How to Change Your Diet if You Have Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia is characterized by an unusually low level of sugar in the blood. Although it is a common condition among diabetics, not everyone who suffers from hypoglycemia is diabetic. Symptoms of hypoglycemia may include dizziness, headache, shakiness, sweating, anxiety and blurry vision. Symptoms often come on after eating, especially foods that are high in sugar or simple carbohydrates. Hypoglycemic reactions may also occur when you miss a meal and are hungry. Hypoglycemia treatments aim to slow the digestive process in the intestines through dietary changes.
EditSteps
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1Choose your carbohydrates carefully. Not all carbohydrates are the same. Simple carbohydrates are absorbed into the bloodstream quickly; whereas complex carbohydrates get absorbed much slower.
- Increase the amount of complex carbohydrates, or starches, in your diet. Some good sources of complex carbohydrates include whole grain bread and pasta, cereals, rice, vegetables and legumes.
- Cut back on or eliminate simple carbohydrates, or sugars. This includes all foods that are high in sugar including jellies, table sugar, honey, pies, pastries, cookies and sweetened beverages, among others.
Ad - Increase the amount of complex carbohydrates, or starches, in your diet. Some good sources of complex carbohydrates include whole grain bread and pasta, cereals, rice, vegetables and legumes.
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2Eat several small meals or healthy snacks a day instead of three large meals. Doctors recommend that hypoglycemic patients eat a low fat protein and a complex carbohydrate every two to three hours. -
3Get more fiber in your diet. Fiber is the indigestible part of fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes and grains. When you eat fiber with carbohydrates, it helps to slow down the absorption of sugar into the blood.
- Eat fruit that is fresh, dried or canned in its own juice, without added sugar. Avoid fruit juices that do not contain fiber and often have added sugar.
- Starchy vegetables are a good source of fiber. These include peas, corn and potatoes with the skins on.
- Eat fruit that is fresh, dried or canned in its own juice, without added sugar. Avoid fruit juices that do not contain fiber and often have added sugar.
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4Decrease the amount of fat in your diet. A high-fat diet interferes with your body's ability to use insulin. Choose low-fat proteins like chicken, fish and legumes. -
5Eliminate or cut back on foods and beverages that contain caffeine. Caffeine's effect on the body can mimic and exacerbate the symptoms of hypoglycemia. -
6Avoid alcoholic drinks. Alcohol lowers the blood sugar level, especially if you consume it on an empty stomach. If you must have an alcoholic beverage, be sure to eat a meal containing protein, complex carbohydrates and fiber before drinking alcohol in moderation.Ad
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EditTips
- Food allergies may also bring on a hypoglycemic response when you eat offending foods. If your attempts to control your symptoms through dietary changes are not successful, your doctor may wish to test you for food allergies.
EditWarnings
- People who suffer from other diseases and conditions, or who are generally not in good health, need to take fluctuating blood sugar levels seriously. If you have other medical conditions, see your doctor immediately. You may need to be treated with oral or injectable glucose.
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Categories: Conditions and Treatments
Recent edits by: Maluniu, Abhi, Deniseke
In other languages:
Español: Cómo cambiar tu dieta si padeces hipoglicemia, Deutsch: Wie man seine Ernährung bei Unterzuckerung umstellen kann, Italiano: Come Cambiare la Dieta se Soffri di Ipoglicemia, Português: Como Mudar a Dieta Quando se Tem Hipoglicemia, Русский: питаться при гипогликемии
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