If you suffer from low-blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, you may experience sudden hunger, headaches, dizziness confusion or anxiety. When blood glucose levels drop, your body tries to release stored glucose for energy. Certain illnesses such as diabetes, liver or kidney disease and hormonal imbalances can interfere with this process. Diabetes is the most common cause of hypoglycemia and can be treated with dietary changes. However, if your condition is caused by another illness, you'll need to treat the underlying cause to stop your low blood sugar episodes.
Eating and Hypoglycemia
Skipping meals, burning more calories than normal through physical activity, or taking excess diabetes medication are all common causes of hypoglycemia in diabetics. Prevent hypoglycemia by eating on a regular schedule, about every four hours. Take the proper amount of medication and monitor your glucose levels carefully if you'll be exercising more vigorously than usual. If your blood sugar drops below 70 mg/dL, eat 15 g of simple carbohydrates -- sugar that your body can easily convert to glucose. Try 4-oz. of juice or 1 tbsp. of table sugar or honey. Test your glucose level again 15 minutes later; if it's still too low, eat another 15 g of sugar.
Breakfast
Eating breakfast is important -- overnight is the longest period your body goes without eating and blood sugar is often lowest soon after waking. Avoid sugary cereals and juice, which can cause a sudden rise -- and equally sudden drop in blood sugar a short while later. Instead choose whole grain, high-fiber carbohydrates such as oatmeal, multi-grain bread or muesli cereal. Include a protein source. Eggs, yogurt and lean meats, such as turkey bacon, help slow digestion and stabilize glucose levels. If you don't have much of an appetite in the morning, a piece of fruit and a handful of almonds or a protein smoothie will help prevent hypoglycemia mid-morning.
Lunch
If lunch is more than five hours after breakfast, have a mid-morning snack to help keep blood sugar stable. Carrots with hummus and celery with peanut butter are healthy any-time snacks. Try a turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread, a salad with legumes, cheese or meat, or a small hamburger -- just skip the starchy french fries and have a side salad instead. Sugar-free beverages won't affect your blood sugar, but watch out for high-calorie coffee beverages and sodas that can spike your blood sugar.
Dinner
A snack between 3:00 and 4:00 pm can help prevent overeating at dinner. Prevent hypoglycemia by eating often, but not overeating. At dinner, use the American Diabetes Association's "plate method" -- divide your plate into four quarters. Fill two quarters of your plate with vegetables, one quarter with lean protein and one quarter with a carbohydrate. Pay attention to portion sizes; one serving of a baked potato is about the size of a computer mouse and one serving of rice or pasta is no more than a 1/2 cup. You may need a snack before bed to avoid nighttime hypoglycemia, which can cause restless sleeping and nightmares.
