A Very Moving and Inspiring Video About Young Woman's Successful Battle With Hypoglycemia

I discovered this video by Christina Noordberger about her struggle with hypoglycemia and how she eventually come through the other side.

Watch Christina's video now. You'll be glad you did.

I want to apologise for a long absence from this blog

It is just over one year since I have last posted on this blog. I have also not updated my website for the same length of time.

First, I want to appologise to anyone who has posted comments on this blog and I have not replied. I have simply been so busy with my business as a web designer and copywriter - working up to 70 hours a week. (One positive thing, it is only because I have learned how to eat correctly that I have the stamina to work such long hours.) But I don't want to work this hard forever. I would like to give more attention to this blog and website.

There have been literally hundreds of people who have downloaded my Free Report in the last year or so. I really hope it has been helpful to you. Some of you have emailed me, and I have tried to reply to as many as possible.

If I get some time soon, I would like to write a longer book about hypoglyecmia and diet. A lot of people have asked for ideas for meal plans.

For now on, I will try to keep up with replying to comments on this blog. And once again I apologise to anyone who have left a comment and asked a question, which I have not replied to.

Do you feel drowsy after eating?

If you feel drowsy and lacking energy after eating, it is very likely you have hypoglycemia. It is likely you have eaten a meal that is too high in carbohyrdates and not balanced with protein and fat.

Here is an email I recently received from someone with exactly this feeling ... and then you will see my answers to her questions below.

Question: "Thank you for your web site! I took the quiz and scored in the 'normal' range. I found your web site after searching for some information about feeling drowsy after eating. In short, I had a bowl of cold cereal this morning (1 1/2 cups) that totalled almost 68 grams of carboyhydrate. Instead of using milk on the cereal I poured 4 oz of pear juice (no sugar added) and added a teaspoon of sugar and some ground cinnamon and one egg white. I then microwaved the cereal long enough to cook the egg white. Truly, it sounds gross but is delicious - BUT - within moments I experienced a rapid heart rate, was drowsy and had a headache and went from being totally energetic to flat.

I am a 41 year old female (5'6" and 108 lbs) and a runner. I need carbs for fuel but have noticed that this happens after eating this particular cereal breakfast. I see my physician annually and my fasting blood sugar is always around 75-77 (even with both pregnancies and HUGE weight gains). A GTT done during both pregnancies was also fine. My question (and I know you are NOT a doctor) - can a carb-heavy meal make a person feel like that? That was truly my only positive answer on the hypoglycemia quiz but I truly would like to NOT ever feel like this again. It has taken the wind out of my sails for the day !

My Answer:

Thank you for your email. What you have just described is a classic example of low blood sugar caused by eating too much carbohydrate and not balancing it with protein and fat. I feel really sad that so many people are still eating high carbohydrate, low fat diets. I used to do the same myself (and felt terrible, just like you) because all the experts seemed to recommend low fat and high carbohydrate, particularly for runners. (I used to be a runner also).

I used to eat a low fat lunch and feel drowsy in the afternoon. One day I decided to try something radical. I had a sandwich with wholegrain bread and plastered it with butter, and put a thick slab of cheese in the middle. In addition, I drank a glass of whole milk. I felt great and had so much energy during the afternoon, I couldn’t believe it. Then I tried eating quiche for lunch. Again, I felt great. Now, I always have some protein and fat with every meal … and I have plenty of energy. I am 51 years old and I still weigh the same as when I was 21. The reason is, I eat very little sugar. It is sugar (and all carbohydrates, that cause weight gain, not fat). Why do you think they feed cattle with grains to fatten them up?

The truth is, low fat, high carbohydrate diets are not good for everyone. You need some protein and fat to slow down the absorption of the carbohydrate, so you don’t get a sudden rush of sugar, followed by a slump.

Don’t worry about any adverse effects from eating butter, cheese, whole milk, eggs etc. People have eaten these for centuries with no ill effects. It is sugar that is the cause of heart disease and other illnesses, not healthy, natural fats, which we actually need.

I hope this has helped you. Most of the so called experts are scientists who have never actually suffered from low blood sugar. I have found out what works from personal experience (and from reading books by people who really know what they are talking about, rather than the stuff that gets in the media, which is most rubbish). As a general rule, don’t get your information from the media, particularly magazines.

I hope this has been helpful. Let me know if you change your diet along the lines I suggest. I guarantee you’ll feel so much better, you won’t believe it.

