Hypoglycemia Diet

Seven Surefire Ways to Alleviate Your Low Blood Sugar or Hypoglycemia Symptoms, Today – The new Hypoglycemia Diet Plan

Some of you (especially the older baby boomers) might remember “The Magnificent Seven”, a blockbuster western movie from 1960 featuring an incredible cast that included Yul Brenner, Steve McQueen, Eli Wallach, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn, and Charles Bronson.

Well, this article is NOT about those Magnificent Seven. It’s about seven food items that are downright excellent and “magnificent” for your health, particularly if you’re someone dealing with low blood sugar symptoms or hypoglycemic symptoms. The characters in the movie were good guys, the items on this list are good foods. All seven of them.

Here they are, in all their glory, in alphabetical order:

Magnificent #1: Berries

Fruits, in general, have a high sugar (fructose) content, so if you’re just starting out on your hypoglycemic diet, you may want to limit the fruit you eat – avoid bananas, for instance.

The best fruit for someone dealing with low blood sugar, hypoglycemia, even hyperglycemia, is berries. Berries are lower in sugar and calories than many other fruits, and they’re packed with nutrients.

Take blueberries, for example. Many health benefits have been attributed to blueberries, and they’re also a very good source of vitamin C, manganese, dietary fiber, vitamin E and antioxidants. Choose wild blueberries for even more antioxidants than cultivated blueberries provide.

Try blueberries on your cereal, in your yogurt, or blend some into your protein shake.

Magnificent #2: Eggplant

Yes, your mom was right! Eat your veggies for good health! And this one in particular: eggplant. We don’t all eat eggplant, but according to recent research, we probably should.

Purple-skinned eggplant is a good source of phenols, a nutrient that helps your body use sugar more efficiently. Phenols have also been found to help with high blood pressure, and provide antioxidant protection as well.

Try eggplant in Greek Moussaka, a tasty dip, or even Eggplant Lasagna!

Magnificent #3: Fiber

Low blood sugar and hypoglycemia expert Anita Flegg recommends you eat nine handfuls of fruit and veggies and one ounce of nuts every day. Eat only whole grain breads and cereals. These are all allowable hypoglycemia foods. The fruit, vegetables, nuts and whole grains all help you address one of the most important points of an hypoglycemia diet: Eating lots of fiber.

If you’re eating lots of vegetables, you’re getting good carbohydrates AND lots of vitamins and minerals. Best of all, vegetables are a great source of dietary fiber, especially if they’re raw or lightly steamed.

Dietary fiber is crucial to the hypoglycemia diet. Fiber slows down the absorption of sugars that are a part of all foods and reduces the possibility of a low blood sugar episode later on.

As an added benefit, having your fiber throughout the day means you’ll never be hungry, and it’ll be easier to stay away from sweets. And if you also find yourself losing a little weight, hey, even better!

As hypoglycemics, we should eat our meals – not drink them. Juicers were all the rage for a while, and they certainly had their value. People who would otherwise not eat enough fruits and vegetables to get their required vitamins were at least getting a vitamin boost.

While getting your vitamins is a great idea, juice isn’t the best way to get it. Whether you buy it or make it yourself, juice is a poor choice for hypoglycemics because processing has removed all of the fiber and some of the vitamins (some B vitamins are destroyed by processing).

Without the fiber to slow the sugar response, the natural sugars in both fruits and vegetables can cause a very fast sugar spike. For hypoglycemics, this is a major problem because of the symptoms related to both the sugar spike and the sugar crash that is sure to follow.

If you’re dealing with low blood sugar, hypoglycemia, even hyperglycemia, stick with fresh fruits and vegetables for quality vitamins and better sugar control.

Magnificent #4: Fish

Low blood sugar and hypoglycemia expert Anita Flegg also recommends you eat fish three times per week.

There are two kinds of fish: white fish and oily fish. Examples of white fish are cod, halibut and monkfish. White fish are a great low-calorie source of protein and there are dozens of tasty ways to prepare them.

Oily fish like salmon and mackerel are also tasty sources of protein, and although they’re not particularly low-cal, they have the added benefit of omega-3 fatty acids. Studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids are great for improving and maintaining the health of your heart, and they’re great for your skin and hair, too. Keep in mind when you get ready to cook it that pan-frying and deep-frying fish, especially at high temperatures, appears to destroy the omega-3 fats.

