Can't Control Hypoglycemia And Celiac Together? Help :o(

[Melissaann829]

I was diagnosed with Celiac on 9 September 2010. I've had Hypoglycemia (as a result of Pancreatitis) about 6 years ago. I'm strictly following the Hypoglycemia/Celiac Diet yet my body is still going crazy. I can't seem to control my blood sugar at all and I dont know why?? My body is up and down, hormonal, and on a psychological rollercoaster these days for some reason. What am I doing wrong? Any diet ideas? Personal stories? Insomnia has kicked in because my sugar levels are not balanced. Melissa

[bigbird16]

Hi, Melissa.

How are you eating now? What is your diet like? That can help us with ideas for you, too. Every body is different, but for me, dropping almost all refined carbs (with the very occasional gluten-free cookie, piece of gluten-free cake, or slice of gluten-free bread), reducing other grains and startches (rice, potatoes, tapioca, etc.), getting most of my carbs from veggies, and increasing my protein intake helped a lot with maintaining a steady blood sugar, increasing my energy, and elevating my mood. I've never been much of a fruit person (makes me feel sick) but I eat blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries for treats sometimes. Never been much of a veggie person, either, but I sure do love me a lot of broccoli and fresh brussel sprouts!

Cheers,

K

[missy'smom]

I'll second what the previous poster said. I also use a very low carb diet to manage my blood sugar. I have diabetes but don't have insulin resistance and can go both high and low. Lots of protein from meat and carbs from veg. and a certain amount of fat keep me nice and stable. Everyone's different, but I also abstain from starchy veg., all grains, and fruit, although some who follow the particular diet I do include small amounts of berries. I snack on nuts and my treat is a very dark chocolate, sometimes dipped in a nut butter or coconut oil. A paleo diet works for some. Here is a good resource for recipes Open Original Shared Link

[Melissaann829]

Thanks guys. Well, because my stomach started off so fragile at first my dietician recommended I stick to white rice and potatoes to ease my digestive track. Umm.. not to question her advice, but white rice made me feel like a yo-yo about 2 hours after eating it. I have switched to brown rice (as of yesterday) but found it wasn't digesting that great - I wake up and drink a glass of carrot juice. Is that bad? Then I'm eating egg whites and a few apple slices for breakfast. Shakey feeling follows. I dont know if i should eat more chicken? More cheese? Something fatty and pray it digest ok? I'm constantly eating blan, boring chicken and ground turkey for dinner because I'm still inflammed from the whole process. It took 10 years to diagnose my Celiac Disease so I'm a little messed up right now. Any ides would be so much appreciated. I've read your blogs. Do you think i should cut out brown rice then too?

[Melissaann829]

I'll second what the previous poster said. I also use a very low carb diet to manage my blood sugar. I have diabetes but don't have insulin resistance and can go both high and low. Lots of protein from meat and carbs from veg. and a certain amount of fat keep me nice and stable. Everyone's different, but I also abstain from starchy veg., all grains, and fruit, although some who follow the particular diet I do include small amounts of berries. I snack on nuts and my treat is a very dark chocolate, sometimes dipped in a nut butter or coconut oil. A paleo diet works for some. Here is a good resource for recipes Open Original Shared Link

[Melissaann829]

"Missy's Mom" - that made me smile. I go by "missy" and My mom - Janice - we always hear people in our family saying ... "... Missy's Mom". Cute.

[cassP]

Thanks guys. Well, because my stomach started off so fragile at first my dietician recommended I stick to white rice and potatoes to ease my digestive track. Umm.. not to question her advice, but white rice made me feel like a yo-yo about 2 hours after eating it. I have switched to brown rice (as of yesterday) but found it wasn't digesting that great - I wake up and drink a glass of carrot juice. Is that bad? Then I'm eating egg whites and a few apple slices for breakfast. Shakey feeling follows. I dont know if i should eat more chicken? More cheese? Something fatty and pray it digest ok? I'm constantly eating blan, boring chicken and ground turkey for dinner because I'm still inflammed from the whole process. It took 10 years to diagnose my Celiac Disease so I'm a little messed up right now. Any ides would be so much appreciated. I've read your blogs. Do you think i should cut out brown rice then too?

