Dietary Advice

Andypikey1105

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi, joined the forum earlier after trying to find help and advice on other websites ( with no luck)

I'm looking for some good dietary advice as I have been told that I need to cut out sugar completely and go heavy on the carbs, but from what I'm seeing here this might not be the case.
 

hornplayer

Well-Known Member
Messages
983
Hi Andy. I'm assuming you're pre-diabetic or T2?

Carbs turn to sugar (at varying speeds). So if you're trying to cut sugar but you eat loads of carbs, you might as well stick a spoon in the Tate and Lyle and have done with it. - But of course that's just my opinion. There are as many different approaches to diet as there are people with diabetes. It's a question of finding what works for you. Carb loading may not be the best place to start though.

- just read one of your previous posts and I'm sorry, but I don't know what reactive hypoglycaemia is. Maybe some one else will be better placed to help you. Good luck.
 

Kaz261

Well-Known Member
Messages
413
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi, joined the forum earlier after trying to find help and advice on other websites ( with no luck)

I'm looking for some good dietary advice as I have been told that I need to cut out sugar completely and go heavy on the carbs, but from what I'm seeing here this might not be the case.

I suffer with RH and have controlled mine by significantly reducing my carbs - all carbs. Please don't go heavy on the carbs otherwise you will most likely suffer hypo after hypo!

Most of us control our condition by following the low carb high fat diet. Some reduce their carb intake to as little as 20-30g a day. I'm lucky in that I can tolerate a small amount of carbs with each meal and total around 100g a day.

Also eating little and often can help. Every 2-3 hours.

I'm a little short on time but in brief, people with RH tend to have a very fast spike after consuming carbs. Your first phase insulin response is delayed which causes your bg to rise faster than normal. Your body then relies on the second phase insulin to mop up the excess glucose in the blood and tends to overshoot causing the hypo.

The only way to control RH is to avoid the initial spike. That way there's no excess insulin production, no overshoot and no hypo.

Have you got a monitor? Testing is so important to help you work out what YOU can tolerate as we're all different. Have read around the RH section of the forum as there's loads of information. There's also a lchf section which may give you some food/meal ideas.

I was very confused and overwhelmed to begin with. You basically have to re-learn diet and food. It's not a change for a couple of weeks, it's for life so you have to make sure you can sustain it.

Good luck and I'll check back in later.
 

Lamont D

Oracle
Messages
15,796
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
I
Hi, joined the forum earlier after trying to find help and advice on other websites ( with no luck)

I'm looking for some good dietary advice as I have been told that I need to cut out sugar completely and go heavy on the carbs, but from what I'm seeing here this might not be the case.
Im sorry but you have been given the wrong dietary advice.
If you look at the sticky threads on this forum you will see that it's the carbs and sugars that do all the damage.
You are probably intolerant to many foods. You can't eat carbs especially grains, rice, bread, potatoes, pasta and most fruits.
Your reactive pancreas creates too much insulin. This leads to the yo yo rebound effect of fluctuating blood glucose levels and that's hy you are not feeling very good.
You need to stop production of insulin by not eating carbs. Weird but true.
It is this control you need.
If you read the information and still need to ask questions I will try and answer.
I've had this condition for quite a while now. The only way to be in control is very low carb diet. I have not had a hypo in over two years.
We have the experience ofvrh.
Your dietary advisor has probably never heard of it and is reading from an out of date jus book. Which is totally wrong!
 

Andypikey1105

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
Diet only
Thank you, I have managed to get hold of a second hand testing kit, and have started to monitor my bf today and I have already found a food I prob can't eat,

At work this morning I had 2 slices of wholemeal bread as I was always told brown better than white, about a hour later I started to get really bad case of the sweats as I have always done, and though this could be a good time to test just to see as I noticed that it could be a sign, and it was up at 8. After about a hour I started to feel a bit better, is this something i should watch out for.
 

Lamont D

Oracle
Messages
15,796
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Thank you, I have managed to get hold of a second hand testing kit, and have started to monitor my bf today and I have already found a food I prob can't eat,

At work this morning I had 2 slices of wholemeal bread as I was always told brown better than white, about a hour later I started to get really bad case of the sweats as I have always done, and though this could be a good time to test just to see as I noticed that it could be a sign, and it was up at 8. After about a hour I started to feel a bit better, is this something i should watch out for.

Hi Andy, As you will find out, bread is bread, regardless wether it's brown or white!
Most bread contains grains and most RH ers cannot tolerate wheat or most breads which has a high carbs count.
You are probably still craving the carbs and this won't go until you really want too.
It is the hardest part of getting control that the way to feel good really good is do without what you would call basic foodstuff. The likes of potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and a few more are the foods that our body reacts to.
These foods you can do without and eventually you will find that changes in your diet can work.
You have to have a change in the way you see food. Only food that doesn't make you ill is good for.
Healthy food, goes out the window, it's not healthy for us.
No matter what you think is good, it probably isn't.
Take low fat stuff, good?
No, bad! Too much sugar! Better off having full fat!
Margarine or butter?
Butter is good.
Cereals or full English?
Bacon and eggs is great, cereals of any type is bad!

Do you see what I'm getting at?

Instead of three square meals, have little meals throughout the day every two to three hours.

There is loads more!

Keep asking, keep testing, keep recording everything.

Best wishes.
 

hornplayer

Well-Known Member
Messages
983
Hi Andy, As you will find out, bread is bread, regardless wether it's brown or white!
Most bread contains grains and most RH ers cannot tolerate wheat or most breads which has a high carbs count.
You are probably still craving the carbs and this won't go until you really want too.
It is the hardest part of getting control that the way to feel good really good is do without what you would call basic foodstuff. The likes of potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and a few more are the foods that our body reacts to.
These foods you can do without and eventually you will find that changes in your diet can work.
You have to have a change in the way you see food. Only food that doesn't make you ill is good for.
Healthy food, goes out the window, it's not healthy for us.
No matter what you think is good, it probably isn't.
Take low fat stuff, good?
No, bad! Too much sugar! Better off having full fat!
Margarine or butter?
Butter is good.
Cereals or full English?
Bacon and eggs is great, cereals of any type is bad!

Do you see what I'm getting at?

Instead of three square meals, have little meals throughout the day every two to three hours.

There is loads more!

Keep asking, keep testing, keep recording everything.

Best wishes.

It takes a bit of getting your head around. Basically, most of the things you were told were bad for you are actually the things which you should be eating. "Diet" food is bad for you. Low fat, yes, but way too high in sugar.

You'll be fine. Plenty of good advice on here.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people