The Signs and Causes of Hypoglycemia
Have you ever found yourself with a dull headache in the afternoon, low energy and craving sugar? This could be a sign of hypoglycemia.
Other symptoms include sweating, anxiety, irritability, mood swings and paleness in the face. The definition is a condition caused by low blood sugar levels also called low glucose.
if your symptoms go away when you eat then you can be pretty sure that you have hypoglycemia.
Why would you have hypoglycemia? Easy answers are skipping meals, eating excessive sugar, fad dieting, going for long periods of time without eating, extreme sports, and medication for diabetes.
For other’s it could be that you are not absorbing nutrients correctly. For example, you may eat every two hours, and eat enough, however because the food is not being used properly your blood sugar is dropping. Then, you eat sugar in order to get your blood sugar up and to feel good, but it’s short lived because your body is not absorbing the nutrients correctly.
Another word for this is malabsorption which could be caused by food allergies, sensitivities or intolerances.
How to Manage Hypoglycemia
The immune system is responding to the food allergy or intolerance and the food is not being absorbed properly. Running a food sensitivity test would be important. In my practice, I would recommend running a food sensitivity test. This test provides information on what foods you are sensitive or intolerant to, providing insight to begin to address the dysbiosis in your gut which in turn can help with treating the hypoglycemia.
Another way to correct hypoglycemia includes keeping some food records and paying attention to any symptoms you may have during the day that indicate your blood sugar is low.
Make sure you are taking in enough fiber throughout the day. What does fiber do? If it’s a soluble fiber, then it will slow the rise in blood sugar and keep it stable for longer so you will not have the drop.
Examples of these foods include beans, oats, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, sweet potato, cassava root, plantains, chia and flaxseeds, bananas, apples.
Include quality protein with each meal and snack is also very beneficial. Examples would include chicken, fish, tofu, tempeh, beans, yogurt. Healthy fats also help with stabilizing blood sugar which include, olive oil, olives, avocado, nuts and seeds.
The first step to managing hypoglycemia is to recognize that you have the condition. The second step is learning how to feed your body what it needs, when it needs it.
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