Hypoglycemia + Elimination Diet = ?

[Sweetfudge]

so, seriously thinking about putting myself and DH on an elimination diet. sounds so not fun, but tired of us both being sick, and want to figure out what's making us so. i have severe hypoglycemia. would this make it more difficult?

[Juliebove]

Why don't you just get a RAST test done? One simple blood draw, and in a few days you'll know what your allergens are.

[Sweetfudge]

i did a skin prick test a couple months ago, they tested the main food allergens and candida. came back moderately reacting to wheat and dairy. don't know what the rast is, but i don't have insurance at the moment. plus, wanted to do something for both me and my husband, and he's too stubborn to go to the dr about his intestinal distress. maybe i will though, less painful

[marciab]

As long as you eat protein every few hours, I think you'll be ok. I'm hypogylcemic and have to eat real meat (Beef roast, steak, salmon, tuna, scallops, pork roast, chicken, etc ) every 3 hours or else I crash. Beans and other protein sources just don't cut it for me, but that might be enough protein for you.

[Sweetfudge]

As long as you eat protein every few hours, I think you'll be ok. I'm hypogylcemic and have to eat real meat (Beef roast, steak, salmon, tuna, scallops, pork roast, chicken, etc ) every 3 hours or else I crash. Beans and other protein sources just don't cut it for me, but that might be enough protein for you.

i wonder if that might be part of my problem. do eggs work for you as far as "real meat"? just trying to think of what would be handy while on the job. i'm gonna start trying this whether i do the diet or not thanks!

[marciab]

I can't digest eggs, but they have 6 grams of protein in them, so it might work for you. From what I read our bodies utilize meat protein best though. Do you eat luncheon meats ? I don't, but I understand Boar's Head and Deitz and Watson (Sp?) are gluten-free. You'll need to verify that before you buy it though ... You know how tricky this diet can be ...

I'd have to snack on real meat at work too. Raw nuts will hold me for about an hour, but that's it. Cooked nuts tear me up ...

Good luck with the diet. Marcia

PS I finally figured out cooking a large quantity of meat all at once and freezing the leftovers is the easiest way to keep ready to eat meat in the house. Duh !!!

[Rachel--24]

so, seriously thinking about putting myself and DH on an elimination diet. sounds so not fun, but tired of us both being sick, and want to figure out what's making us so.

You are both having these symptoms/food intolerances?? Is it possible that you are exposed to mold in your home??

If mold were an issue it can weaken the immune system thus making you susceptible to these types of problems. I know of many people who have suffered from this.

[Sweetfudge]

PS I finally figured out cooking a large quantity of meat all at once and freezing the leftovers is the easiest way to keep ready to eat meat in the house. Duh !!!

yes, this is a great help especially after working 10 hours, and coming home to an empty fridge...what's for dinner??

You are both having these symptoms/food intolerances?? Is it possible that you are exposed to mold in your home??

If mold were an issue it can weaken the immune system thus making you susceptible to these types of problems. I know of many people who have suffered from this.

hm, i have no idea, definitely possible though! what would i need to do to find out?!

what else in my house could be causing this maybe?

[Yellow Rose]

There is new evidence that 1/2 a tsp. of cinnamon taken in the morning will stabalize your blood sugar. My DH takes it with applesauce and he is doing so well. It took about a week before he started noticing the results. We found capsules last weekend at Wal-Mart and he is now using those instead. His only complaint about the capsules is he sometimes is burping up a cinnamon taste and didn't do that when he was taking it with applesauce.

Yellow Rose

[Sweetfudge]

still trying to convince myself to do this thing, and wondered how strict i have to be on the diet. the website i've been reading (dietnet) says that i can only eat the following foods:

cod, trout, mackerel, pears, parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, yams, celery, zucchini, carrots and peaches

are all elimination diets the same? i'm just worried, because for me, i don't know how to cook a lot of these foods, and for my husband, he hates fish...

another concern i have is the withdrawal period. don't really want to go through that!

Oh, yellow rose - i'm going to have to try that cinnamon!

[tarnalberry]

elimination diets seem to be different; mine allowed pork, and olive oil, no fish.

frankly, the hypoglycemia issue was the hardest thing for me, and I think it's because I didn't plan meals sufficiently - all my meals and snacks. I think it can be done, but plan it carefully, and be willing to stop if you have to.

