The Reactive Hypoglycemia Diet and You
Virtually any diet plan out there is hard to stick with.
Whether you are trying to lose weight, gain weight, build muscle, cut out sugar, cut out fat, cut out carbohydrates - Whatever it is, following rules when it comes to eating just isn't easy! - And if you have ever dieted, then you know just what I'm talking about! With a medical condition like reactive hypoglycemia, foods that you eat aren't just important because of weight and how you might look if you eat too many calories.
Foods that you eat can impact your mood, energy levels and cause very uncomfortable symptoms that can land someone who suffers from this disorder in the hospital.
My Battle with Reactive Hypoglycemia I myself personally suffered some terrible and very dangerous bouts with reactive hypoglycemia in 2011.
For months doctors just couldn't seem to determine what the problem was.
Then finally they diagnosed me with reactive hypoglycemia in the spring of 2011.
At first, the doctor's plan was to treat me with medication that caused all sorts of unwanted side effects.
Because of this I decided to take my treatment into my own hands - And please note that I'm not necessarily suggesting that everyone who suffers from reactive hypoglycemia do what I did.
However, the medicine I was taking was unbearable and would sometimes cause my blood sugar levels to reach dangerous levels.
I just couldn't live that way.
So through trial and error and lots of research, I learned that I could control my reactive hypoglycemia with diet alone.
The Reactive Hypoglycemia Diet This diet included eliminating simple sugars and starches like chips, candy, white potatoes pasta and eating more whole grains like oatmeal and sweet potatoes.
Although, I limited carbohydrates to a very small amount (almost 50g a day depending on activity level - I exercised too); this is because when your body is not burning carbohydrates, it's burning fat! So what else did I eat? I ate foods high in protein and fat, and also vegetables.
These foods included eggs, cheese, bacon, chicken, beef, fish, spinach, blueberries, strawberries, almonds, peanuts, peanut butter, beans, brown rice, etc.
If You Must Eat Sugar And if the time ever did come that I just had to have something with sugar like a piece of cake or a cookie, I made sure that I ate that cake or cookie right after a meal that contained protein and/or fat.
I never ate any simple sugars without protein and/or fat in my stomach.
Because if I did, I could rest assured that I would have a reactive hypoglycemic episode.
Eat the Right Foods in Small Quantities Remember, simple carbohydrates spike your blood sugar and cause your insulin to surge.
This is ultimately responsible for symptoms associated with reactive hypoglycemia.
But, when you eat foods high in protein and fat, and frequent small meals, your blood sugar remains stable and constant and does not spike.
Whether you are trying to lose weight, gain weight, build muscle, cut out sugar, cut out fat, cut out carbohydrates - Whatever it is, following rules when it comes to eating just isn't easy! - And if you have ever dieted, then you know just what I'm talking about! With a medical condition like reactive hypoglycemia, foods that you eat aren't just important because of weight and how you might look if you eat too many calories.
Foods that you eat can impact your mood, energy levels and cause very uncomfortable symptoms that can land someone who suffers from this disorder in the hospital.
My Battle with Reactive Hypoglycemia I myself personally suffered some terrible and very dangerous bouts with reactive hypoglycemia in 2011.
For months doctors just couldn't seem to determine what the problem was.
Then finally they diagnosed me with reactive hypoglycemia in the spring of 2011.
At first, the doctor's plan was to treat me with medication that caused all sorts of unwanted side effects.
Because of this I decided to take my treatment into my own hands - And please note that I'm not necessarily suggesting that everyone who suffers from reactive hypoglycemia do what I did.
However, the medicine I was taking was unbearable and would sometimes cause my blood sugar levels to reach dangerous levels.
I just couldn't live that way.
So through trial and error and lots of research, I learned that I could control my reactive hypoglycemia with diet alone.
The Reactive Hypoglycemia Diet This diet included eliminating simple sugars and starches like chips, candy, white potatoes pasta and eating more whole grains like oatmeal and sweet potatoes.
Although, I limited carbohydrates to a very small amount (almost 50g a day depending on activity level - I exercised too); this is because when your body is not burning carbohydrates, it's burning fat! So what else did I eat? I ate foods high in protein and fat, and also vegetables.
These foods included eggs, cheese, bacon, chicken, beef, fish, spinach, blueberries, strawberries, almonds, peanuts, peanut butter, beans, brown rice, etc.
If You Must Eat Sugar And if the time ever did come that I just had to have something with sugar like a piece of cake or a cookie, I made sure that I ate that cake or cookie right after a meal that contained protein and/or fat.
I never ate any simple sugars without protein and/or fat in my stomach.
Because if I did, I could rest assured that I would have a reactive hypoglycemic episode.
Eat the Right Foods in Small Quantities Remember, simple carbohydrates spike your blood sugar and cause your insulin to surge.
This is ultimately responsible for symptoms associated with reactive hypoglycemia.
But, when you eat foods high in protein and fat, and frequent small meals, your blood sugar remains stable and constant and does not spike.
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