Diet Stuff for Jay

[Fayde]

Trying to help YAJ loose some weight without hindering his intake of sugars, protein and carbs.

Here's a list of Complex Carbs:

- Potatos (You could buy a HUGE amount of potatos at the store and make MANY things with them. You could home make french fries, hashed browns, stuff them with meat/cheese/veggies, and so on)

- Corn While I don't know how well people actually digest it, Corn is apparently a great source of complex carbs. Toss some seasoning salt on it and yum yum.

- Raisin Bran (If you add some honey, it's awesome)

- Bagel You could always make a bagel with eggs and have an egg sandwich with some cheese. Chop up some green peppers and tomatos in there as well if you want a cure-all, as eggs are the 2nd best source of protein aside from fish, bagels are great complex carbs, and the veggies and tomatos will give you a sugar boost.

A note: I was reading on Wikipedia (so take this with a grain of salt) that Corn Starch is a very good way to prevent these episodes from happening, as Corn is a good source of complex carbs, as well as a common ingredient that can be put in just about anything. Which made me think of Corn Bread. While you may not be the best baker on earth, Corn bread may be a very big help to your fight. You can do a lot with it once it gets boring (which I assume will happen fast).

Natural Sugers:

Just about any kind of fruit has natural sugers, but they are simple, and should only be used as a spike or a temporary fix. I find that all sugars are a temporary fix, and are actually metabolized very quickly. So a constant intake of them is required for them to work over time. However the complex carbs are used as a long term source of sugar, as carbs are basically translated into sugar in your body. So keeping sugars as snacks or side dishes in your meals would be best. You (IMO) should eat more healthy fruit snacks in between meals often, to keep your sugar regulated when you're not eating meals. Fruit is light so you wont be really stuffed all the time, and if you just ate a hand full of grapes, an apple, a banana, or the like every hour or so, it would keep your sugar level up, while not making you stuffed and not adding much weight.

[melifairy]

Here's some stuff I found online that other people find work for them :

Here's something one woman said works for her:

Eggs are generally a good breakfast, and if you want them with bread, just make sure its whole-grain. For snacks, I eat a lot of nuts or trail mix, raw veggies, cottage cheese, cheese (by itself or with whole grain crackers like triscuits). You can also incorporate fruit into snacks--you just have to balance the sugar in the fruit with some protein and/or fat. Try berries or sliced fruit with plain yogurt, or slices of apples or pears with nut butter or cheese. For on-the-go snacks you can carry with you, I like trail mix or South Beach Diet high protein cereal bars (look for them with granola bars). I've actually gained weight since I started this diet, but I'd lost 20 pounds before I knew I was hypoglycemic, and it was actually good for me to gain it back.

Another person :

I've gained a little bit of weight too, but not much. I guess that's one of the reasons for hypoglycemics to exercise! I like to make myself little bean and cheese burritos for snacks, when I have the time. I also enjoy peanut butter toast or a small salad with beans, cheese, egg, etc. it it. The thing is planning ahead! Once you have the right kinds of foods in your house, it easy to come up with lots of different kinds of things to eat. When you don't, you'll find yourself reaching for and downing a whole bag of chips or a big bowl of white flour pasta!

Something good that I found on a hypoglycemia site :

DO -- Start eliminating the "biggies" -- those foods, drinks and chemicals that cause the most problems: sugar, white flour, alcohol, caffeine and tobacco.

DO -- Be extremely careful when and how you eliminate the offending substances. Only YOU, with the guidance of a health-care professional, can decide. Some patients choose to go at a steady pace. If you drink ten cups of coffee a day, gradually reduce consumption over a period of days or weeks. The same is true for food or tobacco. If you are heavily addicted to all of the aforementioned, particularly alcohol, then withdrawal should not be undertaken unless you are under the care of a physician.

DO -- Replace offending foods immediately with good, wholesome, nutritious food and snacks as close to their natural state as possible. Lean meats, poultry (without the skin), whole grains, vegetables and allowable fruits are recommended. We want to prevent deprivation from setting in, especially the "poor me, I have nothing to eat" attitude. There is plenty to eat.

DO -- Eat six small meals a day or three meals with snack in between. Remember not to over eat.

