Being a person who’s dealing with low blood sugar levels or hypoglycemia issues, you will want to learn more about these four easy ABCD do’s, and four simple ABCD don’ts. Following the recommendations below will help you alleviate the symptoms of hypoglycemia, be healthier, and live a more energetic, productive and happier life.
Let’s start with four things you should incorporate in your regular diet. These are downright excellent for anyone’s health, but in particular for someone dealing with low blood sugar or hypoglycemia.
A: ALMONDS (and other 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.
B: Vitamin B
If you take no other vitamins, you should at least take your B Complex.
The B complex improves digestion, and increases your body’s ability to tolerate low glucose levels. They are often billed as “anti-stress” vitamins because of their beneficial effects on the brain and nervous system. They also help improve energy and are very useful in mitigating the symptoms of peri-menopause. Take your B Complex in the morning. They can affect your sleep if you take them just before bed.
C: COD (and other fish)
Low blood sugar and hypoglycemia expert Anita Flegg 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?
Now, if you just can’t eat enough fish, simply add omega-3 fatty acids capsules to your daily diet.
D: Vitamin D
What do a poor school grade and good nutrition have in common? “D”… Vitamin D that is, the new “miracle vitamin”.
Recent research links Vitamin D deficiency with many common diseases, including diabetes and heart disease.
Vitamin D is also known as the “sunshine vitamin” because our skin converts sunlight to Vitamin D. Scientists noticed that we are so efficient at creating Vitamin D that 20 minutes of noon sunshine supplies us with upwards of 10,000 IU of vitamin D, and that raised the question, “What does our body do with all that Vitamin D?”
We know Vitamin D is good for strong bones, and that’s why milk is fortified with Vitamin D, but scientists are starting to find that Vitamin D has many other uses in the body. Not only does Vitamin D have a role in building our bones, it also seems to play a role in preventing diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.
Vitamin D is difficult to get in our food, and that’s why we should be taking Vitamin D supplements. No one seems to know yet just how much Vitamin D is the right amount, but if the sun can supply so much in such a short time, it seems clear that the standard 1000 IU tablets are a good start until the researchers can tell us more.
Now, let’s take a look at four things you should exclude from your diet… if you want to be healthier, and live a more energetic, productive and happier life that is.
A: ALCOHOL
Alcohol, like sugar, contains nothing but calories. It has no nutritive value at all and moves very quickly into your blood stream. This affects your blood sugar very suddenly, and there is a corresponding drop in blood sugar as the alcohol leaves your system.
In diabetes, you can control your sugar level with injected insulin. In hypoglycemia this is not possible, and if you eat and drink foods that play havoc with your blood sugar level, you just have to live with the symptoms. It’s much better then to avoid the booze and the feeling rotten that comes with it.
An extra caution: Read the labels on all your medications; many include alcohol. You need to find alternatives if at all possible. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have prescription medication containing alcohol, and ask for help finding an alcohol-free alternative. Some allergy shots also contain alcohol, so check with your doctor.
Alcohol, particularly when consumed with carbohydrate, can cause an excessive release of insulin and lead to episodes of hypoglycemia. The most common scenario is when you consume alcohol and carbohydrate alone, as with a gin (alcohol) and tonic (pure carbohydrate) and a small cracker or cookie. This is a recipe for disaster, and can cause low blood sugar and its accompanying symptoms even if you never have symptoms otherwise. The occasional occurrence of alcohol-induced hypoglycemia is not necessarily an indication that you are, or will become, a chronic hypoglycemic, but whether chronic or not, hypoglycemia is hard on your body and should always be avoided if possible.
There are fairly strong links between hypoglycemia and alcohol related problems, and more than one study suggests that alcoholism can result from unchecked hypoglycemia.
B: BREAD (more specifically, WHITE bread):
Yes, this is a junk food for hypoglycemics. Every time you look at a slice of white bread you are seeing a slice of sugar — it acts in the body the same way.
C: CAFFEINE
If you’re addicted to caffeine, there may be a reason.
Caffeine, like sugar, causes a sugar spike by causing stored sugar to be released into your blood stream. That’s why so many hypoglycemics are “addicted” to caffeine. It’s very important to know where caffeine has been hidden, but there are no rules stating that the caffeine content of foods must be listed on the label.
Most hypoglycemics can tolerate very little caffeine, so pay close attention to any foods that might contain some. For one thing, watch the “C” in “T”… What’s the “C” in “T”? You guessed it — caffeine!
If you’re a tea drinker, check the ingredients on your box of tea. You may be getting caffeine you don’t want. Yes, green and black teas are both highly recommended for their health benefits, but watch the caffeine which can cause problems for hypoglycemics.
Look for caffeine free herbal teas instead. Even decaffeinated teas can contain residual caffeine.
D: DONUTS
Think of it as white bread dipped in sugar. What can be worse? No wonder there’s a big hole in the middle — it’s a nutritional zero.
And that by the way, pretty much applies to cookies and cakes in general. Anything that’s made with white flour and lots of sugar, not to mention shortening, coloring and preservatives, is BAD for people in general, and positively aweful for hypoglycemics like you!
Until next time, choose well, eat well, be well, live well!
Daniel G. St-Jean,
Editor of Help For Hypoglycemia,
Publisher of the Help For Hypoglycemia Blog