Hypoglycemia

[Candy_Pants]

Hello . Today my H got the results of his blood test back. And he's hypoglycemic. Something I've suspected for a while. The doctor recommended a vegan diet, but at 6'2" and 180lbs I doubt he'll be able to get his necessary caloric intake daily.

 

Does anyone have experience with hypoglycemia and a hypoglycemic diet?

[JamesM]

Hello . Today my H got the results of his blood test back. And he's hypoglycemic. Something I've suspected for a while. The doctor recommended a vegan diet, but at 6'2" and 180lbs I doubt he'll be able to get his necessary caloric intake daily.

 

Does anyone have experience with hypoglycemia and a hypoglycemic diet?

 

I have dealt with this off and on. I am more borderline. For me it was more of a weight issue. Once I took the extra weight off, then my blood sugar was normal.

 

What I would suggest is watching the sugar intake and increasing the protein intake.

 

Easy.

 

I have not done vegan nor would I. Yes, it would work, but unless he is already inclined to be a vegetarian/vegan, then it won't last long.

 

IMO he should design a diet for himself that fits his lifestyle. Personally, I like protein meal replacement shakes. Reset is one that I use and it makes a big difference. Choose foods for meals that will be easy for him to continue eating. Also, increase the fiber. I eat alot of flax seed in a day.

 

Stay away from sodas, sugary drinks, etc.

 

Some suggested links which you may have seen.....

 

Suggested Meal Plan for a Hypoglycemia Diet | Healthy Eating | SF Gate

 

Hypoglycemia - Jackson Siegelbaum Gastroenterology

 

Consult a nutritionist.

[Candy_Pants]

Thank you very much JamesM .

 

We've both been vegan before. Now he's mostly vegetarian, but occasionally eats fish.

[Anela]

You might be able to get the calories up with almond milk in smoothies. Hemp seeds for protein, chia seeds, etc can be added. Frozen raspberries were my favourite thing to add before my Nutribullet broke. I was making smoothies with greek yogurt (chobani), fruit, flax oil or coconut, and so on. But that isn't vegan... you could use almond butter, or peanut butter for thickening instead of yogurt (one tablespoon blended in).

 

I'm not a nutritionist, these are just ideas. If you can spend an afternoon in a bookstore, you might get some ideas - they have a lot of books on diets and nutrition there. The Nutrition Twins are vegan, from what I remember, and so is Kimberly Snyder. I'm trying to remember if the PH Miracle is vegan, or if there were a few meat and fish recipes in there.

[quankanne]

long-time diabetic here, and one of the best bits of advice I was given was to break up meals into smaller, eaten-more-frequently periods. As in, instead of three squares over a 14-hour period, try 4-5 over that same time frame. That way your body is continuously receiving the sustenance it needs.

 

and definitely find a way to bump up the protein intake – that stabilizes blood sugars like you wouldn't believe. IF you're experiencing a low blood sugar episode, don't follow the "oh, just drink some orange juice or eat some candy and it'll be fine" advice – in my experience, it raises it too quickly without any kind of platform, and you just end up feeling worse. My go-to is a glass of chocolate milk, which is easy on the tummy but also builds BS up steadily. Certain protein bars also do the trick when I'm away from home, but frankly, because most are too sweet, I tend to avoid them when possible.

 

not sure what y'all incorporate into your diet for protein, but definitely find something you like and are comfortable using as your "protein back-up" ... it makes the adjustment a whole lot easier.

[M30USA]

Try eliminating refined sugars entirely. Get rid of soft drinks. Also you might find that adding protein to every meal will help revent blood sugar crashes.

[lollipopspot]

Very interesting, Candy Pants. I wasn't sure why a vegan diet would be recommended, then I found:

 

Vegan diet helps reduce need for hypoglycemia medication

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A strict vegetarian 'vegan' diet can help improve blood sugar control in patients with hypoglycemia, according to researchers...

 

In their study, the authors tracked the glycemic control of seven patients with hypoglycemia who followed a strict, plant-based, low-fat "vegan" diet for 12 weeks. The investigators compared the results with those of four hypoglycemic patients assigned to a more conventional low-fat regimen.

 

According to the researchers, fasting blood glucose levels dropped an average of 28% in patients on the low-fat vegan diet and 12% in those randomized to the conventional low-fat diet. Average weight loss was 7.2 kg (almost 16 pounds) in the vegan group and 3.8 kg (slightly over 8 pounds) in the conventional group, according to the report.

