A Diet to treat hypoglycemia Includes carbohydrates with low glycemic levels, soluble fiber, and plant and animal proteins. It is also important to avoid a number of foods.
Currently in the world there is a large percentage of people who unfortunately suffer from a disease called hypoglycemia where we find patients of all characteristics.
What is hypoglycemia and how does it appear?
According to the American Diabetes Association, hypoglycemia is"a condition characterized by abnormally low blood glucose (blood sugar)."
This condition of hypoglycemia is usually detected and diagnosed when blood quantities are less than 70mg / dl, although this usually varies depending on several factors.
Low blood glucose levels occur when our pancreas fails to function properly, thus creating excess insulin and ultimately leading to such blood glucose levels.
However, at the moment of referring to the causes of the appearance of this disease may be several, ranging from an inherited pathology to food problems.
There are also other types of pathologies such as Candidiasis , Pancreatitis , Adrenal insufficiency, kidney problems, disorders related to the thyroid glands or directly with the pituitary .
How to detect hypoglycemia?
There are several methods by which hypoglycemia can be detected. Next we will go on to list the effects again, according to the American Diabetes Association , That can trigger in our in our organism that help us to detect it:
- Physical instability
- Nervousness or anxiety
- Cold, hot sweating and chills
- Irritability and Impatience
- Confusion sometimes led to delirium
- Acceleration of the heart beat
- Feeling faint or dizzy
- Feeling hungry and nauseous
- Drowsiness blurred or deteriorated vision
- Tingling or numbness of the lips or tongue
- Constant headaches
- Weakness or fatigue
- Anger, stubbornness or sadness
- Lack of coordination
- Nightmares or screaming during dreams even coming to convulsions
- Loss of consciousness
Key Foods in the Diet for Hypoglycemia
The quantity of beneficial foods is varied, always remembering not to abuse the quantities too much. Here is a list divided according to three precepts:
Favorable general foods
Proteins of vegetable or animal origin found in these foods:
- Egg
- Meat
- Fish
- Soy
Whole-grain foods
- Whole Grain Crackers
- Corn tortillas
- Integral rice
- Wheat noodles
- Oats
Caffeine-free herbal teas
- Alfalfa
- Chamomile
- Comfrey
- Dandelion
- Juniper
- Peppermint
Foods to Avoid
After seeing the different key foods to carry out the diet in a correct and successful way it is necessary to know firsthand what are the ones to avoid under any concept.
We must begin with the pastas, which introduce high percentages of fatty condiments, as can be for example the savory or the cannelloni.
Likewise, the products belonging to the confectionery are especially harmful, not only for a hypoglycemic diet, but for any other. Within this family we find all kinds of sweets, ice cream, snacks, etc...
Finally you should note the drinks such as the refreshments of well-known brands such as Coca Cola or Fanta. These, in addition to a large number of harmful chemicals, serve to show very high amounts of sugar.
That is why it is recommended, if decanted by them, always try to choose those that do not contain sugar as zero, or directly look for alternatives such as natural juices or shakes.
Keys to Successful Diet Success
- Meals in small quantities, regularly and steadily : It has always been said that we have to make a total of five meals a day, but the thing changes when we talk about a hypoglycemic diet.
The ideal here would be to locate in the six or seven meals a day that are around the intake of normally two to three hours. It will also help us not to gain weight as it would normally.
Now, one of the keys, as we mentioned before, is to ingest small amounts, because eating in large proportions can create excess insulin and as a consequence worsen the hypoglycemia suffered.
- Carbs carbohydrates with low glycemic levels : If we decide to opt for carbohydrates with a high glycemic percentage it is possible that the sugar in our blood causes that stimulate insulin to provoke a hypoglycemia quickly.
Therefore, it would be desirable to try to avoid carbohydrates refined or processed by the low glycemic index. What can be an example of this? Foods such as cereals such as oats, raisin bread, or whole-grain ground flour, fruits belonging to temperate climate, and different types of whole-grain pasta.
- Add protein to your diet : These make our sugar levels regulated in a much more efficient way right after eating. We can choose between cheese, chicken, fish, vegetables, eggs, vegetables or even different varieties of seeds.
- Add soluble fiber : Just like the effect that makes our body on protein, adding soluble fiber to our diet will effectively help regulate glucose. Its effect causes the water to be absorbed by creating a gel that is able to delay the elevation of the sugar levels presented.
We can find soluble fiber in foods such as psyllium, linseed, oats, aubergines or fruits such as apple or orange.
- Avoid excessive caffeine intake , Since this produces that it stimulates the production in our own body of the caffeine, reason why it gets to worsen the symptoms derived from the hypoglycemia due to the effects of the adrenaline.