Follow up question:

My husband and I took a moment to read your e-mail - SO informative ! To be honest, I have knowledge of diet/nutrition but have struggled with 'balanced' meals my entire life - they are either too high in carbs or protein ( and always LOWFAT or even NONFAT !) and I find myself 'bonking' whenever I eat the incorrect mix (which is TOO often !). In fact, I can feel as bad (if not worse) if I eat a totally protein meal. There must be a balance but I just can't figure it out.

I wanted to tell you that 5 years ago I lost 60 pounds on the Weight Watchers program which is very, very low fat. The obligatory 2 tsp of olive a day they recommend doesn't always cut it. This, along with aging, has led me to really examine this part of my life. I am tired of not feeling 100% ! I am a busy mom, a business owner and very active in my church and social life. I am not doing anyone any good dragging through the day.

What are your feeling on the following foods and how they fit into this way of eating:
- sweet potatoes/yams
- coffee
- bread (obviously HIGH fiber)
- slow cooked oatmeal
- any other favorites you use ? I know that I will have to find what works for MY body but perhaps you could give me an idea. I have a problem eating dairy foods (butter is not a problem though) and do not favor junk foods or even the more starchy vegetables and I NEVER eat fast food !

Also, what books would you recommend I read (or do I need to research this further ?).

My answer:

You can lose weight on a very low fat diet, but it doesn’t do your health any good in the long run. Eventually, you get hypoglycemia from the unbalanced emphasis on carbohydrates. Unfortunately, the weight loss programmes don’t tell you this. Also, you get very hungry and constantly craving food on a low fat diet. You never feel satisfied.

High protein diets (like Atkins) are not good either. You need some carbohydrates. That’s why in the old days they used to recommend a balanced diet … and people were generally healthy on this.

Sweet potatoes/yams are okay as part of meal that includes protein and fat … so is bread, oatmeal (put full cream milk on oatmeal or you will get hypoglycemia). Coffee can cause hypoglycemia if you drink it on its own, without food. Always eat something when you have coffee.I can’t really recommend any books off the top of my head. All my knowledge has come from trial and error plus a mixture of a whole lot of different books. I’ve studied virtually every diet theory under the sun … most of them are unbalanced in some way. If anyone wrote a book about eating a balanced diet, they would not sell many copies, as no one wants to read that. People are always looking for some new theory.

Any books on the French diet are good. There are one or two around at the moment.

I hope this helps.

Best wishes

Chris

The Truth About Fruit ... Should You Eat It?

For many years I have been careful about eating fruit because I discovered it affected my blood sugar in a bad way. When I stopped eating fruit, I felt an immediate improvement in the way I felt ... particularly after meals. Fruit made me sleepy and hypoglycemic.

From time to time I have worried I am not eating enough fruit. I eat small amounts occasionally but not nearly as much as the diet experts say we should. But each time I start eating more fruit, my hypoglycemia symptoms come back.

Recently, I started eating more fruit again ... and sure enough, that awful sleepy and headachy, lethargic feeling after meals where I have eaten fruit.

So, who is right? The diet experts who say we must eat lots of fruit? Or what my own body is telling me ... I feel a lot better when I reduce the amount of fruit I eat to almost zero?

The answer, I have decided, is my own body is right. I will listen to my body, not the health experts.

I don't know why fruit gives me low blood sugar. The glycemic index experts say fruit has a low GI. But for me it has a high GI. The sugar in fruit seems to affect me.

So ... my conclusion is ... if you eat a lot of fruit and you still have hypoglycemic symptoms ... even if you are cutting out sugar ... why not try cutting out fruit? You may be amazed, like me, that it will make all the difference.

I'd be inerested in any feedback on this. Feel free to post a comment.

Think Of Food As Medicine

It's been a long time since my last post ... but this article caught my eye today.

It's from a newsletter I receive by Anita Flegg, an excellent writer about hypoglycemia and diet.

Here is the article, which I'm sure you will find helpful.

"Lorna Vanderhaeghe, a nutrition crusader, believes that food is a medicine and that we should treat it as such.

That means that we should imagine that everything we put into our mouths is going to have an effect on our immune system. Her major message is that most of us “suffer from major immune system depletion, which is caused by too little nutritious food and too much stress.” (Ottawa Citizen, March 26, 2006)

She recommends a diet rich in essential fatty acids, contained in flaxseed oil and evening primrose oil. She also stresses that we have to stay away from sugar because of its negative effects on the immune system.

