What is best to eat with functional hypoglycemia?

Question

I've been diagnosed with functional hypoglycemia, I've always had a fast metabolism but since having my baby 17 months ago I keep having symptomatic hypo's all the time.

Before anyone says I have seen a diabetic consultant who brought me in to hospital to do a 72 hr fast to rule out insulinoma etc and this is the conclusion he came to, I'm waiting to see the dietitian to see if it can be controlled just through diet. I've already started eating an oaty cereal for breakfast and wheaten bread instead of scones at work and cut out chocolate etc. I normally have pasta or potatoes with whatever I'm having dinner. Just looking any tips while I'm waiting on the dietitian for foods that are good to eat or probably more importantly things I don't realise contain things that trigger it, I know caffeine and sugary foods trigger it.

Answer 1

Every food you mentioned is a carbohydrate. Carbohydrate is another name for SUGAR. Forget caffeine, forget fat, diabetes is about insulin control and insulin control is about sugar. Hypoglycemia is just low blood sugar caused by insulin, caused by carbohydrates and leads to diabetes. Yes complex carbohydrates cause a slower, more controlled insulin release, but still requires insulin. Eating fat and protein with your sugar helps a little. Fructose does not cause insulin release or an increase in blood sugar, but it goes directly to the liver and is converted to triglycerides. If you have sugar problem, you usually have elevated cholesterol and triglycerides. Sugar and insulin are much more harmful than saturated fat. So do the opposite from what you are doing now.

Answer 2

Hypoglycemia results when your body's glucose is used up too rapidly, when glucose is released into the bloodstream more slowly than is needed by your body, or when excessive insulin is released into the bloodstream.

I've never heard of a test that requires a 72 hour fast, I think that could be dangerous and I don't want to 2nd guess your doctor.

But I do know that there are different types of hypoglycemia and it appears that your doctor(s) are trying to determine which type you have and how best to treat it.

If "functional hypoglycemia" is similar to "reactive hypoglycemia" it would mean that certain types of sugars will cause your pancreas to release much more insulin than needed which could cause a hypoglycemic episode.

While other types of sugars would have a more normal effect on the release of insulin into your system.

So I'm of the opinion that it needs to be determined which of those types of sugars are having negative or positive effects on your glucose levels.

Good luck