Reactive Hypoglycemia Diet Help

I have not formally been diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia but am almost positive that is what I have. I go to.the doctor 1/8/14 and hopefully I will get my answers. I am a 8.5 year post op gastric bypass patient and just in the past 2/3 years have been effected by low blood sugar. For the longest I have been going through some realll bad effects of reactive hypoglycemia. For one I get distorted vision and sometime have black outs where I can not see anything for a few seconds then.it clears up only to.happen again. I also get the shakes, confusion, sweats,hunger after just eating 30 minutesto a few hours earlier. I have just recently been checking my blood sugar with a blood sugar meter and at my lowest it has been in the upper 40's. The highest I have seen it was in the 130's and that was 30 minutes after eating lunch but soon afterwards went down to the 60's. I was wondering if anyone else on here that had reactive hypoglycemia is a post gastric bypass patient. I would love to here your symptoms..Also do any of you have any of the symptoms I have described? Please send me a fitness pal friend request
I would love to be your friend on here. I have gained about 40 pounds back since losing my.weigjt from surgery. I am working hard to.get it off but don't really know how to eat without effecting my reactive hypoglycemia. Any and all help and suggestions are appreciated nd welcomed.

I have really bad reactive hypoglycemia too! Feel free to add me.
Yes and celiac soy corn allergy so almost no grains.
Upping protein quantity at meals (even if has led to weight gain cause of sweet tooth which always hungers)
Has changed helped my blood sugar tremendously!! Wow I can for hours longer than before than in years.

My weakness is berries. I try to pair them always with plain greek yogurt to balance out the fructose but its still too much for my insulin tolerance and I get a rush crash. Sometes before bed that helps me fall asleep but otherwise not recommended.

Yeah protein has made a huge differrence! Sometimes I have to force it but the benefit is joyous. Not that I've reached anywhere near perfection but can endure a lot more.
Feel free to add me for support sharing ideas and camaraderie ????
Cheers!!

I've been hypoglycemic for almost 30 years. Here's what keeps my sugar in control:

- Eating every few hours. Protein heavy breakfast, veggies or yogurt for the morning snack, protein rich lunch, fruits in the afternoon (your sugar is naturally lower in the afternoon and the sugar boost will be used properly at that point), protein rich dinner, fiber snack (good one is popcorn!).
- Low carbs. Carbs cause sugar spikes.
- Dark green veggies like spinach, broccoli, okra, green beans, etc. will help.
- Lots of water!
- A form of protein nearly every time you eat.
- Avoid sugary foods as much as possible. If you have a piece of holiday pie, cut it in half and make sure you eat a lot of protein, too!

If you find you're crashing:

- Drink a glass of orange juice. It will bring your sugar slowly back into control and then eat something high protein.
- A spoonful of peanut butter will do the same thing.

Do not:
- Eat a piece of candy to stop a reaction--this will just make things horribly worse and take longer to recover.
- Choose fruits that are high in sugar naturally (watermelon is my biggest weakness).

Everyone is different, but this is what I generally follow and it works really well for me.

Hopefully that helps!

Bump

Are you still on here? I have been dx with Reactive Hypoglycemia due to a adrenal gland disease. Its been the hardest thing I have ever been through. I have had it for 10 months now. Makes you feel terrible. Trying to eat right is the hardest, not knowing what to eat is my thing. I got my breakfast down to a science but the rest is a challenge because I am never hungry. Vision is Blurry Excessive Fatigue. I take steroids for my adrenal disease and it seems to make it worse. I too have had alot of test done all negative. I read it takes awhile of eating right without sugars and NO CAFFEINE before you level out. How does one eat when your not hungry? I am a part of a Reactive Hypoglycemia support group on Facebook and it has helped me alot. Join us

I totally agree with you. I always keep some nuts in my purse, in my car and at work. I have found peanut butter or hard boiled egg or hummus are quick fixes ("whipped" peanut butter goes down easiest). I take Chromium Picolinate (inexpensive and avail wherever supplements are found) help me as well as speed my metabolism and give me a little energy without the jitters.

Valcraig2: I have severe reactive hypoglycemia. I am extremely insulin sensitive.

First off, skip the specific diets. Just eat in moderation and plan to eat roughly 1300-1400 calories a day. If you are exercising however, you may need more calories. So more detail would be great.

Meal prepping is going to be a necessity for you and your husband especially due to his RH. The food needs to be ready because when your sugar is low, you are going to grab anything in sight. Pick a day (probably the weekend) where you will prepare food for an entire week. Then measure out serving sizes and package away in containers. I hope you have lunch boxes and ice packs to keep food cold.

The first mistake your husband is making is eating candy when he is crashing. Don't worry, LOTS of people with RH make this mistake because they want what's going to make them feel better the fastest, which is candy, soda, juice, etc. That's the worst thing you can do though because what's going to happen is a roller coaster effect… up down up down up down. He's going to crash, he's going to eat candy, he's going to spike, and then he's going to crash again. HOWEVER if he is EXTREMELY low, like in the 30s or 40s, he does need to drink 1 cup of juice. Then eat a mixed meal (carb, protein, fat). If he is in the 50s, 60s, or 70s, a spoonful or two of peanut butter will hold him over until he can eat a mixed meal.

Your husband should not go more than 2-3 hours without eating. This is very important. Some days he may have to eat within an hour. It all depends on his blood sugar.

He needs to eliminate refined carbs (cookies, cakes, cupcakes, muffins, pastas, white bread). Instead he should be eating complex carbs: sweet potatoes, whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, brown rice, etc. However, when he eats complex carbs, he MUST eat protein with it. At least 15 grams preferably. Your husband should not consume more than 45 g of carbs per meal. My dietician told me 30-45 g carbs per meal. At snacks, he should consume between 15-30 g carbs.

Fiber also helps slow down your blood sugar from crashing. Keep lots of veggies in the house and have them pre-cut. Cucumber sticks, celery sticks, carrot sticks, red/orange/yellow pepper sticks, etc. If he doesn't like veggies alone, make a dip from plain greek yogurt mixed with Hidden valley ranch seasoning powder. It's way better than pre made dressings.

Protein needs to be eaten at every meal.

By the way, is your husband on medication for RH? I take Metformin and it helps me.

I also have reactive hypoglycemia. I have battled with it for about 3 years then finally saw a Dr. Now that I know what is wrong with me I can control it better. I agree that eating candy to raise blood sugar isn't good but sometimes it's all you have. I used to crave crackers or chips when mine would plummet. Now I take Metfomin and follow the South Beach diet. All the tips on this blog are great! This has been the best information I've had so far. My doctor didn't even tell me that my condition had a name! Thanks to everyone for all the help. :-)

Hi all, my mum and I both suffer with low blood sugar possibly I feel reactive hypoglycemia, and reading all this has been brilliant. For my mum and I we're both stuck in a complex carbs rut and I'm personally so fussy about foods which I hate, so if anyone one has any simple breakfast and lunch meal ideas I would be very grateful and add me as a friend to help keep me on track x

You need a glucometer to monitor and I recommend getting one soon if you can. Try to get insurance to pay for it. Strips are a fortune (for me at least). Keep a log. I started logging in the notes section here, but I just got a Telcare app. I log all my numbers and just the carbs there, but my food and exercise here. Lots of time planning foods, logging blood sugars and food, but its a necessary evil. Good luck!!