DO -- Be prepared to keep your blood sugar stabilized at all times, whether at home, office, school or traveling. At home, you should always have allowable foods ready in the refrigerator or cupboards. Always keep snacks in your car or where you work.

DO -- Watch your fruit consumption. If you are in the early or severe stages of hypoglycemia, you may not be able to eat any fruit. Some patients can eat just a small amount. Your diet diary will help guide you. Avoid dried fruits completely.

DO -- Be careful of the amount of "natural" foods or drinks you consume. Even though juices are natural, they contain high amounts of sugar. Whether or not the sugar you consume is "natural", your body doesn't know the difference. Sugar is sugar is sugar...and your body will react to an excess of it.

DO -- Be aware of the fact that some medications contain caffeine. If you're having reactions to the following medications, bring this matter to the attention of your physician: Anacin, APC, Caffergot, Coricidin, Excedrin Fiorinal, Four-Way Cold Tablets and Darvon Compound, etc.

DO -- Start a library of cookbooks. They don't necessarily have to be for hypoglycemics. Many good books with no or low sugar recipes are available.

DON'T...
DON'T -- Panic when you first hear about all the foods that you must eliminate from your diet. Keep repeating all the foods that you CAN eat -- there are plenty.

DON'T -- Forget that being PREPARED with meals and snacks is the key to a successful hypoglycemia diet and a healthier you.

DON'T -- Skip breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day for a hypoglycemic.

DON'T -- Compare your results or progress with anyone else's. Each body's metabolism is different.

DON'T -- Be obsessive about your diet. The CONSTANT focus on what you can and cannot eat will only instill more fear, stress and frustration.


From another site :

Hypoglycemia Snack Ideas

* Peanut butter and whole wheat crackers
* Peanut butter on apple slices (try it if you never have!)
* Peanut butter and banana open face sandwich
* Cheese and crackers (try different cheeses and crackers for variety)
* Cheese and pretzels (pretzels contribute texture)
* Polly-O String Cheese (these are individually wrapped and really convienent, but they do need to be refridgerated)
* Melted cheddar cheese on bread (try rye bread for variety)
*

Melted cheddar cheese on Triscuits
* Tortilla chips with melted cheddar and/or monterery jack cheese with salsa and sour cream
* Soft tortilla with melted cheddar and/or monterey jack cheese with salsa and sour cream
* Mini pizza on a roll or bagel (tomato sauce and mozerella cheese)
* Plain yogurt or cottage cheese with one of the following:
o slices of apple and cinnamon
o unsweetened pineapple - canned or fresh
o fresh or frozen berries (strawberries, raspberries, blue berries, etc.) - can be mixed with yogurt in a blender
o fresh or frozen peach slices
*

Egg salad open face sandwich (hard boiled egg, mayonnaise and mustard)
*

Cold hard boiled egg with a little salt
*

Tuna fish open face sandwich or on crackers

Remember to try different cheeses, breads, and crackers for variation. It's surprising how much change it can make.
Treats

* Sliced kiwi and banana
* Unsweetened fruit juice and club soda
* Unsweeteded fruit juice popsicles (make your own)
* Pina colada (unsweetened pineapple juice, pinapple slices and coconut milk combined in a blender to taste; freeze the pinapple to make it colder)
* Other fruit smoothies (see recipe books on main HG page)
* Fresh fruit salad
* Frozen fruit (can be bought in bags at the grocery store)

This is a good article too :

www.stretcher.com/stories/01/010924a.cfm

www.imbris.net/~bblinzler/hypoglycemia.html

www.dialadietitian.org/nutritioncat.asp?id=41



Anyways, I hope that helps Jay! Get feeling better. ^_~

[Waspman]

Thanks for the info!
I actually know about Corn Starch. In fact, that's one of the things the Doctor/Dietitian talked about. Also, there's these bars that have Corn Starch in it that are made for diabetics. Can't remember the name of it but you can find it in the Diabetes section of a pharmacy. Basically made so that it lasts a long time and diabetics don't have to worry about having large spikes in their blood sugar. It does say that it's not meant to be eaten when you're having a hypoglycemic episode. I did try one when my blood sugar was low.. yeah, that wasn't a good idea. Seeing as how I had a hard time getting my blood sugar up.