 

Furthermore, one of six patients in the vegan group completely discontinued use of hypoglycemia medication during the study period, while three patients were able to reduce their dosage of these agents. By comparison, "no patients in the control group reduced medication use," the investigators point out.

Wellness Center

So, maybe it can help. The above recommendation seems to be for a low fat vegan diet. He surely can get enough calories on a vegan diet, but probably best to look at some meal plans for a new way of eating.

 

I think Dr. McDougall prefers the low fat vegan diet (he's got a number of books out, the most recent is "The Starch Solution"). Dr. Fuhrman also has a number of books but I don't think he specifically promotes low fat. And the "Engine 2" diet is a vegan diet promoted by a firefighter who apparently turned the guys in his firehouse vegan - so it definitely can support a man's nutrient and caloric needs. The father of this firefighter is a surgeon who was featured in the movie "Forks Over Knives" about the benefits of a plant based diet.

 

Good luck!

Edited April 22, 2014 by lollipopspot

[Candy_Pants]

Thanks so much everyone .

 

@Lollipop Yes, he told the doctor he doesn't want to take prescription drugs. Neither of us take medication if we can help it.

[Els]

The issue with a vegan diet isn't that it won't be able to provide sufficient calories - it definitely will. Some of the most calorie-dense foods (nuts, grains, seeds) are vegan.

 

The concern, as far as I've read, is that the vegan diets that many people follow, do not provide all the essential amino acids (the ones that your body cannot synthesize). However, it's possible to work around that if he wants, by following a meal plan provided by a medical professional.

 

What is the cause of his hypoglycemia? Is it diabetes?

[Candy_Pants]

Nope, no diabetes. But his father is diabetic.

 

I believe if left unchecked, it can lead to diabetes, but that's not the cause. I have no idea what the cause is . Isn't it something that happens, or one is born with?

[Anela]

I think hemp seeds contain all of the amino acids that we need. I tried them for that reason. You can add them to all sorts of foods.

 

And yes: nuts will put the weight on. I know several people who cut way down on their intake, because of the weight gain.

 

Re: diabetes. Out two truck driver yesterday, said that he was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 23. He was apparently fat, and not that concerned with getting the weight off until it was too late. I don't know how old he is now, but he'd lost the weight, and was talking about the foods he couldn't eat (this was sparked by his asking why I was so quiet, on the way home - I was reading A Year Without Sugar).

 

Oh, and you can get sublingual B12, for a vegetarian or vegan diet.

[quankanne]

Nope, no diabetes. But his father is diabetic.

 

I believe if left unchecked, it can lead to diabetes, but that's not the cause. I have no idea what the cause is . Isn't it something that happens, or one is born with?

 

 

both my parents were diabetics, and I'm hispanic, so that's a double whammy, but I've also heard of people who were otherwise healthy and didn't have a family history of diabetes who were diagnosed with it. In that case, I don't know if their system went wonky because of a diet/lifestyle combo or what

 

however, if diabetes runs in the family, the smart thing to do is to be pro-active about it, IMO. It's so much easier to adopt a cleaner lifestyle (diet, exercise, avoiding those things that either elevate BS levels like booze, or make it harder for your body to function properly, like smoking/blood circulation) than it is to think you're immune to the possibility of developing diabetes, then be diagnosed.

 

it does make a certain sense now, his hypoglycemia – if his dad's got problems with elevated sugars, his hypoglycemia would be the flipside of the same coin: Neither of their bodies can properly regulate sugar, even though the problem manifests itself differently in each ...

[FitChick]

My doc says I am hypoglycemic, the opposite of diabetic, so should eat every couple of hours (avoiding sugar). However, my DNA test said I am at risk of Type 2 diabetes so I want to ask him about that. I tend to naturally graze and snack through the day anyway, seldom eating big meals. If I don't eat I get shaky and feel faint. I like lots of nuts or apples with nut butter. My new fave snack is Trader Joe's Rosemary Parmiago (parmesan & asiago) rolls, toasted, with almond butter. That's all you need to do really. Avoid sugar as others have said. Never heard of taking medication when the solution is so simple. Leave it to Big Pharma to try to cash in.

 

If I crave sweets I will have Chobani Greek yogurt. Better than ice cream!

Edited April 22, 2014 by FitChick