Archive for June, 2008
Hypoglycemia follow-up
For persons with hypoglycemia, my research shows that the best way to smooth out the blood glucose is to eat a diet that makes muscles more sensitive to glucose. After meals, muscles use and store about 90% of the glucose. Many people with hypoglycemia produce too much insulin because their muscles are ‘lazy’ and require a great deal of insulin to utilize glucose. To have muscles in better shape, regular exercise such as brisk walking, and avoiding fat in the diet are the major goals. Fats block glucose uptake by muscles. So a low fat diet is very important. A diet higher in starches and fiber makes the muscles more sensitive to insulin. If muscles become accustomed to burning carbohydrate as fuel, they do it more efficiently. If they become accustomed to burning fat for fuel, the are inefficient at buring carbs. So starches and fiber are the best choices in the diet. Usually I recommend minimal sweets and fruit for about 6 weeks. Then fruit can be included without causing hypoglycemia. After a few months, fruits usually are not a problem but whole fruits are preferred to juice or canned fruits with lots of sugar. Raisins are an excellent choice from the beginning.
My High Fiber Fitness book outlines an excellent diet for persons with hypoglycemia.
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