can hypoglycemics go low carb?!

Hypoglycemia is the body's inability to properly handle the large amounts of sugar that the average American consumes today. It's an overload of sugar, alcohol, caffeine, tobacco and stress.

The diet you should follow is a high protein, low carbohydrate and bland, lactose-free diet in six small feedings. You will need help in putting this all together. You should see a dietitian to individualize your diet to consider your food preferences.

To get you started, your should avoid all concentrated sweets such as cakes, pies, cookies, ice cream, candy and carbonated beverages. These foods trigger his hypoglycemia. You also needs six small meals per day to spread out the carbohydrate and calorie content of your diet.

Your diet should have good sources of protein (beef, pork, veal, lamb, chicken, turkey, fish or eggs) at each meal. Breakfast should include peanut butter, cheese or an egg. At noon, a two-ounce meat sandwich would be good. At supper, a three or four ounce portion of meat is recommended. The carbohydrate foods at each meal are limited to one piece of bread or potato, one piece of fruit and a vegetable. The in-between meal snacks are light. Snacks of cheese and crackers or fruit and cheese would be all right. The snacks help prevent the possibility of low blood sugar.

Foods that stimulate the excess secretion of acid are alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, pepper, cayenne, chili powder and curry. These foods should be omitted from the diet of a person with an ulcer. You should also eat six small meals per day. This should be evaluated by a doctor and not by the person herself.

A diet that would supply the necessary daily nutrients is based on the Food Guide Pyramid. If an adult eats two to three meat servings, two milk servings, two to four fruits, three to five vegetable servings, six to eleven bread servings and use fats, oils and sweets sparingly by choosing a variety of food choices, he/she should be able to meet their Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA).

Watch your fruit consumption. If you are in the early or severe stages of hypoglycemia, you may not be able to eat any fruit. Some people can eat just a small amount. Avoid dried fruits completely.

Be careful of the amount of "natural" foods or drinks you consume. Even though juices are natural, they contain high amounts of sugar. Whether or not the sugar you consume is "natural", your body doesn't know the difference. Sugar is sugar is sugar...and your body will react to an excess of it.

Hope this helps.

Yes, a low-carb diet can help you to lose weight, which will definitely help your hypoglycemia, and keep it from progressing towards "full-blown" diabetes. Low-carb diets are very difficult to maintain for long periods, however, A healthier eating plan that will be easier for you to maintain for the rest of your life would be the South Beach "Diet" (I hesistate to call it a diet, because it is a very sensible, healthy, and well-thought-out eating plan that you should maintain for life). Carbs are not inherently bad things, as long as you eat the right kind of carbs, basically whole grains and such. The South Beach Diet will teach you which are the healthy carbs that you will safely be able to eat for the rest of your life.

I am a physician with over 18 years of experience.