I have been managing this for years. It is not that hard once you get into a rhythm and you feel SO much better without the blood sugar crashes!
![]()
It makes me so happy to report that because for a while I would crash almost every day and it scared and frustrated Hubby and was uncomfortable for me.
First of all, try to spread your proteins out throughout the day. Food have a glycemic index which means they absorb at different rates. Processed flour and sugar are the fastest while proteins and whole grains are the slowest.
Try to cut a lot of high-glycemic food out and replace them with low-glycemic foods. I try to be realistic though. I still allow myself a treat, you know? But I am SO careful about WHEN and HOW MUCH. If you're going to eat sugar, eat it after you have had a meal with protein in it and don't have very much. Half a cookie will still taste like a cookie, ya know? Fruits have a lot of natural sugar and I eat them only with meals.
Also, have a small snack in between meals. The snack definitely needs to be low-glycemic. Some triscuit with cheese or peanut butter. Coffee with lots of milk. Something like that.
Get yourself on a schedule of meals and snacks that maintains your healthy weight and stick to it. I generally eat (if I am not dieting):
Breakfast: Bowl of cheerios and milk
Mid-morning snack: latte (little or no sweetening) or celery and cream cheese or yogurt or pita chips and hummus...
lunch: something with a little protein, a little bread (whole grain preferred), as much veggies and fruits as I want. Snickers Mini for a treat sometimes.
Mid-afternoon snack: triscuit and cottage cheese maybe
Early dinner (timing is vital...not too late): normal, healthy dinner.
snack before bed: whole grain toast with peanut butter
When I am dieting, I often have a latte for the snacks and eat smaller portions at meals but the same categories of foods. I cut out as much sugar as I can but not so much that my body craves it and drives me nuts. And I personally don't use artificial sweeteners because I don't like the "chemical" aftertaste. I just never eat sugar by itself, EVER. If I do, I can count on my blood sugar spiking in about 10 minutes and then crashing after about 20. Bad idea.
If you do crash, and get all dizzy and grumpy and can't think straight, drink MILK, not juice. The milk has enough sugar in it to get you up again quickly and enough protein to stabilize you until you can have a meal. Try to eat a meal soon after a crash, especially if it is time for one on your schedule.
I would highly recommend seeing a nutritionist... it was so helpful to me.
If you want more info or want to chat, please PM me because I have been managing this for years. It is not that hard once you get into a rhythm and you feel SO much better without the blood sugar crashes!
Joined
·
1,003 Posts
I have mild hypoglycemia and for me snacking regularly has been the key. I can't let myself go too long between meals (even if it's just a handful of nuts or a few crackers and cheese).
Erin's advice is right on, and I just wanted to add that if you really need to sweeten something, agave nectar is a good alternative to sugar. It's not artificial so it doesn't have that nasty aftertaste and it has a much lower glycemic index than sugar.
And if you are into baking or can't live without dessert, this cookbook has great alternatives for sweets:
http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Agave-N.../dp/1587613212
Erin's advice is right on, and I just wanted to add that if you really need to sweeten something, agave nectar is a good alternative to sugar. It's not artificial so it doesn't have that nasty aftertaste and it has a much lower glycemic index than sugar.
And if you are into baking or can't live without dessert, this cookbook has great alternatives for sweets:
http://www.amazon.com/Baking-Agave-N.../dp/1587613212
Thanks everyone!! One question: how does caffeine affect both of you? I think it's making my symptoms worse? Usually I eat breakfast and have coffee and literally no more than 2 hours later I'm starving. At this point, if I have nuts or a cheese stick or something small like that...it does nothing for me and seems to make me more hungry. That is my biggest problem. It's like I am doing the whole snacking thing, but the snacks arn't filling me up. I'm wondering if the coffee is screwing it up? When I have the caffeine in my system and not a lot of food in my stomach, i'm starving. I't going to be really hard for me to give up this addiction, but I'm willing to try b/c this is really starting to affect my entire life.
Joined
·
1,003 Posts
Caffeine definitely does a number on me, especially if I drink it on an empty stomach. I think for me, the problem is it suppresses my appetite and it gives me so much energy that I don't notice the signs of blood sugar dropping and then it hits me all of the sudden. It's much harder to fix it (definitely need a real meal) than it is to keep it at bay (that's when snacks work for me). Whatever the reason, coffee definitely kept my wild ride way more wild.