ya, for me- eating a paleo type diet balanced my bloodsugar. i do best with small portions of meat,fat,& veggies for every meal. even if i was to drink a glass of carrot juice- i would want to follow it with some nuts or meat or something- i rarely just do sugar by itself - even healthy stuff like carrot juice - that's just too much sugar, can send u on a roller coaster

i dont know what your body is like, and if it even does well on meat- but that is what works for me- and small portions & not over cooked. ALSO, i try not to eat a piece of meat by itself- i try to balance that with veggies & fat.

for example- a SMALL omelette of eggs & broccoli & butter will be fine in my stomach... but just 2 scrambled eggs might give me a stomach ache.

another example: i just had gluten free cereal for breakfast- and i added walnuts & pecans to give me a little fat & substance... because JUST a high carb breakfast may give me a DROP in blood sugar before lunch.

also- if you're into rice, i read that basmati has the least glycemic effect

you may want to take some digestive enzymes & bromelain with your meals containing meats & fats to help u with the digestion

[tarnalberry]

you may want to start keeping track of what you're eating and it's carb content. white rice and potatoes are going to leave most hypoglycemics feeling like crap. balancing protein, fat, and carbs at every single meal is important. (even snacks.) while I do best with something around about 25%protein, 25%fat, 50%carbs, the ratio that works best varies for everyone.

[Takala]

Thanks guys. Well, because my stomach started off so fragile at first my dietician recommended I stick to white rice and potatoes to ease my digestive track. Umm.. not to question her advice, but white rice made me feel like a yo-yo about 2 hours after eating it. I have switched to brown rice (as of yesterday) but found it wasn't digesting that great - I wake up and drink a glass of carrot juice. Is that bad? Then I'm eating egg whites and a few apple slices for breakfast. Shakey feeling follows. I dont know if i should eat more chicken? More cheese? Something fatty and pray it digest ok? I'm constantly eating blan, boring chicken and ground turkey for dinner because I'm still inflammed from the whole process. It took 10 years to diagnose my Celiac Disease so I'm a little messed up right now. Any ides would be so much appreciated. I've read your blogs. Do you think i should cut out brown rice then too?

_____________

Oh, for the love of ***** . "dieticians." should take the white rice and potatoes and .... nevermind.

You need to become a high fat and protein nibbler, but currently you may not be able to handle fats well for a little bit. How are you with the cheese, okay ? If not okay, that ability to eat cheese may come back later or you also may react to the dairy cow proteins, it varies. Fage yogurt is good if you can handle yogurts. Watch out for some yogurts with added milk powder which may not have had all the lactose aged out of it.

Carrot juice is very high sugar. WAY high. That will spike you. Followed by egg whites and apple slices. So that's a lot of fructose, a little protein, and no fat. No wonder you're shaky.

You have to eat small meals of proteins throughout the day, which you already know. But add in some fats. Don't be afraid to eat any thing at any time of day. Some fats that work are olive oil, nuts, peanut butter, coconut milk, coconut oil, avocado. Celiacs and gluten intolerants may be more susceptible to carbohydrate intolerance and even if we get to where we can eat lots of different gluten free foods, we may not be able to scarf down a lot of white , unrefined carbohydrates. This means we replace them with unrefined carbohydrates, vegetables, and fats. If we do eat a bit of white stuff, be sure it isn't the only thing or your blood sugar will go up fast and then fall down hard.

Watch out for those sugars! You may need to use mostly artificial ones, or stevia, or agave or honey which release sugar in to the blood stream more slowly.

If you use a gluten-free milk substitute, watch out for sweetened rice milks. That over a bowl of gluten-free cereal can practically render one comatose.

Unsweetened yogurts can be thinned with water to be used with a carbohydrate, or there are unsweetened nut milks if you look.

Vegetables. So you don't want to eat a vegetable for breakfast. You also need the fiber. Try canned mashed pumpkin heated up with some coconut milk and sweetener. Or some canned, well rinsed beans seasoned with some nice gluten free apple cider vinegar, cumin, and chipotle tabasco. Like I said, think outside the time of day and go for what your body does best on. Beans over a fried or hard boiled egg with some lettuce and cheese might be strange, but it may even you out for breakfast.

Cucumbers and snap pea pods also can make a tasty breakfast or mid morning snack vegetable.

Other breakfasts I have done are apples, nuts, and a little cheese or a hard boiled egg. Always use some coconut milk for the fat, you can use it in tea or coffee or hot cocoa even (gluten free milk substitute, coconut milk, cocoa powder, artificial sweetener - won't spike your blood sugar).

