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Help with keeping blood sugar level with lymes.

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Posted 9/22/2009 2:46 PM (GMT -5)

Besides having lymes disease and co infections I also have hypoglycemia. Since Lymes it is very difficult to keep my blood sugar level. I just keep eating whatever I find so I could get rid of that weak shaky feeling, but that is making me gain a lot of weight. Can anyone tell me what diet I can follow to keep my blood sugars more level through out the day with also treating this Lymes. Before Lymes I just followe weight watchers I ate 3 meals and 3 snacks a day worked out and felt great. But now certain snacks are not enoough,Now if I do that I get weak blood sugar drops and if I work out I still get  a herx. Need a diet I can follow to keep it all level and lose this weight that is making my health even worse. Is there anything out there that will work.

confused  

Posted 9/22/2009 4:07 PM (GMT -5)
Hi ria,

Do you know a good ND (naturopathic doctor) you could consult with? There are natural supplements that can help with this, but I do not know what they are. Plus, there are certain foods that help balance blood sugar, but again, I'm not trained in this. Hopefully, you can "ask around" for a professional that can help you with this. Maybe a registered dietician could advise? Ask the local health food stores or your local medical clinic or hospital for suggestions. There may even be free seminars somewhere. Maybe "google" hypoglycemia etc. to see what you can find. You may need to choose a diet that is a little higher in protein to help counteract the "spike/then drop" from carbs.

I hope you are able to find help soon. Best wishes to you, bablymers mom
Posted 9/23/2009 7:49 AM (GMT -5)
Thank you
Posted 9/23/2009 8:57 AM (GMT -5)
Cinnamon acts like insulin to help with blood sugar. The herb jiaogulan regulates blood sugar. It is also good for circulation and a powerful immune stimulant. It would be an excellent herb to try. I found out about it as it is used for horses with laminitis caused from excess sugar causing inflammation which reduces blood flow to the feet. Jiaogulan is an adaptogen so it regulates blood sugar, energy levels, blood pressure etc, raising when needed, lowering when needed. You can buy it online as a tea or capsules. I buy it by the pound at herbalcom.com. for about $13. It also promotes nitric oxide production to fight inflammation. When used for this purpose you need to take it on an empty stomach.
Posted 9/23/2009 9:12 AM (GMT -5)
nefferdun

Thank you that was helpful. The herb jiaogulan does it contain any caffeine? And is it safe to take while on antibiotics and anti malaria drugs?

Posted 9/23/2009 10:36 AM (GMT -5)
This is one of my newest symptoms. I know it is not good to eat flour while on abx, but being hypoglycemic, there is really no choice. I eat a PROTEIN (meat, nuts, etc.) in combination with a CARBOHYDRATE (bread, cereal, oat meal, etc.) The protein will slow down the rate in which the carb. is absorbed, stabilizing the blood sugar. I eat small meals about 6 times a day. This hypoglycemia thing is a maintenance program! I literally have to carry food with me where ever I go. I really feel for you on this one. The worse thing that you can do is consume something with a ton of sugar when you feel bad. It only makes the problem worse. The idea is to keep small amounts of sugar in you consistantly. And unfortuantely , that means eating. I use to have a print out of the "diet" I follow. I will look for it for you. I will get back to you. amey
Posted 9/23/2009 10:46 AM (GMT -5)
Ria 123: The website I used is WWW.programwitch.com/diet/diet.htm .  and also, when I said to eat a carbohydrate, I meant a WHOLE GRAIN one. I hope this helps. You dont need to be strict with the interpretation of the diet. You can manipulate it to address your  needs. I hope this helps.  amey

Posted 9/23/2009 10:52 AM (GMT -5)
stutterbug
Thank you so much that was very helpful. : )
Posted 9/23/2009 6:34 PM (GMT -5)
Not it doesn't have any caffeine. It will give you energy when you need it but it also helps you sleep better. Athletes take it for endurance and report it does not make them feel jittery. Research it online. It is amazing. I do not believe it will react with any abx but I know that you are not supposed to give it to horses on anti-inflammatory medication like butte.
Posted 9/23/2009 11:44 PM (GMT -5)
The Mediterranean Diet (fruits & vegetables, healthy fats, fish, etc.) is supposed to be best for Diabetics (according to research presented on news recently), and I'd imagine the same would be true of those with Lyme and any other inflammatory issue. Hypoglycemia complicates the picture a little, but I think can be managed with snacking on high protein foods every 2 hours between meals, eating fats and/or fiber with carbs to slow down absorption of the carbs (to block the rapid blood sugar spike followed by the crash), and reducing or eliminating as much simple sugar intake as possible (simple sugars are sugar cane, beet sugar, date sugar, corn syrup, maple syrup, honey, molasses, rice syrup, fructose, glucose, dextrose, etc.; safe sweeteners are stevia and agave). I used to have hypoglycemia, and found staying away from simple sugars very helpful for cutting down on the problems with low blood sugar (I would get horrible mood swings, energy crashes, shaky, headaches, etc.).
Posted 9/24/2009 8:13 AM (GMT -5)
WOW Razzel and nefferdun
Thank you both so much for so much great info.
Razzel it is very true if I binge out on sugars it takes me a good week for the bad effect of it to wear off. I have to it totally healthy for a week straight then I begin to feel better. So that is very true. Also the more research I do I am seeing a pattern of people who are over weight having a hard time keeping their blood sugars level. And that again is very true, before I got Lymes I was running 4 to 5 tx a wk and doing Zumba dance classes 3 x a wk and weight training, eating healthy my blood sugar was even keel. Now that I have this awful disease I cannot really exercise like before that and eating all the wrong foods and snacks is packing on weight and it is making me feel weak and ill. So I need to really get it together and find a happy medium. I need to find an exercise that wont make me feel like I have the flu two day's later and I need to find the right foods to keep blood sugar level and weight off.
Thanks you guys so much again for all that information.
: )
Posted 9/24/2009 11:21 AM (GMT -5)

I also suffer with low blood sugar and have for awhile.  I went to see a nutritionist last year and she had me eat six small meals a day.  Every meal I ate had to have protein in it.  Here is an example of a day.

Breakfast: 2 eggs and oatmeal

Snack One: small piece of grilled chicken with brown rice and a vegetable

Lunch I normally pack what is left over from dinner.  So for example, if I had spaghetti I would eat a green vegetable and piece of chicken

Snack Two:  A piece of chicken or turkey with a vegetable and wheat noodles

Dinner:  A protein, vegetable and either rice of noodles.  If you dont like rice or noodles eat more vegetables

Snack Three:  Tossed salad with grilled chicken or shrimp

The main point was every time I eat something make sure I have protein. 

I hope this helps.

Posted 9/24/2009 11:25 AM (GMT -5)
3whiteroses
Yes it helps but the snacks seem like meals. How many ounces of chicken would you eat for a snack and how much brown rice would you have to eat?
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