hypoglycemia and veg diet

what legumes are helpful (low glycemic index) for hypoglycemia? now that we are eating mostly veg my symptoms are worse and I can't keep weight on. I snack on nuts all day long, eat the small, frequent meals with a variety of healthy foods, only have one cup of caff tea in the morning, but the symptoms are still annoying (shakiness, irritability, HUNGER, blurred vision, etc.) Any creative ideas? I don't have a lot of time to make tasty dips and things to always have around...make hummus once a week or so. Thanks!

[ShangriLewis]

Are you seeing a doctor for your condition? If you are having this high of symptoms than you might need to start checking your blood sugars during the day.

Are you sure you are eating enough? A lot of whole grains and veggies are really low in calories.

[PurpleButterfly]

Can you switch to decaf? It will make a BIG difference. You're really setting yourself up for the rest of the day with that caffeine surge. :/ I know because I have not had major issues with hypoglycemia since eliminating caffeine seven years ago. And I see what happens to my hypoglcymic dh when he has an occasional mocha frap from Starbucks. Not good, and even he is finally admitting it and only doing decaf drinks in moderation.

Caffeine in coffee elevates the stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) and norepinephrine.

Caffeine triggers hypoglycemia through the activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the adrenal glands, causing constriction of blood vessels, decreased circulation to the brain and a feeling of low blood sugar, even if the value is within the low range of normal. This adversely affects mental and physical performance.

Coffee drinking is associated with decreased absorption of magnesium resulting in lower blood levels of magnesium.32 Caffeine reduces the reabsroption of calcium and magnesium in the kindey, causing minerals to be excreted in the urine.33, 34 Magnesium is an essential mineral utilized in more than 300 enzymatic reactions and physiological processes including energy metabolism, effective utilization of glucose, hormonal balance and proper heart function.

Source

It sounds like you need maybe less nut snacking and more complex carbs - whole grain breads and cereals, dried beans and peas, and starchy vegetables such as potatoes, peas, squash, corn, etc., in between meals. Maybe once a week you could make a nice pot of soup with those ingredients, then just zip it out of the fridge to heat up with some whole grain crackers or bread for healthy snacking?

Protein is often over-emphasized in a vegetarian diet, but if you are not able to keep weight on, it sounds like you need overall more calories in your diet, and that may need to include more proteins at your meals (not snacks). Proteins will not stabilize your blood sugar the way complex carbs spread out thru the day will.

What kind of daily vita are you taking? Are you seeing a doctor or nutritionist?

THanks for the input, ladies! I will switch to decaf in the morning. Totally eliminating caff always will be next to impossible because of cultural norms in this country (we live in Asia) and there are times I can't refuse a cup of tea, depending on where we are.

I am not seeing a doctor or nutritionist because we live in a developing nation and I don't think docs here do that kind of thing...I ought to check more thoroughly. I haven't ever been officially diagnosed as hypolgycemic but have the s/s and then modifying my eating helps after I've forgotten.

Maybe I'm not eating enough but I feel like I'm eating all the time. Good ideas for the snacks. I make wholegrain bread, other than that it's hard to have 'healthy' whole grain anything (crackers, cereal, etc). because they're not sold here. In the States I did a lot of that and it also helped. I can get dried peas/beans and should try for more of those. The soup is a great idea.