[Sweetfudge]

elimination diets seem to be different; mine allowed pork, and olive oil, no fish.

frankly, the hypoglycemia issue was the hardest thing for me, and I think it's because I didn't plan meals sufficiently - all my meals and snacks. I think it can be done, but plan it carefully, and be willing to stop if you have to.

yeah, i'm rather nervous about that, since i have a hard time keeping my hypoglycemia under control right now what is a good site you would recommend for me to do this?

[Sweetfudge]

K was reading another website (drcranton.com) that gave this as a list of ok foods:

-Meat: Lamb, wild game (except buffalo, I believe), deep-water ocean fish (orange roughy, halibut, tuna, salmon), turkey, crab, lobster, oysters, deer, rabbit, duck, goose, clams, pheasant, frog legs, quail, scallops, cornish game hen, sardines in olive oil

-Veggies: All OK [except corn, white potato (sweet potato = OK), tomato, onions, all legumes]

Sweet potato, yam, cabbage, carrot, okra, radish, greens(beet, mustard, spiish, collards, etc), cucumber, eggplant, brussel sprouts, kale, avocado, broccoli, parsnips, green pepper (no hot peppers), rutabaga, leek, turnip, garlic, ginger.

-Fruits: All OK except apple & citrus (lemon and lime can be used for flavor).

-Nuts: Hazelnut, almonds, pecans. No peanuts(= legumes)

-Oils: Safflower, Sunflower, flaxseed, sesame, extra virgin olive oil.

-Condiments: Honey in small amounts, Stevia extract, cilantro, almond butter, sesame butter(tahini).

Does this sound right? Feels a little bit more varied, and a little less restrictive.

[truthsearcher]

Just fyi, I did this elimination diet a couple years back, it really helped out a lot.

It does require you to buy the Mediclear product, but if you decide not to buy the product this site Open Original Shared Link gives you ideas what to eat.

I think it was something like 3 weeks.I was on it.

Just wanted to give you some more ideas and I'm not endorsing it in any way, it's just fyi.

hth

[Clark Bent as Stupor-Man]

As long as you eat protein every few hours, I think you'll be ok. I'm hypogylcemic and have to eat real meat (Beef roast, steak, salmon, tuna, scallops, pork roast, chicken, etc ) every 3 hours or else I crash. Beans and other protein sources just don't cut it for me, but that might be enough protein for you.

I'm actually the exact same way, down to cashews being able to hold me for maybe an hour extra... oh, and I guess it's more like eating every 2 hours for me, at least throughout the day... I can go longer in between eating meals at night

as for something that you might find beneficial in terms of coping with your hypo and not having to cook, I can eat turkey kielbasa from Welshire as a meal in the late afternoon and evenings and it keeps my bs at bay as long as any other meat meals I would have cooked instead... the kielbasa is gluten-free/sf/df, is pre-cooked, and is carried at WF (they have pork kielbasa as well as other meat products)... very convenient for me as it's the only thing I currently eat as a meal that I don't have to cook

[aprilh]

I used to have hypoglycemia really bad. After treating candida yeast i found it to be almost cured. Also, i have read that hypoglycemia can be a sign of liver dysfunction. www.liverdoctor.com

Yeast, toxins, lyme, mold, food allergies, ect all put a burden on the liver so it makes sense.

When I did have it I had to have protein at every meal. I found I did better on higher fat meats like chicken thighs vs chicken breasts. Also, I would only eat low glycemic veggies like zucchini instead of squash, asparagus, ect. Sugar will definately cause an imbalance so its best to avoid it.

I had to snack on nuts like almonds and walnuts in between meals. I think the best advice i got was from reading dr. sandra cabot's books (www.liverdoctor.com) and started supporting the liver. That plus taking control of my very bad yeast problem. I hardly ever get it anymore! And I had it for years!

I now think my exposure to mold and IV abx during delivery of both my children spiraled my yeast into a systemic condition.

[tarnalberry]

K was reading another website (drcranton.com) that gave this as a list of ok foods:

-Meat: Lamb, wild game (except buffalo, I believe), deep-water ocean fish (orange roughy, halibut, tuna, salmon), turkey, crab, lobster, oysters, deer, rabbit, duck, goose, clams, pheasant, frog legs, quail, scallops, cornish game hen, sardines in olive oil

-Veggies: All OK [except corn, white potato (sweet potato = OK), tomato, onions, all legumes]

Sweet potato, yam, cabbage, carrot, okra, radish, greens(beet, mustard, spiish, collards, etc), cucumber, eggplant, brussel sprouts, kale, avocado, broccoli, parsnips, green pepper (no hot peppers), rutabaga, leek, turnip, garlic, ginger.

-Fruits: All OK except apple & citrus (lemon and lime can be used for flavor).