So go ahead and choose fish. Bake, poach, grill or steam it. It’s delicious and a great source of protein that’ll help keep your blood sugar level steady and you feeling great.

FYI (while we’re talking about fish…) insulin resistance is part of the hypoglycemia problem in that your body has to produce more and more insulin over time to deal with the sugars in your diet. Reversing this is crucial to improving your sugar-handling, and reducing your hypoglycemia symptoms.

Now, did you know that taking fish oil (1000-4000 mg every day) not only lowers cholesterol and reduces inflammation, but also improves insulin sensitivity?

And if you just can’t eat enough fish, also add omega-3 fatty acids capsules.

Magnificent #5: Nuts

Go Nuts!… Recent research shows that eating nuts and nut butters at least 5 times a week can reduce your risk of developing Type II diabetes by 27%!

Why “go nuts?” Because they have the top three components to keep your blood sugar steady and improve your insulin sensitivity: protein, fiber, good fats.

It’s recommended to consume one ounce of nuts every day. Looking for ways to add nuts to your diet? Try some of these: add a handful of slivered almonds to your next stir-fry, take a small bag of pistachios or cashews to snack on at work, put peanut butter on your breakfast toast.

Magnificent #6: Rye

I talked about fiber earlier in this article, and new information about whole-grain rye should move it to the top of your list.

According to a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in December of 2005, when rye bread and pasta were compared to oat and wheat bread and potato, insulin secretion (an indication of the reduction of insulin resistance) increased six times more in the rye bread group than for the other two groups.

This result was supplemented in August of 2007 (Journal of the American Dietetic Association), when it was found that a rye pasta diet actually caused changes in genes linked with Type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome!

The key to understand here is that the biggest risk inherent in being hypoglycemic is that it increases your risk of getting Type II diabetes.

Because hypoglycemia progresses to insulin resistance, and from there to diabetes, it is important for hypoglycemics to maintain and shore up your insulin sensitivity as much as possible, and however you can.

In reactive hypoglycemia, you have too much insulin because of insulin resistance – it takes more and more insulin production to get the cells to respond. That’s when you get an avalanche of insulin that causes a hypoglycemic episode.

As this progresses and gets worse over the years, the risk of developing Type II diabetes goes up.

Whole-grain rye seems to make a difference in insulin sensitivity, so the studies seem to suggest that whole-grain rye products should be good for everyone who is insulin resistant, whether hypoglycemic or Type II diabetic.

Magnificent #7: Tomato

Eat 10 tablespoons of cooked tomato foods every week to get the anti-oxidant lycopene.

Oxidation is a natural process that causes your cells to age. Topping up on antioxidants like lycopene can slow cell aging and keep you feeling healthier.

Anything that helps your overall health will also help your hypoglycemia symptoms. Do your body a favor: add foods containing tomato to your diet.

Eat well, be well, live well!

Daniel G. St-Jean

Editor of Help For Hypoglycemia Diet

Publisher of the Help For Hypoglycemia Blog

Question by Anne R: Books and websites on a healthy diet for hypoglycemia?
I haven’t been diagnosed as hypoglycemic or diabetic but I know I feel awful when my blood sugar is messed up and I want to take care of it now to avoid getting sick…does anyone know of some good sources of information about a healthy diet for low blood sugar?

Best answer:

Answer by Gabriella
www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/hypodiet
www.gicare.com/pated/edtot19.htm
diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/hypoglycemia/

What do you think? Answer below!Question by Steve K: What is a good diet for someone with hypoglycemia?
I have hypogylemic conditions, which are occasionally induced by sugar consumption. This is any and all sugar. My body basically hyper-reacts to sugar, and dumps insulin into my blood stream. What would be a reasonable diet, in order to avoid these symptoms? Thanks!

Best answer:

Answer by stevepitt2
[edit] Treatment and prevention
Management of hypoglycemia involves immediately raising the blood sugar to normal, determining the cause, and taking measures to hopefully prevent future episodes.

