QuestionMy 23 year old future daughter-in-law was diagnosed with hypoglycemia. Her last reading was 2. This is way too low. The doctor suggested the GI diet. But the doctor also told her she has to gain 15 lbs as she is approximately 5'3 and 85 lbs. So what can we do? The GI diet to follow for the hypoglycemia is to lose weight. We are very confused. What can you suggest. If she can's eat fats or carbs, what does she eat. She is so discouraged. Can you help with suggestions?
AnswerHi Suzanne! I have a couple of concerns, then I will answer your question. My first concern is the blood glucose reading of 2...I just doubt the accuracy of that reading. Most people pass out and/or begin having seizures at a reading of 20 and death can occur pretty rapidly after that. I have never seen a monitor, even a hospital-grade monitor, give a reading below 15 (they start saying "error: low" around that point). If the 2 is true, your future daughter-in-law is very lucky to be alive. My second concern is her weight. Hypoglycemia is often a side effect of anorexia; given her height and weight, I am wondering if that is a concern. If it is, treatment of the anorexia would be an important part of controlling the hypoglycemia.
Onto your question. There is a lot of discussion in the nutrition community about the real usefulness of the glycemic index. The glycemic index of a food is based on study participants eating 50 grams worth of carbs of a food then measuring their blood glucose levels 30 minutes later. The problem with that is people could easily consume 50 grams of carbohydrates through sugar (about 3 1/2 tablespoons, or the amount in a medium coke from McDonalds) but are much less likely to eat that amount of raw baby carrots (about 3 1/2 cups); however, granulated sugar is considered a low glycemic food and carrots are considered a high glycemic food. The theory also does not take into consideration most people do not eat just one food at a time, most people combine foods at snacks and meals, which also affects how quickly carbs are absorbed. The GI diet is supposed to stop spikes in insulin, since high amounts of insulin in the bloodstream contribute to fat storage the GI diet may be used by some people to try to lose weight. However, just eating protein with carbs with also help control insulin spikes. She definitely needs to keep eating fat and carbs, both are essential to life and she needs carbs to keep her blood sugar up. In order to keep her blood sugar even, she will want to try to eat a snack or meal every two hours. Each snack and meal should contain both a carbohydrate source and a protein. Great snack ideas include apple slices with peanut butter, a sandwich, cheese and crackers, string cheese with a piece of fruit, cold cereal with milk, and yogurt with berries. Since she only weighs 85lbs I would think just eating every 2 hours would contribute to weight gain unless she is exercising a lot.
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