“One teaspoon of white sugar will turn off our monocytes, macrophages, T-cells—cancer- and virus-fighting cells—for up to 6 hours.”

“In fact, a study found that after children drink soda pop their macrophages don’t mount a strong defense against viruses and bacteria for the next 18 hours. Fructose-loaded apple juice isn’t much better.”

I think this is a message we just can’t hear too much. Sugar is a problem for all of us, not just hypoglycemics. I sometimes think that we are lucky to be hypoglycemic. Sounds strange—lucky to be hypoglycemic? But we have immediate reasons to cut sugar out of our diets. Our friends can eat anything they want, but that just means that they have no warning of the harm they are doing to their bodies.

Eat well — live well!

You can visit Anita Flegg's site at www.theothersugardisease.com

She has written an excellent book called 'Hypoglycemia: The Other Sugar Disease'.

Have you heard of Syndrome X?

Have you heard of Syndrome X? If you have low blood sugar problems, it's definitely something you should know about...

Here is an interesting article I received today from Karen Newton. Karen is a registered nurse and fulltime freelance writer dealing with hypoglycemia.

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Can't Lose Weight? Syndrome X May Be the Culprit

"I've put on 40 pounds in one year!" "It doesn't matter how much I workout, I can't lose weight." "My doctor must think I'm eating pizzas in the closet."

With nearly 4 million Americans weighing in at over 300 pounds, is it any wonder the above cries are heard each and every day by countless frustrated people who can't lose weight? One such cause for the ever increasing need to buy larger pants is a disease known as Syndrome X.

Syndrome X is also referred to as Metabolic Syndrome, Metabolic Syndrome X and Insulin Resistance. It is a very common disease; however it is widely overlooked by many medical professionals. One statistic reveals 1 in 3 people suffer from it.

This syndrome is a precursor to developing Diabetes Type 2. Sufferers have a high level of insulin. Their bodies are unable to process all the insulin that is being made from their diet. As a result, they become insulin resistant.

Think of it like this: You knock on someone's door because you want to come in. If they don't answer, what normally happens? You knock again, right? Sometimes you may even knock a third time, trying to gain entry. Insulin works in the same manner. The pancreas produces insulin (knock). Some foods cause the body to produce even higher levels of insulin (knock again). Once you become insulin resistant, develop Syndrome X, the body is unable to properly process the glucose, therefore the pancreas tries to make up for it by producing even more insulin. It thinks "no one is home" and just keeps making more.

The main purpose of glucose is to be used as fuel for the cells in the body to produce energy. Unprocessed glucose translates into fat. If the body keeps making it and it's not being processed, where does it go? Hips, thighs, stomach, and buttocks, that's where!

In addition to hypertension and heart disease, elevated insulin may be associated with weight gain and difficulty with weight loss, other blood sugar problems such as hypoglycemia, and some menstrual related imbalances.

Genetics is partially responsible for causing this disease. More likely though is lifestyle. In many cases years of high starch, processed foods, simple sugars, lack of exercise, smoking, and increased stress may be the culprit for Metabolic Syndrome X.

Now what? For starters, start exercising today. Increase water intake and totally omit starches, sugars, processed foods from your diet. Limit or omit caffeine. Try to maintain at least one third of your daily food intake to vegetables. Ask your doctor to test your sugar levels. Change what you're eating and get walking and you'll be amazed at the pounds start to fall off. The fatigue and fuzziness will start to disappear and in turn you'll feel much better.

Find out more about Diet and Nutrition at www.healthandfinesse.com
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Karen Newton is a freelance writer and registered nurse with several years of patient experience in dealing with hypoglycemia. Her new ebook Hypoglycemia Secrets - Surviving the Roller Coaster is considered the "must have survival guide' for people suffering from this problem.

Check it out at:
http://www.hypoglycemiasecrets.com/

Are you feeling worse than usual?

A lot of people with hypoglycemia feel particularly bad at this time of the year, after all the sweet food and drink that is normally consumed over Christmas and New Year.

I have noticed a big increase in visitors to my website during the last 10 days or so and more people than usual downloading the free report from my site. I wonder if this is related to the fact that people are feeling the after effects of Christmas binge eating? I suspect it probably is.

If you are now suffering from a post-Christmas 'hangover' be encouraged to know that you will feel much better in a few days if you cut out the sweet food and drink from your diet. If anything, this will have proven to you how much your health can be affected by what you eat.