I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia (or low blood sugar) several years ago, so I had to drastically change my eating habits. As a typical college student, my diet consisted of ramen noodles, pancake batter, Chinese takeout, and canned tuna. After seeing several specialists, from pharmacists to certified dietitians, and listening to my body, I developed a list of foods that I could not eat.
If you suffer from hypoglycemia or just seem to literally “crash” after eating certain things, you should talk to your doctor about the purity of the necessary foods.
1) Refined sugar products
This includes sugar rich from the obvious donuts, candies, and pastries, to foods like pasta, white rice, white bread Learn how to read food labels. I stay away from anything that has more than 15 grams of sugar (or sugar alcohol) listed, and generally opt for foods that have less than 5 grams of sugar.
2) Juice
First, many juice products are actually sweetened drinks with juice flavors. Second, juices have such a concentration of fructose (sugar), that some can have as much as 50 grams of sugar in one serving! Instead, if you want an orange, eat an orange, or if you really want apple juice, you can add no sugar to applesauce or applesauce. A little trick? If you really want the flavor of the juice, drink half the recommended serving. (Additional note: when you’re looking for a hypoglycemia crash, a small glass of juice can be great to give you a quick sugar boost, but follow it up with something quick food that sometimes has carbohydrates and complexes).
3) Processed food
Listening to my body, I realized that every time I ate processed food (especially food, anything in a box, fast food ), a little later I feel the dizziness, crankiness, headache, and instability that accompanies the crash of blood sugar. But I try to eat fresh and naturally as much as possible, avoiding cosmetics.
4) Caffeine
While I usually brew a small serving (4 ounces) of hot cocoa, every time I try a 16 ounce super duper. Latte’, I have a severe headache, I feel nauseous (no way, not pregnancy), I take nausea, and I collect the being violently. My body can only handle small doses of caffeine. So instead of long agitation or mortifications, I have to work around my hypoglycemia and manage my time wisely. I do most of my work when I am most productive and alert.
5) Alcohol
Alcohol leads to hypoglycemia, instant crash and drowsiness!
So you ask, how can I have fun when I can’t enjoy the “nicer” things /a> in life because of my hypoglycemia ? I am working within the limits of hypoglycemia. I may use food, but I can only enjoy it in smaller portions. My hypoglycemia doesn’t go away with one or two slices of pizza, toasted in a whole wheat bun, homemade peanut butter oatmeal cookies, homemade sweet potato fries, fresh fruit and veggies, or whole wheat rice and pasta. For me, the dangerous hypoglycemia crash that can follow a sugary donut or a big plate of spaghetti is not a risk.
Avoid these foods for a month and see how your body changes in relation to hypoglycemia. You may find yourself more energetic, crave sweets and junk food less, and maybe even lose a few pounds!