I've switched to green tea (sometimes black tea or very rarely even a half-caff coffee if I've eaten recently and I really need a pick me up). I was very caffeine sensitive to begin with so who knows what the factors were, but I definitely notice a huge difference in the stability of my energy and blood sugar.
I suggest weaning onto green or white tea (both low caff, even for tea) so it's not quite so painful to quit!
I've switched to green tea (sometimes black tea or very rarely even a half-caff coffee if I've eaten recently and I really need a pick me up). I was very caffeine sensitive to begin with so who knows what the factors were, but I definitely notice a huge difference in the stability of my energy and blood sugar.
I suggest weaning onto green or white tea (both low caff, even for tea) so it's not quite so painful to quit!
Joined
·
4,389 Posts
Caffeine seems to have more of a relation to insulin than blood glucose, and the exact relationship is still sorta confusing. But I, like others, have noticed that caffeine is evil.
![]()
The other posters have given you great advice, but I would highly recommend you consult a dietician/nutritionist to develop a diet plan. I struggled for years following all of the "rules" and still feeling terrible, having multiple crashes and significant mood issues. I finally gave up and spent the money on a professional, who found that I actually needed more fat and calories in my diet in order to get stable.
FWIW, I have a low fasting blood sugar, which is different from reactive hypoglycemia (though the management of it is essentially the same).
Oh, and also, it's normal to feel lousy while you're adjusting your eating patterns. I've found it takes a solid 2 weeks of doing everything right before I feel stable. Good luck!
The other posters have given you great advice, but I would highly recommend you consult a dietician/nutritionist to develop a diet plan. I struggled for years following all of the "rules" and still feeling terrible, having multiple crashes and significant mood issues. I finally gave up and spent the money on a professional, who found that I actually needed more fat and calories in my diet in order to get stable.
FWIW, I have a low fasting blood sugar, which is different from reactive hypoglycemia (though the management of it is essentially the same).
Oh, and also, it's normal to feel lousy while you're adjusting your eating patterns. I've found it takes a solid 2 weeks of doing everything right before I feel stable. Good luck!
Joined
·
1,771 Posts
I am hypoglycemic and I have found that coffee makes me crash hard if I don't eat regularly. I eat every 3-4 hours throughout the day.
My diet is whole grains, whole fruits and vegetables, full fat cheeses, full fat milk, butter, cream, eggs, nut and nut butters, beans. I try to avoid anything prepackaged so I can control what is in my food. Otherwise read the ingredients carefully. I am mostly vegetarian but I eat a small portion (3oz) of organic grass fed beef or chicken 2x a week.
When you have blood sugar issues fat is your friend because it digests really slowly. Long lasting energy for your body.
My diet is whole grains, whole fruits and vegetables, full fat cheeses, full fat milk, butter, cream, eggs, nut and nut butters, beans. I try to avoid anything prepackaged so I can control what is in my food. Otherwise read the ingredients carefully. I am mostly vegetarian but I eat a small portion (3oz) of organic grass fed beef or chicken 2x a week.
When you have blood sugar issues fat is your friend because it digests really slowly. Long lasting energy for your body.
Joined
·
5,348 Posts
I always have been. I am avid at the gym, so i must be eating/drinking protein smoothie every 2 hours or so. I do a super packed protein smoothie in the am, and adding a huge dose of protein with your carbs will make the carbs digest at a slower rate keeping you from crashing.
I have fitness goals so I buy the one my trainer recommends for muscle recover as well, but you could find a protein you feel comfortable consuming and make sure you're doing it a few times a day. Like if you do a smoothie, pack a scoop of protein in it, or just drink a little shake between meals, just so you're always having a little something.
I can tell you that when i do a smoothie in the am with the full serving of powder, I can be good for a little over 3 hours which is a lot for me
I have fitness goals so I buy the one my trainer recommends for muscle recover as well, but you could find a protein you feel comfortable consuming and make sure you're doing it a few times a day. Like if you do a smoothie, pack a scoop of protein in it, or just drink a little shake between meals, just so you're always having a little something.
I can tell you that when i do a smoothie in the am with the full serving of powder, I can be good for a little over 3 hours which is a lot for me
1 - 8 of 8 Posts
