Diets for Hypoglycemia

To go along with my post about Dietary Guidelines for Hypoglycemics, I wanted to include an actual diet from R. Paul St. Amand, M.D.

According to Dr. Amand, both of these diets work to correct hypoglycemic symptoms. If you want to lose weight, you will need to follow the “Strict” diet. If you want to maintain your current weight you will need to follow the “Liberal” diet.

The Strict Diet:
Choose any foods from the following list

MEAT and FISH
All meats except cold cuts that contain sugars or dextrose; All fowl and game; All fish and shellfish.

DAIRY PRODUCTS
Eggs; Any natural cheese (bleu, roquefort, cheddar, cream, gouda, swiss, etc;) Cream (heavy and sour;) Cottage and Ricotta (1/2 cup limit per day;) Butter; Margarine.

FRUITS
Fresh coconut; Avocado (limit 1/2 per day;) Cantaloupe (limit 1/4 per day;) Strawberries (limit 6-8 per day;) Lime or Lemon juice for flavoring (limit 2 tsp. per day.)

VEGETABLES
Asparagus; Bean Sprouts; Broccoli; Brussels sprouts; Cabbage (limit 1 cup per day); Cauliflower; Celery Root (celeriac;) Celery; Chard; Chicory; Chinese cabbage (limit 2 cups per day;) Chives; Cucumber; Daikon (long, white radish;) Eggplant; Endive; Escarole; Fennel Bulb; Greens (Mustard, Beet, Collard etc;) Jicama; Kale; Leeks; Lettuce (any type;) Mushrooms; Okra; Olives; Parsley; Peppers (green, red, yellow, etc;) Pickles (dill, sour, limit one per day;) Pimiento; Radicchio; Radish; Rhubarb; Sauerkraut; Scallions (green onions;) Spinach; Squash (yellow or summer only;) String beans (green or yellow;) Snow peas; Tomatoes (not sauce or paste); Water Chestnuts; Watercress; Zucchini.

NUTS (limit 12 per day)
Almond; Brazil; Butternut; Filbert; Hazel; Hickory; Macadamia; Pecan; Pistachio; Sunflower seeds (small handful); Walnut.

DESSERTS
Sugar-free Jell-O with NutraSweet; Custard (made with cream and artificial sweetener.)

DRINKS
Club soda; Decaffeinated coffee; Decaffeinated tea; Caffeine-free diet sodas.

CONDIMENTS and SPICES
All herbs and spices including seeds (fresh or dried); All imitation flavorings; Horseradish; Sugar-free sauces such as Hollandaise, Mayonnaise, Mustard, Ketchup; Sugar-free salad dressings; Oil and Vinegar (all types;) Worcestershire sauce.

MISCELLANEOUS
All fats; Caviar; Tofu.

FOODS TO STRICTLY AVOID
Alcohol (most hypoglycemics can tolerate one drink after two months on the diet – use discretion as individual tolerance levels vary;) Baked beans; Refried beans; Black-eyed peas (cow peas); Bananas; Lima beans; Potatoes; Corn; Dried fruits & Fruit juices; Barley; Rice; Pasta (all types;) Flour and Corn Tortillas; Tamales; Sweets of any kind; Products which contain Dextrose, Glucose, Hexitol, Lactose, Maltose, Sucrose, Honey, Fructose, Corn Syrup, Food Starch, Caffeine.

The Liberal Diet:
You may add the following foods to the strict diet:

FRUIT
(limit: one piece of fruit every four hours. No fruit juices.)
Apples; Apricots; Blackberries (1/2 cup limit;) Blueberries (1/2 cup limit;) Boysenberries; Casaba melon (1 wedge limit;) Grapefruit; Honeydew melon (1 wedge limit;) Lemons; Limes; Nectarines; Oranges; Papaya; Peaches; Pears; Plums; Raspberries; Strawberries; Tangerines; Tomato juice; Tomato sauce or paste; V8 Juice.

VEGETABLES
Artichokes; Beets; Carrots; Onions; Peas; Pumpkin; Winter squash; Hubbard squash; Turnips; Rutabagas, Spaghetti squash.

NUTS
Cashews; Peanuts; Soy Nuts.

DAIRY PRODUCTS
Whole, Non-fat, Low-fat milk and buttermilk, unsweetened yogurt.

DESSERTS
Sugarless diet puddings (1/2 cup a day limit)

BREADS
Three slices a day of sugar-free white, whole wheat, sourdough or light rye. No more than two slices at one time.

MISCELLANEOUS
Corn tortillas (2 only per day;) Carob powder; Flour (gluten or soy only;) Gravy made with gluten or soy flour only;) Popped popcorn (one cup only;) Sugar-free cereals (puffed rice, shredded wheat, oatmeal etc;) Wheat germ.

Each hypoglycemic’s tolerance for listed foods will vary. Judge your tolerance level by how you feel and adjust your intake of foods accordingly.

If cholesterol is a problem, avoid cold cuts (except turkey,) cheese, cream, solid margarine, hollandaise sauce, and macadamia nuts. Use egg whites or Egg Beaters instead of whole eggs. Use liquid margarine only. Nuts should be dry roasted only. Trim all visible fat from meats and remove skin from poultry. Use canola or olive oil.

This information comes from R. Paul St. Amand, M.D. It is not meant to be a medical diagnosis or advice. Please consult your physician before making any changes to your diet or treatment. Prior to commencing any diet R. Paul St. Amand M.D. recommends a basic work-up that includes a thyroid test, and blood count to rule out anemia or infections that mimic fibromyalgia.