Diet for Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemic - diet and exercise?

I do not have diabetes (I just had a fasting glucose test and it was 65), which sounds low to me, so I'm pretty much just going to "diagnose" myself with hypoglycemia and I am looking for a diet and exercise ideas for one that is hypoglycemic. And I also have had hypoglycemic symptoms for the past year. What I wanted to ask was, does any one have any good links to a webpage, or suggestions on what is best to eat and when it is best for one to exercise? I sometimes feel very lightheaded and just out of it after I work out (even if I eat well earlier in the day and am well hydrated). I'm also looking at changing my diet to see if that will help me, but I'm not sure how to change it. I know this may not help, but I figure changing my diet around cannot hurt, and if I feel better with it, I'll stick with it! Thanks! I knew someone would tell me not to "diagnose" myself, and I understand. But I have every symptom of hypoglycemia but my doctor told me I was fine from my test. All I am doing is changing my diet and exercising, I figured it would not hurt and the only change it would do (if any) was to help.

Public Comments

1. Do not "diagnose" yourself! If you have done the fasting glucose test then wait until the doctor gives you the results and explains what you need to do to make sure your levels stay normal. Normal glucose levels for hypoglycemia differ from person to person. My safe blood sugar level is 90-100, but it has dropped down to 48. Your doctor is the only person who can tell you how to keep this level where it is suppose to be.
2. I tend to agree with your diagnosis. If I were you, I would read all of this: http://www.fibromyalgiatreatment.com/Articles_FAT.htm My mind has been jerked around and around by all the media garbage regarding nutrition. After reading that article, I'm left convinced that the best diet is the one that is utilized by the healthiest, longest living civilizations on the planet. Combine that with moderate daily exercise (just being active) and you have the winning combo. Please allow me to introduce to you the man that put two and two together and is slowly solving the nation's health problems, Dr. John McDougall: http://www.drmcdougall.com He's a disgruntled M.D. who searched and searched for answers and found that the best foods for health are all natural and found right in your vegetable garden. Stay away from refined stuff, meat and dairy, and treats... get some exercise, and start feeling great. Hint: you're driving your body crazy with carbs and fats. Oh, btw... doctors are mere mortals. You can learn as much about this as they know in weeks.
3. Whole grain carbs turn into sugar slowly, keeping the blood/sugar more stable, longer. Diabetic Diet by Kendra Blanchette, RD, CDE The diet that a person with diabetes follows to help manage his or her blood sugar levels is based on the same nutrition principles that any healthy person, with or without diabetes, should follow for good health. The energy that we get from foods, measured in calories, comes from three types of nutrients: fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Any food that provides calories will raise blood sugar. When foods are digested, they are broken down into the body’s basic fuel-- glucose, a type of sugar. The glucose is absorbed by the bloodstream, and is then known as blood glucose or blood sugar. In a person without diabetes, insulin is released by the pancreas after a meal or snack to allow the glucose in the blood to get into the body’s cells, where it is burned for energy. This brings the level of glucose in the blood back down to the normal range. If insulin is not produced or is not working properly, the glucose can not enter the cells to be used, and it builds up in the bloodstream. This results in high blood sugar, and this condition is known as diabetes. Although all foods that provide calories are converted into glucose by the body, certain nutrients have a more direct effect on the blood’s glucose level. Fats in foods are eventually digested and converted into glucose, but this can take up to 6 to 8 or more hours after a meal, and the release of glucose into the blood is very slow ... Protein in foods (such as meats, poultry, fish, eggs, soy and other beans, and milk) takes about 3 to 4 hours after a meal to "show up" as blood glucose. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, take only about half an hour to an hour after a meal to be turned into blood glucose. Any food that is high in any type of carbohydrate will raise blood glucose levels. Foods high in carbohydrates include starches such as rice, pasta, breads, cereals, and similar foods. The goal of a diabetes nutrition plan is to provide a mixture of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins at each meal at an appropriate calorie level to both provide essential nutrients as well as create an even release of glucose into the blood. Overall, a nutrition plan for a person with diabetes includes 10 to 20 percent of calories from protein, no more than 30 percent of calories from fats (with no more than 10 percent from saturated fats), and the remaining 50 to 60 percent from carbohydrates.
4. Sunny, I have had fasting glucose tests for years. My tests were borderline hypoglycemic for many years. Years ago an old family practitioner gave me some good advice. First, he told me to have may glucose tested every 3 years or so. More, often as I got older. Because hypoglycemia and low blood sugar can be an indication that the pancreas is stress and making too much insulin. This can cause a burn out in insulin production. Second, he recommended eating healthy diet. Making sure every meal and snack was balanced in terms of carbohydrates and proteins. Third, when I had an episode, eat protein. (For me an episode feels as though my insides are shaking... and I experience a mild panic) I have found for myself the quickest way to relieve an episode is to drink a glass of milk. Fourth, eat several small meals each day rather than 3 large meals. I eat whole grains such as oats, brown rice, whole wheat, with some whole grain barley and flax seed/meal. I eat 8 to 11 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. I have 2 servings full fat milk and 2 servings pf low fat yogurt or cheese. I eat almost no fried foods. I have bacon once a year an a hamburger with all the trimmings once year. I eat lots of fish and chicken and less that one serving of red meat per week. I have 1 or 2 meatless days a week. One if my weight is level 2 if there is an upward trend on the scale. Beans and nuts help me fill in those days... I have a few nuts every day. I have not had an episode in years!!!!! I swimming 3 or 4 days a week and power walk 4 or 5 days per week and dance 4 or 5 days a weeks. I think my 6 small meals a day is the answer. My glucose levels have been in the normal range for several years now.