If you’ve gone too long between meals to eat and then quickly felt shaky, lightheaded, anxious, as well as cranky, you’ve had hypoglycaemia. These horrible symptoms are your body’s way of warning you that your blood sugar (glucose) concentrations have fallen too low. (That’s what “hypoglycaemia” means.)
Glucose is the body’s chief source of energy. In most individuals, blood sugar levels need to be within a scale of 70 to 99 milligrams per decilitre (mg/dL). Most healthy individuals only require a quick high-carb snack, for example an apple or banana, to assist with getting their blood sugar back up to normal.
However, hypoglycaemia often takes place in people with diabetes. If a diabetic person’s blood sugar concentrations dip too far beneath a healthy range, it can be dangerous. Even in individuals without diabetes, hypoglycaemia can cause serious medical issues, involving blurred vision, confusion, or loss of consciousness. This means that you want to get your blood sugar back on track, ASAP.
Breakfast
A person should always try to eat breakfast as soon as possible after they wake up, as blood sugar levels may have fallen during the night. It is wise to limit intake of fruit juices in the morning and stick to juices which do not have added sugar, as these may cause blood sugar levels to become volatile.
Some perfect breakfast choices include:
- Hard-boiled eggs and wholegrain toast,
- Oatmeal with berries, sunflower seeds, agave as well as cinnamon, and
- Greek yoghurt with berries, honey as well as oatmeal.
Cinnamon is thought to assist with reducing blood sugar levels and can be sprinkled on many breakfast foods.
Mid-Morning Snack
Fruit can be part of a healthy mid-morning snack. They’re fibrous, offer beneficial vitamins as well as minerals, and involve natural sugars for energy. It’s best that you pair fruit with a protein or healthy fat in order to sustain your fullness and also to keep your blood sugar level even. Having a whole-grain, fibrous carbohydrate together with a protein or healthy fat is also a great option.
Try out these healthy mid-morning snack options:
- A small apple together with cheddar cheese,
- A banana with a tiny handful of nuts or seeds,
- A piece of wholegrain toast with an avocado or hummus spread, as well as
- A can of sardines or tuna with wholegrain crackers in addition to a glass of low-fat milk.
Lunch
Lunch should be a small meal however packed with protein, healthful fats, as well as complex carbohydrates that will continue to discharge energy slowly.
Some good lunch ideas for hypoglycaemia are:
- Tuna, chicken, or tofu sandwich on wholegrain bread with salad leaves,
- Chickpea and vegetable salad, or
- Grilled fish, a baked sweet potato as well as a side salad.
It is required for a person with hypoglycaemia to be aware of the glycaemic index or GI of the foods they eat. Some foods which appear to be healthful may have a high GI. Fortunately, there is frequently an alternative that has a lower GI. For instance, sweet potatoes have a relatively low GI and are full of antioxidants, making them a better choice as opposed to other types of potato, such as white russet potatoes, which have a high GI.
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy
If you are keen to discover more about diets, then you need to do our Specialised Nutrition Course. Find out more by following this link.