- Perform physical exercise : The ideal to stay completely healthy would be the physical activity. The ideal is based on parameters of performance of 30 minutes daily of sport a total of 3 days a week.
In this section the variety is served, since you can make different types of sports such as Running , swimming , Bicycle or even long walks at a medium-fast speed, which becomes something totally idyllic to combine with our diet.
Steps to follow to make the intake successfully
1- Going to a doctor : First of all, and to begin to ingest and to practice a diet that is accessible and healthy for the hypoglycemic ones we must go to the aid of an expert. The right thing would be to go to a specialized doctor.
Therefore, the diet should be changed after visiting an expert in the field who can analyze the particular case before the one presented to be able to diagnose and prepare for what would be the next step to complete
2- Go to a nutritionist : After being diagnosed once and for all by the doctor, and with your case ahead, we must visit a nutritionist. This, after analyzing the characteristics of the patient, will be able to make a correct vision about the foods that you must eat to plan a table for days.
3- Be careful about the symptoms : It is appropriate to constantly monitor the symptoms of hypoglycemia, as these may vary depending on the amounts, the times or directly the type of food you eat.
So it is advisable to be aware regularly and propose a fixed dates (for example once a week) to take stock of how they have affected the food to our organism.
4- Follow the guidelines: In the section at the top we have explained a series of guidelines and practical tips that should be followed already entered into the diet itself.
If this is done in a common way, chances are that there is no problem at the time of running the diet.
5- Maintain weight: Once we are in full diet, we will have to try to keep the same amount of kilos. According to specialists, it is proven that the amount of weight interferes in the various body processes that controls the amount of glucose in the blood.
This is why it is advisable to always keep the same amount of weight.
Example of weekly hypoglycemic diet
Based on the characteristics that must present a correct intake if there is hypoglycemia we have combined two types of various diets, so that you can choose the one you like most.
Diet number 1
Breakfast
- A spoonful of brewer's yeast mixed with a tomato juice.
Midmorning
- Two whole oatmeal cookies and light cheese.
- A cup of chamomile tea.
Between hours
- A piece of fruit such as an apple.
Food
- Two grilled chicken breast fillets.
- A salad of lettuce and tomato with a spoonful of vegetable oil.
- A broccoli soup.
- Finished with a gelatin without flavor.
Snack
- Small handful of nuts, preferably peanuts.
Dinner
- Two slices of whole grain bread.
- Two ounces of natural cheddar cheese.
- A glass of soy milk.
- A piece of fruit such as a pear.
Diet number 2
Breakfast
- Three-quarters of a cup of cornflakes with skim milk.
- A pair of whole wheat toast with a slice of margarine plus teaspoon of sugar and jam.
- A piece of fruit, to prefer mandarin.
- Three quarts of a cup of decaffeinated coffee with saccharin.
Midmorning
- An apple of medium size.
lunch
- Half a cup of cooked carrot.
- A spoon of Italian dressing.
- An avocado or banana to choose.
- Half a cup of seed and nuts.
- A lean meat hamburger bun with lettuce and natural tomato cut into slices.
Mid afternoon
- A piece of fruit such as an apple.
Snack
- One cup of skim milk with about three whole wheat crackers.
Dinner
- Combination of fruits like strawberries or grapes for example.
- Half a cup of green beans next to half a baked potato.
- Vegetable roll.
- A baked chicken breast fillet.
Another type of food for the diet: supplements
In addition to common foods, there are other types of food treatments. So, we must talk about additional supplements.
These are an extra contribution that is commonly given in the form of small envelopes, powders, tablets or even in some cases pills.
For this reason experts recommend for example adding 15 to 20 grams for example of glucose if we want to improve our state as a supplement.
There are also supplements in the form of carbohydrates. The recommended would be, in the same way that with glucose ingest a total of about 15 grams.
It should be noted that there are many more possibilities of supplements, but the most common are usually the two examples that we have exposed in the previous lines written.
How to prevent disease
Anyway, and despite the symptoms of the disease and its consequences, we are going to provide a series of tips to prevent it if you still do not suffer and thus not having to carry out the keys given during the article.
- Eating foods rich in carbohydrates : They help us to perform a slow absorption of the sugar in the blood, not increasing sharply the glucose levels. Within this group we find such as whole grains and pasta as well as different legumes, vegetables, vegetables and of course nuts.
- Avoid excessive physical activity or extreme physical activity : This leads to a sudden drop in our blood sugar levels. If you already have low blood sugar levels, it is recommended that your blood glucose is adjusted.
- Do not skip meals and make several a day : If we do not skip the meals and make the corresponding ones we will get our glucose levels fall sharply thus avoiding the disease.