[edit] Reversing acute hypoglycemia
The blood glucose can be raised to normal within minutes by taking (or receiving) 10-20 grams of carbohydrate. It can be taken as food or drink if the person is conscious and able to swallow. This amount of carbohydrate is contained in about 3-4 ounces (100-120 ml) of orange, apple, or grape juice although fruit juices contain a higher proportion of fructose which is more slowly metabolized than pure dextrose, alternatively, about 4-5 ounces (120-150 ml) of regular (non-diet) soda may also work, as will about one slice of bread, about 4 crackers, or about 1 serving of most starchy foods. Starch is quickly digested to glucose (unless the person is taking acarbose), but adding fat or protein retards digestion. Symptoms should begin to improve within 5 minutes, though full recovery may take 10-20 minutes. Overfeeding does not speed recovery and if the person has diabetes will simply produce hyperglycemia afterwards.

If a person is suffering such severe effects of hypoglycemia that they cannot (due to combativeness) or should not (due to seizures or unconsciousness) be given anything by mouth, medical personnel such as EMTs and Paramedics, or in-hospital personnel can establish an IV and give intravenous Dextrose, concentrations varying depending on age (Infants are given 2cc/kg Dextrose 10%, Children Dextrose 25%, and Adults Dextrose 50%). Care must be taken in giving these solutions because they can be very necrotic if the IV is infiltrated. If an IV cannot be established, the patient can be given 1 to 2 milligrams of Glucagon in an intramuscular injection. More treatment information can be found in the article diabetic hypoglycemia.

One situation where starch may be less effective than glucose or sucrose is when a person is taking acarbose. Since acarbose and other alpha-glucosidase inhibitors prevents starch and other sugars from being broken down into monosaccharides that can be absorbed by the body, patients taking these medications should consume monosaccharide-containing foods such as glucose tablets, honey, or juice to reverse hypoglycemia.

[edit] Prevention
The most effective means of preventing further episodes of hypoglycemia depends on the cause.

The risk of further episodes of diabetic hypoglycemia can often (but not always) be reduced by lowering the dose of insulin or other medications, or by more meticulous attention to blood sugar balance during unusual hours, higher levels of exercise, or alcohol intake.

Many of the inborn errors of metabolism require avoidance or shortening of fasting intervals, or extra carbohydrates. For the more severe disorders, such as type 1 glycogen storage disease, this may be supplied in the form of cornstarch every few hours or by continuous gastric infusion.

Several treatments are used for hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia, depending on the exact form and severity. Some forms of congenital hyperinsulinism respond to diazoxide or octreotide. Surgical removal of the overactive part of the pancreas is curative with minimal risk when hyperinsulinism is focal or due to a benign insulin-producing tumor of the pancreas. When congenital hyperinsulinism is diffuse and refractory to medications, near-total pancreatectomy may be the treatment of last resort, but in this condition is less consistently effective and fraught with more complications.

Hypoglycemia due to hormone deficiencies such as hypopituitarism or adrenal insufficiency usually ceases when the appropriate hormone is replaced.

Hypoglycemia due to dumping syndrome and other post-surgical conditions is best dealt with by altering diet. Including fat and protein with carbohydrates may slow digestion and reduce early insulin secretion. Some forms of this respond to treatment with a glucosidase inhibitor, which slows starch digestion.

Add your own answer in the comments!Question by Lolly: Can someone who had type 2 diabetes but got rid of it with diet and exercise, now suffer from hypoglycemia?
My friend was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes years ago, but lost 50 poiunds through ongoing diet and exercise and the doc said she basically doesn’t have it anymore. Then she started experiencing shakiness and other symptoms in between meals that goes away with food. The doctor said she is likely suffering from hypoglycemia.

Thoughts/feedback on this?

Best answer:

Answer by polish1988
It is possible that your friend may be Hypoglecemic. But only your doctor can diagnose that. But your friend should check her blood sugar frequently with a Glucometer. That can show if the Type 2 Diabetes is still around. Just a suggestion.

Add your own answer in the comments!Question by live fast, die fun: What kind of diet plan should someone with hypoglycemia have?
I just found out I had it and I’m trying to gather as much info as I can. I’m trying to make out a few weeks worth of diet plans, what can and can’t I eat?

Best answer:

Answer by icedawn55
This is a question you should ask your doctor.

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