Does SBD help w/ hypoglycemia??

aces67 · Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:57 pm

I'm not diabetic I just have a lot of blood sugar drops. Does this plan help with that?

Thanks
Amanda

wholefoodsbaby · Mon Aug 23, 2004 1:58 pm

Yes, the SBD will help with hypoglycemia. I have suffered from that for years and I feel great! This way of eating focuses on the glycemic index which is based on how fast a food will raise blood sugar. By eating foods with a lower GI you really decrease the yoyo effect that hypoglycemics suffer from with their blood sugar. Also, the SBD emphasizes the importance of good choices like whole grains, fresh veggies, beans, and avoiding white sugar, white flour, and processed foods. Try it and tell us how it works for you. I love the control that I feel now. I get plenty to eat and don't suffer from the shakes and sweats of low blood sugar.

pouncer00 · Mon Aug 23, 2004 5:19 pm

aces not sure how old you are, but I was diagnosed as hypoglycemia in the early/mid-80s and SB is almost identical to the diet they put hypoglycemics on then (they don't use a diet plan now, but back then there was a very strict diet guideline to follow, more strict than the diabetic one). The main difference is that you can eat fruit on SB, which was strictly forbidden :-) But white bread, PB (other than "natural" which was nasty back then), anything with more than an exceptionally low amount of sugar was banned (including milk - they allowed 1 serving/day)

On this, I've stopped having crashes and cravings (even now, I've added fruit back in, and there's been nothing), so I'd say you should have a good reaction to this WOE

Mariposa · Mon Aug 23, 2004 5:26 pm

What's the difference between being diabtic and hypoglycemic?

I'm not sure if I have one of those, but I do know that if I don't get carbs in my system (or enough of it), I feel like I'm going to pass out.

pouncer00 · Mon Aug 23, 2004 6:24 pm

Insulin is required to "unlock" your cells for sugars to enter them and give them fuel. Without the insulin, your cells starve and a huge pressure is put on your kidneys to excrete the excess sugars. That said:

diabetic means one of 2 things: either your body makes enough insulin, but your cells don't know what to do with it (type 2 diabetes) Usually happens in adults, although more and more in teenagers and pre-teens who are overweight. Solely caused by environmental factors, although if you have a fam history, some people are now saying it can increase your chances. Not usually insulin-dependant, although if the person changes diet/loses weight, etc and doesn't help the situation, they will sometimes put the person on insulin shots, but usually pills

type I diabetes usually happens in kids - their pancreas either stops making insulin, or doesn't make enough. no known cause, except for genetics. these people HAVE to take insulin.

Hypoglycemia is simply low blood sugar - your sugar stays too low for too long, you can go into a coma and die (the most severe reaction). There's also dizzyness, vomiting, disorientation, etc, etc

Hypoglycemics are a different ball game. While your body makes enough insulin, and you're generally not overweight or have other health problems, your cells metabolize the sugar at an extremely high rate. When you eat more sugars than proteins, etc, your cells work faster to process the sugar, so you basically spend all day peaking and crashing. It's usually very difficult to "diagnose" hypoglycemia, because it's symptoms often mimic those of other diseases (in my case, it took 2 years of weekly blood tests before they decided that was "all" that was wrong with me). If it's found in children, they often say the child will either grow out of it or become diabetic (both of which happens less often than the doctors tell you!) In adults, it's usually a sign of something else going on (but not always).

I was diagnosed at 8 - what it meant for me was that, although I grew like a weed (almost a foot and a half during a school year) I stayed the same weight (and looked like a starving ethiopian). I have a ridiculously high metabolism, and you don't want to know how poorly I have to eat to gain weight (but obviously, poor it was, as I am here!) You HAVE to eat at least 6x/day to prevent crashing. People here talk about certain foods affecting their weight loss, my concern when I add something new is if it's going to make me crash at an inopportune time (driving, etc). I always carry snacks with me. They recommend hypoglycemics carry OJ or the nasty tube stuff with them during physical activities, because you can crash during them, even if you "technically" ate enough food before. It's a pain in the rear...but I've been told there are people who are hypoglycemic who never go through this, because they are borderline "normal"...like everything else, it just depends on your body. Science hasn't figured out what causes this, or what causes the variations, as far as I know...

Mariposa · Tue Aug 24, 2004 2:23 pm

Thanks for the explanation. I've had periods in my life where I HAD to have coke, candy or fruit to keep me from passing out. I was in the mall one time and was on the verge of passing out. The lady who was working at the Disney store (an ex nurse) said it was low blood sugar and asked someone to bring me some candy. Once that got into my system I was able to get over the feeling and drive home. Is that why I was feeling so rotten last week? The lack of sufficient carbs? I've been trying to have PB with fruit, or cheese with fruit to see if that would help. I haven't been diagnosed though.

pouncer00 · Tue Aug 24, 2004 11:12 pm

It might be you're eating *sufficient* carbs, but you're eating too many together - you might be getting enough carbs for the day, but if you eat them all in one sitting, chances are you'll crash before it's time to eat again...I try to eat carbs with Breakfast & Lunch, but I try to make the protein/veggies = more than the carbs, and I try to eat the carbs after I've eaten the proteins (because some evidence suggests that what goes in your stomach first controls the digestion rate...don't know if it's true, but it doesn't hurt anything!) I very rarely eat carbs with dinner, because I have cravings all night and am starving in the morning.

I would just play with your meals and see if one thing makes you feel better than the other...even if you're not a hypoglcemic, you can still have H episodes based on your diet!

yellobeuty · Thu Aug 26, 2004 2:38 pm

Hypoglycemic and SBD are great together!

I have been hypoglycemic since my 20's I'm now in my 40's. I have to tell ya, I've been to nutrionist, and endocrinologist and for all their suggestings this is what has worked best for me. SBD. which I found without paying a thing.lol

anyway, I think the reason it works so well is because it naturally if followed correctly keeps your sugars level. no peaks, no crashes.

you must have your snacks. this is very important. Tues. I forgot my AM snack and went past the lunch hour and boy oh boy did I have a bad reaction. It was quite scary. :(

I hadn't had that feeling since starting the beach. but because I forgot to stop and have the snack etc. well anyway, I first thought I would grab something with sugar to boost my blood sugar up. Thank God we didn't have anything like that in the house! because that would have just spiked it up and then crashed it again.

anyway, I had celery with cheese and a piece of fruit and it was enough.

we then ate lunch, and everything got back to normal.

So, Please remember to eat your snacks even if you don't feel hungy! :)

I did phase one and it was enough carbs for me. I didn't need the fruit. the veggies where enough. I still have to be very careful with the grains. even ww. but the fruit is ok, as long as I eat a protien with it. nuts, cheese etc. sometimes even turkey or chicken.


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