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Diets
For Hypoglycemia
by R. Paul St. Amand, M.D.
Both
these diets work to correct hypoglycemic (blood sugar) symptoms. Choose the
strict
diet to lose weight or the liberal diet to maintain weight.
You must do the
appropriate diet AS WRITTEN for two months, without cheating. At that
point, if you are on the liberal diet you can start to experiment with
forbidden foods to see what you can tolerate.
Each hypoglycemic's tolerance for listed foods will vary. Judge your tolerance
level by how you feel and adjust your intake of foods accordingly.
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;
Soy Beans,
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-remove
limit from strict side
Artichokes; Beets; Carrots; Onions; Peas; Pumpkin; Winter squash;
Hubbard squash; Turnips; Rutabagas, Spaghetti squash. |
NUTS--no
limit
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. |
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 diet is not meant to be used as to make a medical diagnosis. Please consult your
own physician before making
any changes to your current diet, medications or treatment. Prior to commencing any diet R.
Paul St. Amand M.D. recommends a basic work-up that includes a thyroid
test, blood count, blood glucose screening and testing for any
conditions that may mimic blood sugar abnormalities.
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