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Diet Guidelines for Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia refers to low blood glucose (sugar). It is not a condition in itself, but rather a symptom related to one of several medical conditions or a side effect of drugs. Hypoglycemia can be treated by treating the condition that causes it, by changing medications or by changing the diet. There are three basic guidelines to follow when treating hypoglycemia with dietary changes. However, these are only general guidelines that will need to be personalized based on your chemical makeup and what your doctor or dietitian prescribe for you.

  1. Meal Frequency

    • Gradually make the shift from eating a few large meals each day to eating smaller, more frequent meals and snacks. This will help to prevent hypoglycemia symptoms by maintaining a steady influx of calories to the body. These calories will be steadily broken down into sugar, which will prevent sudden drops in blood glucose levels that occur when meals are too far apart. Try eating a snack after breakfast, lunch and dinner. To avoid taking in too many calories, make sure each meal is smaller than usual. To do this, stop eating when you are satisfied but before you feel full. Drinking water with meals will help you to stop eating before you're full from food.

    Foods to Include

    • Each meal or snack should be a combination of high and low glycemic index (GI) foods. High glycemic index foods are broken down and converted to sugar quickly. Low glycemic index foods take longer to be converted to blood glucose. Carbohydrates will break down into sugar quickly. Proteins and fats take longer to be converted to sugar. When you first eat a meal, the high GI foods will quickly convert to glucose and raise your blood sugar levels, relieving or preventing hypoglycemia symptoms. The low GI foods will start to raise your blood sugar levels later, after the sugar from the carbohydrates have leveled off or dropped. A sensible snack for the hypoglycemic diet is low-fat peanut butter on whole wheat toast. The whole wheat toast will convert to sugar quickly. The protein in the peanut butter will raise the blood sugar more slowly.

    Foods to Avoid

    • Although a hypoglycemia diet should include carbohydrates, it is important to note that not all carbs have the same GI. Simple sugars are the carbohydrates that quickly convert to glucose, while complex carbohydrates convert more slowly. White flour, white bread and white rice will convert to glucose faster than their whole wheat or whole grain counterparts. Simple grains are refined, meaning the outer portion of the grain has been stripped away during processing. This processing makes them break down more quickly in the body. Other refined sugar sources to replace with complex carbs in a hypoglycemia diet include soda, candy and granulated sugar--instead, consume water, diet soda, sugar-free candy and artificial sweeteners.

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