Reactive hypoglycemia is not associated with diabetes, but rather with hormonal imbalances, and occurs most often in younger obese women. The South Beach Diet is an appropriate diet if you have reactive hypoglycemia, because it limits sugars and other simple carbohydrates, encourages healthy eating habits, allows for frequent meals and snacks, promotes weight loss and recommends regular exercise. Reaching your goal weight and stabilizing blood sugar will help prevent hypoglycemia.
Understanding Reactive Hypoglycemia
Reactive hypoglycemia is low blood sugar that occurs relatively soon after eating -- within two to three hours after a meal. It can be caused by a lack of the hormone glucagon, which helps regulate blood sugar, or an overproduction of insulin, which may be caused by a tumor in your pancreas. Symptoms and treatment of reactive hypoglycemia are the same as other forms of hypoglycemia -- hunger, headache, mood swings, lack of focus, anxiety, dizziness and fatigue. The only treatment is eating -- and the longer you wait to eat, the worse your symptoms will become.
Preventing Reactive Hypoglycemia
The best treatment for reactive hypoglycemia is prevention through dietary changes. Limit sugar and other simple carbohydrates that your body can quickly convert to glucose. The faster your glucose level rises, the more common it is to experience an equally fast drop in blood sugar. Minimizing glucose fluctuations is key for preventing reactive hypoglycemia. Eating smaller portions but eating more frequently will also help regulate glucose production. Because excess body fat interferes with insulin sensitivity, reaching and maintaining a healthy weight will help your body use glucose and insulin more effectively.
South Beach Diet
The South Beach Diet is a moderate-carb diet that limits sugar and other simple carbs while encouraging you to eat whole grains, vegetables, legumes and fruits -- all complex carbs that slow digestion and regulate glucose and insulin levels. The South Beach Diet emphasizes eating healthy carbs, lean proteins and healthy fats together, which will stabilize blood sugar and eliminate food cravings, making it easier to consume fewer calories and lose weight without being hungry or feeling deprived. The program allows for three meals and two snacks daily; eating every three hours will help prevent low blood sugar.
Slow Weight Loss
According to the Mayo Clinic, the South Beach Diet promotes healthy lifestyle changes that can be sustainable for long-term weight-loss. The South Beach Diet can provide slow and steady weight loss of 1 to 2 lbs. each week; the Mayo Clinic notes that people who lose weight at that slower pace tend to have more success keeping the weight off permanently. Rapid weight loss is often water weight or may include lean muscle mass. Losing muscle mass can slow your metabolism. Ideally you want to lose fat, not muscle mass.
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