-Nuts: Hazelnut, almonds, pecans. No peanuts(= legumes)

-Oils: Safflower, Sunflower, flaxseed, sesame, extra virgin olive oil.

-Condiments: Honey in small amounts, Stevia extract, cilantro, almond butter, sesame butter(tahini).

Does this sound right? Feels a little bit more varied, and a little less restrictive.

I would take that list, and take out things that we know people are reactive to - both from experience here, and the top eight allergens. so, that means taking out at least the fish, the shellfish, the green pepper (nightshades), the leek and garlic (same family as onions), all citrus, a few other fruits many people react to (strawberries, bananas, and pineapple), the nuts, and the nut butter.

Seriously, I'm shocked that they left three of the top eight allergens in there...

I think you'll be fine as long as you go in with something approaching a meal plan, so you know how you're going to balance your meals, and what you're going to do for snacks, and plan to have leftovers around if you get hungry. (Not doing that made it mentally challenging for me as well.) Preparation is the key, after that, just be willing to put up with some monotany.

[Sweetfudge]

Yeah, I've been reading about this diet all night and morning. Looking back on this list, it is a lot more generous than most. I definitely need to map out a plan, otherwise I'll be so lost and frustrated.

Do you think I should work with a doctor on this? We just got insurance, and my PCP just retired, not a huge fan of my gastro...thinking about seeing an allergist or even a new gastro. Who would be best to work through this diet with? Also wasn't impressed with the nutritionist my gastro sent me to. She handed me a stack of papers from celiac.com, which I had already read when I first got my diagnosis. I answered more of her questions than she did mine. It was really embarrassing.

Do I need to do this diet w/ a doctor? I'm having a hard time committing to trust someone to tell me how to do this, as I've read about so many variations of the diet online in the last 12 hours.

Another question. When I'm going through the withdrawals, what's the best thing to help me through that? I have read herbal teas (but thought I was cutting out all herbs), alka seltzer gold, phenergan, red bull...what's good to use for coping, what's ok to use as far as gluten-free?

[Sweetfudge]

Oh, another thing suggested to do is to take magnesium citrate the night before starting the diet.

Wait two hours after dinner and pour one-half of the contents of the bottle of magnesium citrate into a tall glass. Add an equal amount of water and some ice and drink slowly. Repeat the same procedure with the remainder of the magnesium citrate just prior to retiring.

What would this do?

(Open Original Shared Link)

Also, would you recommend getting off all my supplements? Right now I am taking:

Peppermint/Ginger

Vitamin C

Calcium/Magnesium

Flax Seed Oil

Probiotics

I'm also on birth control, but all the places I've read say to keep taking prescriptions.

Sorry for all the questions - trying to sort through everything in my mind!!

[tarnalberry]

Do you think I should work with a doctor on this?

Another question. When I'm going through the withdrawals, what's the best thing to help me through that?

I am skeptical that you'd find a doctor who'd work with you through a thorough elimination diet, without a whole heck of a lot of searching. There are probably some out there, but they always focus on "this is too hard for patients" by considering the average patient, not you in particular, and you may get less than *YOU* want.

Oh, another thing suggested to do is to take magnesium citrate the night before starting the diet.

What would this do?

Also, would you recommend getting off all my supplements? Right now I am taking:

Peppermint/Ginger, Vitamin C, Calcium/Magnesium, Flax Seed Oil, Probiotics

I'm also on birth control, but all the places I've read say to keep taking prescriptions.

Sorry for all the questions - trying to sort through everything in my mind!!

I suspect the magnesium citrate is to help encourage a bout of diahreah(sp?) to flush out your system, but that's only a guess on my part.

That's an interesting question on the supplements. Are you *CERTAIN* that they are not contributing to any symptoms? I might consider challenging them as well - take them out, and add them back in one at a time, a separate week for each one, and see how you respond. If, however, you already know from experience adding them in, that you do significantly *better* on particular ones, then I probably wouldn't bother eliminating them, and consider them already 'tested'.

As for the BCP... I'm biased. I'm of the opinion that those things are misrepresented in the medical community. Hormones have significant effect on the human body in many different systems, and doctors tend to write it off. It's documented, and if you ask them specifically, they'll say "yeah, it *can* do that, but it's not all that common". BS. It's not common because patients don't report it or aren't believed when they say it's connected to the BCP. There are plenty of hormone receptors in the digestive system to go screwy on you - primarily due to the synthetic progesterone, but also due to a decrease in testosterone that is not at all uncommon when taking BCP (Open Original Shared Link).

