Low blood sugar diet

A low blood sugar diet is based on three meals a day, plus small two-hourly snacks of nuts or seeds, milk, oatcakes, or whole wheat toast. Sugar and sugary foods must be avoided. 

Practicai Hints for Controiiing Biood Sugar. People who have a tendency towards low blood sugar may often spare themselves from the agonies of this condition if they regularly eat a good diet and practice certain other health habits. Some beneficial practices follow. 

Chromium is not common even in a balanced diet and thus supplements may be of value. It may benefit newly diagnosed diabetics who have mild glucose intolerance. It may also benefit those with low blood sugar levels since it promotes the action of insulin. Chromium is best absorbed in the form of its nicotinate or picolinate salts. 

Do you crave sweets, but worry about the empty calories in sugary treats If so, you are not alone. Research tells us that, even as babies, we demonstrate preference for sweet tastes over all others. But there are many reasons to reduce our intake of refined sugars, in particular sucrose or table sugar. Too many people eat high-calorie, low-nutrition snacks rather than more nutritious foods. This can lead to obesity, a problem that is very common in our society. In addition, sucrose is responsible for tooth decay. Lactic acid, one of the products of the metabolism of sucrose by bacteria on our teeth, dissolves the tooth enamel, which results in a cavity. For those with diabetes, glucose intolerance, or hypoglycemia, sucrose in the diet makes it difficult to maintain a constant blood sugar level. 

You may have heard of something called the glycemic index, which is one attempt to measure the speed at which various carbohydrates are converted into blood sugar This index forms the basis of some of the currently popular low-carb diets and is cited by many people as the key to making good dietary choices,... 

Olive oil is a good example of a lipid that provides numerous health benefits when included in the diet. The main type of lipid found in all types of olive oil is monounsaturated fatty acids, or MUFAs, with the 18-carbon oleic acid being the predominant component (see Table 8.1 for its formula). MUFAs are considered to be healthy lipids. There is evidence that dietary MUFAs help lower total cholesterol levels in the body, and especially the levels of undesirable low-density lipoproteins (LDLs). Some research results show that MUFAs may help maintain normal blood clotting and normal blood pressure and may aid in the control of blood sugar levels. 

A recent commentary in the Lancet suggests that there are (Katan, 1999). In one case study, the diets of over 65,000 women were examined over a six-year period (Herman, 1997). Results from these studies showed that women who consumed a low-fiber diet along with plenty of soft drinks were two and a half times more likely to get diabetes than those who consumed a high-fiber diet with very few soft drinks. This study showed that sugar was not the only culprit. Other dietary culprits included white bread, white rice, and potatoes. This finding led to the controversial glycemic index (GI) concept, which was developed as a tool to help people monitor and stabilize their blood sugar level. 

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