Blood Sugar problems

1364 Views 11 Replies 7 Participants Last post by LucidAnne, Mar 16, 2008

FT13

Discussion Starter · Mar 14, 2008

Im trying to help out a friend whos been vegetarian for about 7 years, but has recently gone vegan...probably about 2-3 months ago.

Shes having issues with her blood sugar count. She used to drink like 2-3 diet pepsi's a day, but shes cut that completely out.

Is there anything she can add to her diet to prevent her blood sugar issues?

Thanks for any info!!!

-Sin

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jeneticallymodified

· #2 · Mar 14, 2008

does diet pepsi even have sugar in it???

i bet its the caffiene withdrawal thats screwing her up! that'll go away.

i'd suggest picking whole grains over white flour/rice/starch, laying off sugary junk, and eating plenty of beans.

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FT13

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 14, 2008

thanks for that reply.

ya, we went thru the whole caffine withdrawl thing before, im sure shell be ok.

but if theres anyone else out there that has any tips for diet stuff for her blood sugar issue, it would be greatly appreciated!!

-Sin

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raefactor

· #4 · Mar 14, 2008

protein with good fats and a little bit of natural sugar is the best thing for blood sugar drops-- I'm hypoglycemic, so I like to eat nuts or oatmeal when my blood sugar is dropping. plain protein consistently is your friend for avoiding massive spikes in blood sugar which lead to dropping.

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FT13

Discussion Starter · #5 · Mar 14, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by raefactor

protein with good fats and a little bit of natural sugar is the best thing for blood sugar drops-- I'm hypoglycemic, so I like to eat nuts or oatmeal when my blood sugar is dropping. plain protein consistently is your friend for avoiding massive spikes in blood sugar which lead to dropping.

from her:

thats what ive been doing the thing is that in order to keep my blood sugar up i am forced to eat nuts and things all day to avoid having it drop. Which can work except that all the extra calories is making me gain weight which i dont like

any other suggestions? hehe

-Sin

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evelinadatta

· #6 · Mar 14, 2008

If her blood sugar levels are that sensitive that she needs to eat constantly to keep them up, maybe she should talk to a doctor or and RD... What did she use to eat before going vegan that kept her blood sugar levels at bay that she can't eat now?

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LucidAnne

· #7 · Mar 14, 2008

(no, diet pepsi doesnt have sugar)

so her "blood sugar issues" is that she is having low blood sugars?

as others have said, fat and protein really help sustain your blood sugars. so does fiber. so adding all of these things in every meal is important.

eating small amounts, often throughout the day is important.

a half of a whole grain sandwich w/ somesort of protein and fat is a good snack, for example.

you also want to avoid "white" flours as much as possible, this will spike her blood sugar up and then down again quickly.

whole fruit, b/c it has fiber and thus slows the absorption rate, is better than fruit juice (w/ fiber removed). beans are great for their carb, protein, fiber ratio.

so add some more whole grains, fruits, fats, protein...she may just really need to eat more!

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SonicEarth

· #8 · Mar 14, 2008

Is her blood sugar too high or too low?

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FT13

Discussion Starter · #9 · Mar 15, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by SonicEarth

Is her blood sugar too high or too low?

too low. but shes been to the doctor and everythings fine with her. just gotta figure out more to add to her "diet". she was investigating and found a suppliment called chromium that shes gonna start taking.

-Sin

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cryptoveggie

· #10 · Mar 15, 2008

I get low blood sugar and I've found that nut butter on toast is the best thing between meals. The key is protein, sugar alone just leaves you crashing again in an hour if you can't get a meal. I also keep a cliff bar in my purse in case I get low blood sugar when I'm out and can't find anything vegan.

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SonicEarth

· #11 · Mar 15, 2008

Also, more complex saccharides like starch take longer to break down, so foods high in those won't make you crash.

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LucidAnne

· #12 · Mar 16, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by FT13

too low. but shes been to the doctor and everythings fine with her. just gotta figure out more to add to her "diet". she was investigating and found a suppliment called chromium that shes gonna start taking.

-Sin

chromium isnt going to do anything.

if anything, it would help her if she had diabetes, but there has been no real evidence.

her best bet is to educate herself about food, carbs, protein and fat combinations... check out "glycemic index" of food. it will show how complex carbs w/ protein and fat help regulate and sustain blood sugar, avoiding the ups and downs of blood sugar.

also important is the "glycemic load" of food...it is basically learning what a real portion of a food is. eating too much of any food, even if its glycemic index is low, will result in a large blood sugar spike.

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