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Re: hypoglycemiaFrom: Sarah (anonymous@obgyn.net)Fri, 11 Apr 2003 22:34:17 -0500 (CDT)
At Thu, 10 Apr 2003, mindy wrote: >My doctor said to go on a small six meal >a day diet (3 with little to no carbs. and 3 with carbs.& protein). I >went to the grocery store last night and I can not find anything without >carbs that has to be refrigerated (I work in a office with no fridge). >Is there anything you can tell me to do or eat that will help with my >weight loss. Hey Mindy. I've been having some serious problems with hypoglycemia and my doctor was no help at all. So I've been doing some research on it myself. Something to keep in mind is something called the 'glycemic index'. It is basically a measure of how fast carbohydrates are digested. The faster it digests, the worse it is for hypoglycemics like us! Things like potatoes, white rice, white bread, and sugar are all very fast-digesting (high glycemic index). It is better to eat things like brown rice, whole grains, and sweet potatoes. They digest more slowly and your insulin and blood sugar will not go up and down so much. I have been trying to do this myself and I can say it definitely helps. You can buy books or look online for listings of foods and their glycemic indices. A rule of thumb is that white foods are often the worst ones. (Flour, sugar, potatoes, rice, etc.) Even apples and bananas are not terribly good for a hypoglycemic - you are better off with more colorful fruits! :-) Eating small meals is also good, like your doctor said. As far as non-refrigerated low-carb foods... how about nuts? For example, almonds are high in protein and unsaturated fat, and have only a few grabs of carb which is mostly fiber. I eat nuts every day. They are high in calories, but I find if I eat raw nuts instead of salted ones I don't eat too many. Give it a shot, I have replaced all high carb crunchy snacks (popcorn, chips, pretzels, toast) with raw nuts and I don't miss them. (FYI: several major health studies have shown that people who eat nuts 3 or more times a week have lower risk of heart disease by as much as 30-50%! They are really good for you.) Another good snack might be cheese, if you like cheese. It can be unrefrigerated for a few hours during the day with no problem. You can buy individually wrapped string cheese, even. Zero carbs, it's also high in protein. Maybe canned tuna/salmon/chicken? If you like that... doesn't need a fridge. You can buy rather expensive no-carb snack bars in those stores that sell vitamins and diet supplements. They are aimed at Atkins dieters but you might give that a try, too. I hope some of this helps you. I guess my main tips for someone with hypoglycemia would be: 1) Eat less processed foods, more whole foods. 2) Never eat a food that is virtually all processed carbs (pasta, low-fat chips and cookies, cereal). 3) Don't be afraid of fat. If you cut back on carbs and won't eat fat, you're not going to have much to eat! :-) 4) Eat slow digesting carbs when you do eat carbs. 5) Exercise as much as you can, it will help regulate the blood chemistry that causes hypoglycemia and will help you lose weight. Losing weight also helps regulate the blood chemistry. I am taking glucophage (metformin), I'm not sure if you've tried that or not, but a lot of people have had success with it. It is supposed to help regulate the insulin/glucose ups and downs that contribute to hypoglycemia. I've lost 5 lbs in 6 weeks with it (and exercise, and a healthy diet). I feel a lot better than I did before I started it. I was exercising like crazy - 90 minutes a day - and getting insane cravings for carbs, especially chocolate... and no matter what I did, I could NOT lose weight. As soon as I went on glucophage and started avoiding fast-digesting carbs, I have felt better and started losing weight. I feel like a healthy person for the first time in a very long time. Good luck!
-- Sarah
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