Cooked fish and leftover asparagus also works for breakfast. If you can do soy, you can mix gluten-free mayo and mustard together for a tasty sauce. You can take thin slices of fresh ginger root, and some sweetener, and season it, too. (as you can tell, I am not wedded to the idea of "cereal is breakfast" )

High protein snacks can be gluten free turkey (hormel, buddig), eggs, nuts, meat servings you've cooked in advance like chicken thighs or meatballs, jerky if you can find or make some gluten free, cheese, tuna, salmon, peanut butter.

Peanut butter is excellent if you can handle it. A big spoonful is an easy high protein and fat snack. There is also sunflower seed butter and almond butter.

Lara bars also have some flavors made with dates and peanuts.

If you eat a bit of rice, balance it with something that is high fiber and protein, like beans or lentils or tuna or meat or gluten-free yogurt.

[missy'smom]

_____________

Oh, for the love of ***** . "dieticians." should take the white rice and potatoes and .... nevermind.

You need to become a high fat and protein nibbler, but currently you may not be able to handle fats well for a little bit.

Carrot juice is very high sugar. WAY high.

You have to eat small meals of proteins throughout the day, which you already know. But add in some fats. Don't be afraid to eat any thing at any time of day. Some fats that work are olive oil, nuts, peanut butter, coconut milk, coconut oil, avocado.

Watch out for those sugars! You may need to use mostly artificial ones, or stevia...

If you use a gluten-free milk substitute, watch out for sweetened rice milks. That over a bowl of gluten-free cereal can practically render one comatose.

...there are unsweetened nut milks if you look.

Vegetables. So you don't want to eat a vegetable for breakfast. You also need the fiber. Try canned mashed pumpkin heated up with some coconut milk and sweetener.

Cooked fish and leftover asparagus also works for breakfast.

Peanut butter is excellent if you can handle it. A big spoonful is an easy high protein and fat snack. There is also sunflower seed butter and almond butter.

YUP! and I eat those things too to the above.

I have broiled salmon or leftover roasted chicken and veg. like broccoli or califlower for breakfast sometimes.

The dates in the Larabars send my BG too high, but everyone's different.

As for rices, I did some experiments with my meter and found that despite what I will share, in the end, after time, I was down to ridiculously small portions and they all were too much for my BG so out they went. That being said, generally the longer the grain and browner the rice, the less impact on BG. What you have to watch for is that the brown, wild rices and even some other grains like quinoa can cause a raise in BG at hour 3 or 4 after the meal, even if BG goes down at hr. 2. That is because they are slowly digested. So, if you really want to know how they impact your BG, it would be a good idea to test each hour after consuming them, for several hours.

It took me a good while to get up to the amount of protein and fats that I consume now. But, setting goals and consistancy over time paid off.

Many of us had celiac disease/gluten issues for 10 years before we went gluten-free so we know it takes time to heal but they do and it does get better.

[gfForLife]

If you're experiencing hypoglycemia the absolute worst things you could eat are grains, white potatoes, fruit, or juice of any kind, especially without eating fat and protein at the same time to help balance it. Everyones advice here is right on. More protein, more healthy fats. Cut way back or eliminate grain and sugar carbs and eat squash, sweet potatoes, vegetables, and legumes for carbs but still always eat these with fat and protein. Digestive enzymes may be helpful if more fat and protein are hard to digest.

I don't know if anyone has told you that hypoglycemia can be a precursor to diabetes. It means you're overproducing insulin to compensate for the amount of carbs. After a while of doing this you'll become insulin resistant and you're body won't be able to keep producing so much. Both of those things will lead to diabetes. You have a chance to stop it before it happens by eating a lower carb diet though and balancing your hormones. I wish someone had told me all this when I use to experience hypoglycemia but now I'm prediabetic with other hormonal problems to go with it. I'm still working to reverse it with some success by eating low carb and exercising but i sure wish I knew sooner! Good luck!

[gfForLife]

Just to add if you're still feeling inflammation of your digestive tract some of the best things you can eat for that are also low carb. Fish, especially salmon is very anti-inflammatory and I find it easier to digest than other meats. I often eat salmon for breakfast with a few olives. Spinach and other leafy greens are anti-inflammatory. RICE, white or brown is a very inflammatory food so it hurts you on that front too What was your dietician thinking!?