The problem with going off the BCP is that it takes your system a long time to normalize. Decreased testosterone lasts for at least a year (they didn't study it longer than that), though it looks like the effects of the progesterone wear off faster for most women. So, you could go off the pill for the elimination test, but not know for two or three months if it's making a difference. I would, but I'm biased, having a lot of motivation to do so (gynecological pain condition) and finding out I did a lot better not being on the pill. So, take my advice with a grain of salt.

[Sweetfudge]

My husband's coworker recently tried an elimination diet, and said he worked with a doctor who helped him through it. Recommended I see him for this. Guess the guy supports doing the diet, so that's probably better than most doc's out there, right?

Do you think the magnesium citrate is good, or would it cause more problems? My BM's are pretty random, although it probably fits a dietary pattern. Sometimes it's C, sometimes D. All I know is when I get glutened, I have both, and some sort of anal irritation that drives me nuts for about a week.

Most of my supplements I've called on. The only things I'm not positive about are the BCP and the peppermint/ginger. No alarming ingredients, but don't think I ever tried calling about them.

I'm just taking the pill to keep from getting pregnant, nothing to help w/ horomones. But I do wonder. I got sick probably about 3 years ago, and started taking BCP 4 years ago. My husband wonders if maybe that has a part to play in my being ill, or my depression, or (he's convinced of this one) my weight gain/decreased libido. I tried 2 months without it a few months back, but both DH and I were petrified I would get pregnant. So I'm back on it. Who should I talk to about whether the BCP has anything to do with my digestive issues?

[tarnalberry]

My husband's coworker recently tried an elimination diet, and said he worked with a doctor who helped him through it. Recommended I see him for this. Guess the guy supports doing the diet, so that's probably better than most doc's out there, right?

Do you think the magnesium citrate is good, or would it cause more problems? My BM's are pretty random, although it probably fits a dietary pattern. Sometimes it's C, sometimes D. All I know is when I get glutened, I have both, and some sort of anal irritation that drives me nuts for about a week.

Most of my supplements I've called on. The only things I'm not positive about are the BCP and the peppermint/ginger. No alarming ingredients, but don't think I ever tried calling about them.

I'm just taking the pill to keep from getting pregnant, nothing to help w/ horomones. But I do wonder. I got sick probably about 3 years ago, and started taking BCP 4 years ago. My husband wonders if maybe that has a part to play in my being ill, or my depression, or (he's convinced of this one) my weight gain/decreased libido. I tried 2 months without it a few months back, but both DH and I were petrified I would get pregnant. So I'm back on it. Who should I talk to about whether the BCP has anything to do with my digestive issues?

Hey, if this doc will help you with it, then it sounds like it might be worth it! There's a lucky break!

As for the supplements, I didn't mean whether or not they had gluten, but whether or not your system liked the actual supplement itself.

As for the BCP... well... you've just listed a couple of the reasons I went off it. 2 months probably wouldn't be long enough to find out if you were going to do better on it, and I'd highly suggest getting a testosterone test - particularly free testosterone. Did you check out that article? That scared the crap out of me, and I don't think doctors take it seriously! Still significantly low testosterone levels a YEAR after coming off the pill? That's just dandy? PFFT!! (ok, ok... off the soap box... thud!)

I don't know that you can really find out if the pill is bothering you digestively without trying to come off it for a number of months, but if you're stressed out about getting pregnant, that could give you problems too. I think you know there are a number of us on the board who use FAM (fertility awareness method), which can be very effective. (My husband and I use condoms as a backup method, particularly during the whole first half of my cycle, as I am skittish about knowing when I start to become fertile. I think I'm reading the signs just fine, but I, too, really don't want to have kids right now.) It's something to consider.

[Sweetfudge]

I'll have to test out my supplements.

Yeah, I read that article, and showed it to my husband. Freaked me out. We talked about it, thinking about the options. Parts of our relationship have been strained, and I'm wondering if being on BCP has had something to do with it. What's a good site/book/etc to learn more about FAM? Definitely worth looking into IMO.

[SGRhapsodos]

I noticed I had episodes of brain fog, slurred speech, weakness and fatigue after meals, especially with rice and carbs after going gluten-free. I even had reactions to sweetened yogurt. The one way I stopped feeling this way was to eliminate all processed sugars, alcohol, boxed cereal, etc. I now eat more protein and things like sweet potatoes, quinoa, and beans to get me through a day. Also, most of my carbs come from fruits which I eat with cashews and pumpkin seeds every morning.