Hello everyone...a quick question.

I'm hypoglycemic, which means when I start getting hunger pains, I have to eat right then or I'll become ill, and if it gets bad I need quick protien. When I was a carnivore, that wasn't a problem, but now it's becoming one. I've tried keeping peanut butter, cheese sticks (I do eat dairy) and hummas around, and that can help. Any other suggustions?

Tofurky jerky? Or they also make seitan jerkys. A luna bar is fairly high in protein. Are you looking for things to keep around the house or things to carry with you? You could keep veggie cold cuts around, those are a quick protein boost. A handful of nuts would work, Odwalla makes some good soy protein shakes... vanilla almond and chocolate are both magically delicious. You could keep hard boiled eggs in the fridge. Have half an avocado.

How about those containers of pure protein powder...you could add it to a smoothie or something...?

I like silken tofu better than soy protein poweder...less grit in my smoothies. But what about stuff to carry around? I thought protien bars and stuff were made of cow skins like Jello is.

:hi: Welcome to VB!

A lot of protein bars are made with whey which is a dairy by-product. Luna bars and Cliff bars do not have these ingredients in them and they're right tasty, too. :) I like Cliff bars the best because they're a bit heartier than Luna bars.

For stuff to carry round.... well, if you're in US, you can get tube packages of different nuts like peanuts, cashews and the like (check the lables though because some nuts do have gelatin or honey in them). They're quite handy for carrying around and they've got a decent amount of protein to help keep you from "bottoming out" if your blood sugar gets too low. Some areas have soy nuts that are also handy for carrying round.

Getting the tube packages is just an idea but you could just as easily get on with bulk nuts kept in a small bag or travel cup.

You could also make this (http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showpost.php?p=950219&postcount=11) and keep some with you, too.

Hope that helps :)

Why not have some pre-made bean burritos on hand? Or a container of peanuts, cashews, mixed nuts (whatever kind you like)? A bag of BBQ sunflower seeds already shelled sound protein-y (and yummy) too! What about thick peanut butter and jelly or peanut butter and banana sandwiches?

Luna bars are vegan and popular with a lot of VBers (I personally never had them). Depends, some protien bars will be made with geletain and some won't. You'll have to read the labels. Nuts and seeds are another option. What did you carry around as a meat eater? Jerky? They make veggie jerky if that's the case.

There is also other Hypoglycemics here that can help you more than I can.

I really like primal strips. You can tuck half a dozen of those into your purse for when you need one and they take up very little room. About 10 grams of protein apiece and yummy.

Hello everyone...a quick question.

I'm hypoglycemic, which means when I start getting hunger pains, I have to eat right then or I'll become ill, and if it gets bad I need quick protien.

Morna, when you're hypoglycemic, the quick fix you need isn't protein it's carbs. You need to eat some simple carbohydrates (candy, piece of fruit, glass of orange juice etc) to quickly return your sugar levels to normal to stop you feeling ill.

Once you feel better again, you need to follow it up with a complex carbohydrate (whole grain bread, cereal, crackers, rice, pasta, potatoes). This will stabilize your blood sugar at the appropriate levels and prevent another drop happening.

When you're hypoglycemic, it's better for you to eat smaller meals and more often.

What astro said makes sense to me. I have very hypoglycemic symptoms. I find protein is good to have in your meals before hand, because it will release slowly and help you last longer, but once I start getting shaky I need carbs because they work fast.

But if your getting 'hunger pains' as opposed to being weak and irritatble, then aren't you just hungry, not hypoglycemic?

At home Smart Dogs, carry with you outside the home Cliff Bars

I always keep lumps of sugar in my pockets and backpack for moments like this.

And I always have a small in-between snack at 10am and at 4pm.

IceFlower is right, one doesn't get hunger pains when one is hypoglycemia. One gets shaky and feel like fainting, but one isn't in pain (unless you have some unusual form of hypoglycemia).

I, too, suffer from hypoglycemia and I've found that the most effective "treatment" is actually prevention. Rather than eating the typical three larger meals every day start planning to eat 6 or 7 times a day. Plan three smaller meals and plan portable high protein and high complex carb snacks (like nuts, edamame, Luna bars ...) or even not so portable high protein snacks (nut butters in sandwiches, bean dips and spreads, hummus on whole wheat pita or tortillas ...).

I have found that when I do sugar out my best bet for a reasonably quick recovery is a snack of unsweetened fruit juice (quick sugar lift without being too much) and a handfull of nuts or seeds (a bit of protein or complex carbs to balance out the sugar metabolism).

Planning is the biggest key.

Also, consider carring glucose tablets (they sell them in drug stores in the diabetic supplies area) with you for a quick solution when you first start feeling the symptoms of low blood sugar.

