Oatmeal, as i've read, can be disastrous for most hypoglycemics, but for a few it's okay. The hai diet, in fact, mentions you should never try it at first and then only in very small amounts if you want to test it. What you said is true, it's not just the total carbohydrates, but also the amount you eat at once, i've also noticed this. That's why you find a satisfactory level and stick with it, it's so the pancreas gets used to it and then you build on that level very, very slowly, perhaps even going so far as adding only 5 extra grams per week to your diet. Also what you say is a great way to adjust. When I begin to experiment, that's the first thing I thought of doing, adding carbs not from the beginning of the day, but from the last meal possible. The reason is that your body by the end of the day has more energy stored up so any lows that would normally feel pretty bad earlier in the day are eliminated because the body quickly normalizes the sugar level with available reserves. That's why they don't effect you as much. Plus, after the body gets active, by the end of the day it's ready to eat more carbohydrates. I've noticed that it seems best to eat the majority of your protein in the early hours and then have a little more carbohydrates later in the day, say from the fourth meal on.

Diana, glad to see you're doing well. Does this mean the 5-htp is working for you? I'm starting to look for new ideas for breakfast too. I've been playing around with homemade smoothies but they seem too heavy to me. Have you considered other grains besides oatmeal?

Hi,

thanks for the input. I think I will try more carbs later in the day and in very small amounts. That makes sense that your body stores more energy by the end of the day. That's why I feel better if I don't exercise first thing in the morning but wait until later.



Yes, I think the 5-htp has been working well. I seem to feel more satisfied with the food I eat and I think i've been eating less with more time in between. I've been sleeping great too. I was feeling so much better until the oatmeal just messed up everything! It doesn't pay to get overconfident. It was the long cooking, steel cut type with lots of fiber too. I think I might try 1/2 piece of whole wheat bread at dinner or maybe a small sweet potato. Any other suggestions?



I drink smoothies often, I use unsweetened soy milk, plain yogurt, berries of some type, and some whey protein powder. I usually drink one before I workout and it seems to carry me through.



Thanks again,
dj

Another good point, I never exercise until later in the evening too, usually no earlier than 7pm. I wouldn't try that much bread at once, perhaps, though it sounds pathetic, 1/4 a slice at most, waiting five days after trying it to see if anything happens.

Hi,

what carbs are best to add back to a diet for hypoglycemia? I know I need to start slowly and be careful of the amounts and check for reactions. I think that carbs with fiber are the best for you and go into your system more slowly.

Thanks,
dj

I think if you want to try carbohydrates, I myself believe brown rice would be best. I need to research it, but that was where I intended to begin. Buckwheat may be very good as well, you could try that too and eat very, very small amounts of it for, say, three of the last meals of the day. Then, be sure to wait five days to see if it does anything. If it did, step it back and try again and wait again. That way you can see how steadily to increase the intake. Those would be my first picks. Or maybe try some more fruit like an apple in small amounts.

Hypothesis: maybe it wasn't the carbs in the oatmeal, but rather the gluten? I am not officially gluten-intolerant, but I don't tolerate well anything with gluten, so maybe... Well, only an hypothesis! :wink:

Some people think that, and it's easy to test for if you want to check it out. Most hypoglycemics find though, that they test negative. I did. Oatmeal doesn't actually contain gluten, so if you eat organic you should be okay.

I read somewhere that buckwheat was ok for hypoglycemics but I can't remember where. Myabe my doctor mentioned it. I'm not sure. Ok, so I still have some problems with my short term memory! ;)

stan, what kind of test do you take for gluten-intolerance?

Supposedly the current one is not entirely accurate, so you can't really test for gluten sensitivity. Such a test is done through bloodwork and can be very expensive. The typical test is done through a gastrointestinologist, and they pretty much have you poop in a cup and look at it. There may have been some bloodwork too, but I had so many tests back then I can't remember.

Thanks for the info. I was more curious than anything else.

Btw, I got brewers yeast from twin labs. It has chromium, selenium and a bunch of other good things than I can't remember right now. I was torn between that and lewis labs brewers yeast. What kind do you use?

Hi,

i use lewis labs too and it tastes pretty good. I put it in smoothies sometimes and you get used to the taste.

Dj

Hi diana,

i was thinking putting it in smoothies would be a good idea. Summer in ny can be so brutal, eating something hot just doesn't appeal to me.

Lewis labs, me too.