In the words of Jimi Hendrix, hypoglycemia is a “frustrating disaster,” to say the least; and those of you who suffer from the condition know it very well. People with this condition can experience a wide variety of extremely uncomfortable and sometimes even dangerous symptoms, including fatigue, nervousness, irritability, sugar cravings, rapid heart rate, and more. It’s basically a vicious circle. So how do you overcome this annoying condition? What can a person do to return to a normal life?
what is happening in your body
Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar, as you probably know. A person can become hypoglycemic by one not eating or two eating simple carbohydrates or sugar-laden foods, reactive hypoglycemia.
With fasting hypoglycemia, your blood sugar simply drops basically from not eating. With reactive hypoglycemia, blood sugar levels drop dramatically due to excessive insulin production after about 1 to 2 hours of consuming a carbohydrate-rich meal. So with reactive, your body responds to a high carb load with a surge of insulin, which is not a good thing.
I myself have suffered from reactive hypoglycemia and the symptoms are terrible. I have experienced tremors, anxiety, panic attacks, rapid heart rate, fatigue and the list goes on. Nothing funny about these things!
Treatment and Prevention
So how do you treat or prevent this crazy and frustrating condition? Well, you want to eat foods that are low on the glycemic index. This means foods that do not instantly raise blood sugar levels. These are foods that break down slowly in the body. Foods like oatmeal, sweet potatoes, peanut butter, vegetables, whole grains, beef, chicken, fish, nuts, and berries. Also, make sure you eat every two and a half to three hours and always know where your next meal is coming from. Do not skip meals as the key to beating this condition in both ways is to keep the body’s blood sugar levels stable. This means no dips or spikes.
The miracle of chia seeds
An amazing supplement and superfood that has basically cured my hypoglycemic episodes is chia seeds. Chia seeds are simply amazing when it comes to nutrients and what they can do for your body. They are packed with antioxidants, omega 3s, fiber, protein and the list goes on. Additionally, chia seeds have been shown to slow down the breakdown of carbohydrates in the body by preventing them from turning into simple sugars too quickly. A teaspoon of chia seeds can also sustain a person for up to 24 hours. These are the reasons why they are so good at helping control blood sugar.
What to do next!
So what are the next steps to get this frustrating condition under control? Well sit down and take a look at your diet and what you eat on a daily basis, are you eating often enough? What are you eating? Write yourself a list of foods to get at the supermarket, foods like the ones I mentioned above. Remember, high protein, complex carbohydrates and in this case a little fat won’t hurt as it slows down the absorption of carbohydrates in the body. Immediately eliminate simple sugars, white breads, refined carbohydrates, and processed foods from your diet. It may seem hard to do, but your body will adapt.
