Reactive Hypoglycemia veggie attempting low carb - argh!

Hi all

I posted on here a couple of weeks ago looking for advice due to various symptoms I have had for ages now (already kicking myself for not seeing the doc earlier) and you pointed me towards reactive hypoglycemia. Anyway, I had a fasting blood test which was normal (which I expected to be honest as I only react after high carbs/a big meal etc) and had a long chat with the doctor who also said (not prompted by me I hasten to add) that I was quite severely over sensitive to carbs which gave me blood sugar drops after eating and also contributed to all sorts of other things like my inability to stay awake (seriously annoying when you're watching something good on TV!), my numb fingers etc. So first of all a massive thank you to those who helped me out on my original posts, it was really very much appreciated.

I'm now happy just to know whats up so I can tackle it. I am sadly sensitive to almost any carb (well, I mean the standard ones) and it doesn't matter if its pure sugar to porridge, anything carb based has something of a negative affect. I've done low carb before, but I ran into problems as I was so restricted in what I ate that I lost quite a lot of weight. Now I'm a healthy weight (5ft 5inch, 10 st 4lbs) I don't want to go back to that, but I do very much want to start on low carb as I know it will control the RH. So I am after help (again!). I'm a veggie who doesn't eat eggs (I don't mind them in things, just can't eat them on their own) so I am trying to do a healthy and substantial enough low carb diet but I am struggling to know what to eat as its not meat, fish or eggs. I do eat pretty much anything else at all. If anyone has any suggestions it would be fantastic. My aim is to eat 5-6 small meals/snacks a day to keep a good balance and ideally mean not too much volume per meal, which I have noticed can also rattle the RH.

Thanks in advance,
Kim

fergus said:

Hi Kim,

I'm afraid I desserted the veggie cause 7 years ago when I went low-carb. I'm still keen to opt for veggie alternatives when I can, so I was really pleased when I found a copy of a recent book which could be right up your street.

It's called 'The Vegetarian Low-Carb Diet' written by Rose Elliott and published by Piatkus. It's full of some great recipes from breakfasts, lunch, dinner, snacks, baking and deserts. I hope it helps.

All the best,

fergus

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Hi Fergus

Thanks ever so much for this. I also have this book You're right, its very good for low carb veggie stuff. The only thing I find a little limiting is that quite a few recipes are eggy, which I can't eat. I do already use a lot of them though - the rhubarb crumble is particularly yummy and I have stewed rhubarb on its own now with some natural yoghurt as I never realised how tasty it is.

I have to say that I would love not to be a veggie. Its not a principle decision for me (I cook meat for my hubbie etc) but ever since I was a child I just can't stomach it, so I've been veggie ever since. It would be so much easier to do low-carb if I could eat meat but sadly not.

This is the first forum I have found that has such great info and knowledge on healthy eating for people with blood sugar concerns, at whatever level, so I've been looking through for lots of ideas. Posts like the one on yoghurt are brilliant - I am forever hunting in the supermarket for low sugar yoghurts - at least I know I'm not the only one!! :wink:

Thanks again for your kind help.

Sugar pie said:

Hi, have you tried marinated tofu? You can have it in salads, stir frys, miso soup etc. Its worth a try.

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Thanks Sugar I haven't tried marinated tofu, I will give it a go! Its one of those things I have spied in Tesco but never quite managed to grab a packet. Sounds like a good idea