There are many resources on the Internet that provide diet plans and give advice about which foods to eat and which to eliminate from your diet. Unfortunately, with so many people in different stages of hypoglycemia, different health problems, and different symptoms, it is not a good idea to select a pre-planned diet without doing your due diligence and making the necessary changes. One Person's Food May Be Another Person's Poison.
Let me start by asking, what is a diet anyway? A diet does not mean that you are trying to lose weight as most people assume. Heck, I'm a very small, slim lady and losing weight is the last goal on my agenda. Losing weight for me is devastating. I lost so much weight that I almost changed my mind about my diet. A diet is simply the foods you have habitually chosen to eat. Your diet may consist of junk food, burgers, and candy. Hopefully not, but you get the point.
When planning your diet you have to first understand how the body processes food and nutrition. It will change your way of thinking about food! Knowing which nutrients your body needs and why will open your eyes to why you have hypoglycemia and any other health problem you may be experiencing at the moment. The body thrives on protein, fats, and glucose. If the body's ability to process these nutrients is affected in any way, your body will react negatively. It will be important to select a diet based on your sensitivity to foods. Your food diary will help you discover your problem areas and which foods cause your hypoglycemic symptoms if not immediately, within 2 to 4 hours on average, or the next day.
At the start of curing your reactive hypoglycemia, your diet will possibly be different than it will be 6 months and 2 years later. There may not be a significant difference, but a few foods that you must eliminate now due to your body's extra sensitivity, you may be able to re-introduce later after you have re-conditioned your body. I would recommend to EVERYONE to eliminate all of the known culprits -- SUGAR -- PROCESSED/PACKAGED FOODS -- FAST FOOD -- REFINED FOODS.
I chose to follow the Paleo Diet and make revisions based on my needs and sensitivity level. I had to eliminate fruits and seafood/fish temporarily. This diet will eliminate many illnesses and conditions.
Here's what my diet consists of:
NO sugar under ANY circumstance (table sugar, cakes, pastries, candy, desserts, packaged food)
NO processed, canned or packaged foods (this eliminates many high carb foods and sugar)
NO fruit or fruit juice
NO dairy
NO wheat or grains
NO starchy/carb foods like bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, tortillas, legumes (beans, cashews, peanuts)
NO snacks or junk food like chips and crackers
NO eggs for me due to a possible food allergy
NO caffeine (tea or coffee)
NO alcohol
NO smoking - I don't smoke and never have, but if I did, this would be the time to quit
NO saturated fats
YES to vegetables of all kinds, especially broccoli, cabbage, spinach, and kale
YES to protein like ALL NATURAL chicken and turkey
YES to nuts like almonds and walnuts and sprouted seeds like sunflower, chia, and pumpkin
YES to fats like olive oil, coconut oil and avocado oil
YES to avocados
YES to water
Eliminations based on my pre-detoxification of mercury:
NO seafood!!
Remove inflammatory and allergenic foods such as sugar (especially fructose/high fructose corn syrup), processed and packaged foods, fast foods, most starch and grain. Perfect for hypoglycemia! Learn More About Mercury Detoxification
Foods I may attempt to add later:
- Berries such as blueberries, cherries, and raspberries
- Goat milk - I need to research this
- Bananas - I would love to be able to make a shake with bananas to gain weight
- Unleavened flat bread to make chips for guacamole and salsa
My thoughts:
I was fortunate enough to be someone who loved vegetables but I rarely ate protein unless it was fish and I loved sweet desserts (cheese cake was heaven!), packaged snacks and rice. I hated the idea of changing my diet and it was difficult initially but I was more driven to feel better for the long-term. After the first couple of weeks, I was convinced that I made the right choice.
The biggest thing I have to remind myself of is that I can't "get healthy" temporarily and then go back to the foods I ate before. This is a permanent lifestyle change.
As I discover new things about my body and the foods that are beneficial to me, I'll revise my diet and any updates will be posted here along with a correlating date of change.
I wish you the best in your journey to discovering your tailor-made diet; Sample Meal Plans, and feel free to share or reach out.
Greatest Success,
~Wanauma
Updated Saturday, August 10, 2013
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