P.S. - Hunger pains are not a symptom of low-blood sugar. My mother, my daughter and I are all hypoglycemic, my father and my uncle are both diabetic and while we've all certainly felt the low blood sugar feeling of being willing to eat everything that isn't nailed down to make the nausea, disorientation, dizziness, shakes and lightheadedness go away none of us have ever felt hunger pains as a symptom of hypoglycemia. If you're experiencing hunger pains you are obviously going far too long without eating.

THanks so much everyone for the advice. I know how long it typically takes between meal and "I'm getting sick" and try to plan to eat before something bad happens, but sometimes I get caught up in a project or get delayed getting home and it happens anyway.

I really like the idea of the burritoes. I could make up some beans and rice ones and freeze them, which would also be perfect for nights when my omni parents are having something that's hard to adapt to veg*n.

I have the same problem. My solution is to have four regularish filling meals a day with snacks. I suspect your problem is you're either not eating frequently enough, or the foods you eat aren't as filling as your omnivorous diet, or both. Try getting fiber, protein and fat in each meal.

Morna, when you're hypoglycemic, the quick fix you need isn't protein it's carbs. You need to eat some simple carbohydrates (candy, piece of fruit, glass of orange juice etc) to quickly return your sugar levels to normal to stop you feeling ill.


There are different kinds of hypoglycemic, and what you eat depends on what kind you are. I'm "reactive hypyglycemic" which means if I eat sugar or simple carbs, my body produces too much insulin to digest it, causing hypoglycemia. Not eating for too long will cause the same thing. But if I'm really hungry and eat something sugary, it can make me feel worse, not better.

I carry around protein bars, nuts, fruit and yoghurt and make sure I eat every three hours or so. Having a good breakfast every morning really helps as well.

My whole family deals with this. All my family is big meat eaters and they still have low blood sugar attacks. I do eat dairy also, because when I was a pure vegan, I had many attacks. I just could not get enough protein. (I would like to try again, part of the problem was following Dr. Mcdougall's advice.):wall:

When I had a big low-blood sugar attack at work one day, the nurses made me slam a coke just to get my blood sugar back up, after I drank it, they had me eat protein right after. That did the trick. Even sometimes the "good" carbs always do not help me. I always keep nuts, peanut butter,something like that with me. I can never skip breakfast, or I would be passed out on the floor.

Like another poster said, my stomach does not growl when I am having a low-blood sugar attack. It just comes on all of a sudden. What really sucks, is that sometimes I am not even hungry, and have to eat to keep my blood sugar stable. One thing that I am on a big kick on is keeping Almonds in the fridge. Just a few is a pick me up, and helps my blood-sugar stable.

It is a hard thing to deal with. You just have to keep on trying what works for you.

There are different kinds of hypoglycemic, and what you eat depends on what kind you are. I'm "reactive hypyglycemic" which means if I eat sugar or simple carbs, my body produces too much insulin to digest it, causing hypoglycemia. Not eating for too long will cause the same thing. But if I'm really hungry and eat something sugary, it can make me feel worse, not better.

You're quite correct, but my advice to Morna was not about what to do when she is simply feeling hungry, it's about what to do when her body has gone past that point and she has begun to feel ill and is experiencing a hypoglycemic episode.

But under normal circumstances, protein + complex carbs (not sugary stuff)every three hours or so is the way to go :)

That's a really good description. Sometimes I feel hungry before the "low-blood-sugar" thing happens, but I usually have a matter of minutes before I get shakey. Sometimes hunger and low-blood-sugar happens at the same time.

Being vegetarian is helping me remember to have protien in every meal because I can't just grab some chicken or something later. Because it's forcing me to pay more attention to my dietary needs, the hypoglycemia seems to be mellowing out as a result. WOOT!

peanut butter has always helped for me...my ex-MIL also uses OJ

Why does being a vegetarian make this condition worse? I've noticed that I have the shakey feeling of low blood sugar now that I've stopped eating meat.

Because meat lasts much longer in the system than veg food does. Some say it even sits and rots there, it lasts so long. :spew:

It's not that being veg makes it "worse", it just means you have to plan a bit better than most would - but then again, even a meat-eater with the same condition would have to do some amount of planning just because of the nature of hypoglycemia in whole.

From what I understand, humans should eat several small meals a day as opposed to 3 larger ones. This keeps the blood sugar in check, better for weight control and many other reasons.

You could just eat a LOT of veggies. :D Yum.

If you still get the hunger pains no matter what you eat, try drinking some warm liquid. It won't help with weakness or anything but it'll fill you up.

http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=92986&catid=49471&brand=9851&trx=PLST-0-BRAND&trxp1=49471&trxp2=92986&trxp3=1&trxp4=0&btrx=BUY-PLST-0-BRAND&cmbProdBrandFilter=9851
clif 'builders' bars have 20 g of delicious protein and are vegan.
My bf loves them. They sell them @ veganessentials.com as well.