[cassP]

Missy's mom: what is "BG" ??? & - i cant do the Lara Bars because of the fructose- they kill me

Original poster- ya, really- what is your dietician thinking?? was she understanding that your issue was Hypoglycemia??? i would prescribe someone who's nauseaus to eat those plain foods... but those complex carbs are not gonna help you with blood sugar

OY... good luck

ps- in addition to all these great suggestions above- you should always carry something with you like almonds

[missy'smom]

BG stands for blood glucose aka blood sugar.

One more thing to think about with the rice is that if you are getting a rise at say, hour 4, but you eat someting at hr 3, then you may be doubling up your BG at hour 4 because you are still getting that rise from the rice/whole grain plus the peak rise from what you just ate an hour ago. Make sense? It helps to know these things in order to plan meal portions and spacing. The best way to figure out if that is a problem for you is to test.

[Melissaann829]

Wow. I am so glad I found this site and have such great people to talk to about this. I can't thank you all enough. Last night I had baked chicken with parsley, a few bites of potatoes and a lot of green beans and broccoli and I was able to actually sleep a full night for once. I didn't feel mentally "shakey" and crazy like previous nights since following my dietician's recommendations. She told me i should be eating a "CUP" of rice with each main meal because I needed the carbs.. but i looked at the back of the box and thats a TON OF CARBS to woof down at once. I'd hit a high and feel energetic and then start crashing hard and feeling anxiety, the shakes, inability to think, etc. Its been a terrible rollercoaster and I paid $100 for that visit. This morning i had a half a gluten-free raisin/pecan bread with peanut butter and walnuts. So far, I feel ok. Thank you all. I love the snack ideas. How about apple slices with peanut butter? I assume that would be alright too?

[cassP]

ya, as long as apples dont bother u... or celery with almond butter... or apples & cheese... keep combining the fats & proteins with your snacks

[missy'smom]

Yay for better sleep! Good for you for being so active in taking care of your health!

If you try the apples and PB and they don't seem to work as well as you'd like, try adding some meat or hard boiled egg and see if that makes a differerence. Both meat and fat slow digestion and slow the release of glucose into your system. Maybe some deli meat but check the labels for carb and sugars. I go for 0 or <1g. carb or sugar per serving and stick with one serving. At some point, 0+0=1

[gfForLife]

How about apple slices with peanut butter? I assume that would be alright too?

It really depends on you. I know I can only eat about half an apple with cheese or nut butter because if I eat a whole one it messes with my blood sugars. You have to try some different snacks and food combinations and just pay attention to how you feel after, if you get a crash after apples and PB that may be too much sugar for you(apples have quite a bit of sugar, a medium apple has about 20g sugar plus PB..it's a lot.) Do you like avocados? I find those easy to digest and they are so healthy.Avocado, hard boiled eggs, carrot sticks with hummus, cheese, and beef jerky all make good snacks.

Also for me I really need to have a low carb breakfast. If I eat gluten free bread or fruit for breakfast it sets me up for a roller coaster of blood sugars all day. I generally keep it low carb for breakfast and lunch and then having a sweet snack before or after dinner doesn't mess with me since my blood sugars are more stable later in the day. I also eat most of my veggie carbs like squash or potatoes with dinner. Experiment with eating carbs at different times of the day and see what works for you!

[missy'smom]

Also for me I really need to have a low carb breakfast. If I eat gluten free bread or fruit for breakfast it sets me up for a roller coaster of blood sugars all day. I generally keep it low carb for breakfast and lunch and then having a sweet snack before or after dinner doesn't mess with me since my blood sugars are more stable later in the day. I also eat most of my veggie carbs like squash or potatoes with dinner. Experiment with eating carbs at different times of the day and see what works for you!

Yes, Dr. Bernstein recommends half the carbs(low-carb carbs;) at breakfast as are allowed for L and D. It's proven that we are more sensitive in the a.m.

[cassP]

be careful too, if you ever go for a massage! u may already know that- but massage will drop your blood sugar... so eat protein & fat before, and bring a snack & water for after.

i sometimes have LBP & LBS, but dont have regular Hypoglycemia... but OMG, one day, i remember, i didnt eat too much all day- and i mostly had gluten-free carbs.... no meat or veggies... and then in the afternoon i went for a massage.. felt fine... stopped at a vegan bakery on the way home & got some gluten-free baked goods... by the time i got home (evening) to cook dinner- i almost PASSED out from dizzyness & the shakes!!! it was scary- cause i dont have attacks like that ever- and i knew the combo of my carbs & massage just pushed me over the edge