Food to Fight Hypoglycemia

In my last post, Managing Hypoglycemia, I went through some technical aspects about how the pancreas works with the rise/fall of blood glucose levels. I think it's important to show the differences in the diet and how it affects blood sugar levels. 

I'd really like to mirror what I used to eat and what I eat now. I thought I did "ok" but now I see the havoc I wreaked on my blood sugar. 

Used to eat:

Breakfast: bowl of honey bunches of oats or peanut butter and jelly toast (sometimes a couple eggs with it), or oatmeal

Snack: grapes or piece of fruit if possible 

Lunch: peanut butter and jelly sandwich, chips, fruit

---insert wanting to fall asleep---

Snack: cheez its and yogurt 

Dinner: some type of meat, bread, veggie

---craving dessert---

Now what I eat: 

Breakfast: eggs, meat, veggies or smoothie

Snack: nuts (and fruit sometimes)

Lunch: meat, fruit, veggie

----insert exercise typically----

Snack: juiced vegetable drink (sometimes will have a few nuts or cheese with it)

Dinner: meat, veggies, potatoes or fruit (meal I will eat a grain but not every day)

There's quite a contrast. The amount of grains I eat is drastically different. After breakfast, for what I used to eat, so many times I would get a fuzzy feeling that I couldn't shake. Some days I would be starving, irritable, have a hard time concentrating, and my hands would get shaky. That, my friends, was hypoglycemia. But then I battled it with eating more sugar. And once your body gets used to sugar, it craves it. 

Take a look at what I do now. Breakfast time I try to not have any grains and I don't eat much fruit unless a smoothie. It sets my day. No blood sugar dips and then feeling crummy. I also try to not eat grains during the day. Grains are empty calories and really mess with the blood sugar. I will eat some at dinner but they are paired with good protein so it doesn't affect me usually. Also notice how many vegetables I try to eat now. Vegetables are great for your blood sugar and of course the health of your whole body. When I juice, I feel amazing afterwards. 

So the main take away is this...changing your diet to have more meat, fruit, and vegetables will balance your blood sugar better than anything. The lack of blood sugar spikes and drops also means you'll maintain a healthier weight, slow the aging process, and keep your organs functioning optimally. 

Here's some meal ideas as examples of what I do...

Breakfast

Sweet potato, peppers, onion, sautéed  in coconut oil or olive oil. 

Kale, sweet potato, peppers, onions cooked in coconut oil and put on top of eggs. 

Omelet filled with sausage and veggies. 

Smoothies! Flaxseed, probiotic and hiding spinach inside. 

Veggies, eggs, and side of bacon. 

Lunch 

Ham, tomato, bacon, onion, mayo lettuce wrap. 

Salad with sausage, sweet potatoes, egg, cheese, onion, candied almonds. 

Zucchini noodles, sausage, onion, sautéed. 

BLT salad with egg and sweet potato. 

Snacks

Carrot, tomato, cucumber juice. 

Juicing as an afternoon snack does great for me. 

Apple and cashews.

I try to set out a plate of veggies to snack on with my girls before dinner everyday. 

Dinner

Grilled chicken fruit, salad. 

Homemade cheesy potato casserole, BBQ chicken cooked on the stove, Caesar salad. 

Tacos. 

Crockpot chicken, mixed veggies steamed, sweet potato fries.

Pork chopsticks sautéed veggies, mashed potatoes. 

Fajita salad.

Cheese burger without a bun, fries, veggies.

Homemade chicken nuggets, steamed broccoli, apples.