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Flame7
Aug 2nd, 2006, 04:11 PM
Are there any other hypolglycemics on veganforum? Im trying my hardest to control my blood sugar with a wholefood diet, but I need to eat every 3 hours at the moment, which is proving hard. Just wondered if anyone else had the same problem and what 'snack' foods work for you.

xxFlame7

Tigerlily
Aug 2nd, 2006, 05:01 PM
How did you get diagnosed? I have to eat every hour or two or else I get very weak and light headed. And cranky. ;) I did a diabetes test (blood and urine samples) but I am not diabetic.

Flame7
Aug 2nd, 2006, 05:27 PM
Hi Tigerlily

Ive had a test for diabetes every year for the past 3 years, which has always been negative but I have very conclusive symptoms of reactive hyplglycemia. I kept a food diary for a long while and it was so obvious looking at it what the problem was, not just to me but to anyone around me (who were great at spotting my low blood sugar when i got so bad that i didnt realise it was happening myself). Ive recently gone a bit nuts though, Ive been partying a little too hard and its sent my body into a bit of a tizz again, so Im back to trying to sort it out (no more alcohol for me :( ) Its difficult isnt it, most people think youre nuts when you tell them that food affects your moods and energy levels. Ive had it for many years and Ive lost count of the number of jobs Ive lost due to my mood swings. Im determined to get it back under control, its just I dont know what to eat!!!!

xxFLame7

harpy
Aug 2nd, 2006, 05:41 PM
Funny you mention nuts ;) as I find they are a really good snack for steadying blood sugar levels. A small handful of nuts and a bit of fruit seem to work fine here. Vegan cereal bars/flapjacks made with oats are also OK as long as they're not too sweet.

I haven't been diagnosed with hypoglycaemia but I sometimes get light-headed and faint if I don't keep an eye on the GI side of things.

Tigerlily
Aug 2nd, 2006, 06:02 PM
That's right, Harpy. Whenever I snack on nuts or fruit rather than cookies or bread, I always feel happier and not cranky. :p

harpy
Aug 2nd, 2006, 06:36 PM
I find I usually need to include nuts AND fruit, as fruit on its own can have the opposite of the desired effect (causing a blood sugar surge instead of a steady burn).

I think some fruit is better than others though - seem to remember that unripe bananas have a low GI or GL, but there again who wants to eat an unripe banana eh? :eek:

Keenkitty
Aug 2nd, 2006, 07:16 PM
YUP! Me and my sister are both hypoglycemic and become diabetic when pregnant.

SO! After losing once child to misscarriage I am not planning to have more children by birth and am also strictly vegan.

I was vegetarian not eating dairy products before...which I guess was kind of vegan?... Since I was 13.

So now my sister is a chunky mother of 2 with type 2 diabetes and I am a "Same weight since high school" size 14 with two adorable cats (3 with our foster kitten Samantha) and a hunky Vegan DP "Crash"

DP- Domestic Partner

I have to eat little meals 4-5 times a day but that way I get all the fruit and veggies I am supposed to.

~Knktty

Tigerlily
Aug 2nd, 2006, 07:58 PM
I find I usually need to include nuts AND fruit, as fruit on its own can have the opposite of the desired effect (causing a blood sugar surge instead of a steady burn).

I think some fruit is better than others though - seem to remember that unripe bananas have a low GI or GL, but there again who wants to eat an unripe banana eh? :eek:


Ewww, unripe bananas. Yuck. :p

j&k
Aug 2nd, 2006, 08:38 PM
OK, so don't kill the messenger, but I would like to share with you a very different take on hypoglycemia than the one you have been told by your doctors.

First, yes, your blood sugar levels do drop and you get that horrible "hypoglycemic" problem. But, why do you feel awful when your blood sugar level drops, and others feel just fine when their blood sugar level drops?

The answer is that it is not the low blood sugar level that is per se the problem. It is what occurs in your body when the blood sugar level drops to a certain level. In very healthy individuals, the blood sugar can drop and they feel fine. But when people who are less than ideally healthy have these same blood sugar drops, the body begins to detoxify, and this is what makes you feel so awful.

So, how do you rid yourself of the "hypoglycemic symptoms" for good? Instead of worrying about eating every three hours or so, which is actually perpetuating the problem rather than fixing it (much like advil for headaches makes you feel better, but doesn't get at the root of the problem), the key is to have cleaner, healthier eating patterns that will get rid of the problems for good -- once that happens, even when your blood sugar drops, you will not feel at all badly.

Some call your symptoms "toxic hunger" rather than true hunger. Granted, you will feel like crap in the transition stage (which likely would take a week or two), you will feel far better in the long run.

Best,
Josh