Click here for my explanation of Hypoglycemia/ Carb Intolerance
Diets For Hypoglycemia/ Carb Intolerance Syndrome
by R. Paul St. Amand, M.D.
Both these diets work to correct hypoglycemic (blood sugar) symptoms. Choose the strict diet to lose weight or the liberal diet (along with the strict diet foods) to maintain weight.
You must do the appropriate diet AS WRITTEN for two months, without cheating. At that point, if you are on the liberal diet you can start to experiment with forbidden foods to see what you can tolerate.
Each hypoglycemic’s tolerance for listed foods will vary. Judge your tolerance level by how you feel and adjust your intake of foods accordingly.
The Strict Diet:
Choose any foods from the following list
| MEAT and FISH All meats except cold cuts that contain sugars or dextrose; All fowl and game; All fish and shellfish. |
| DAIRY PRODUCTS Eggs; Any natural cheese (bleu, roquefort, cheddar, cream, gouda, swiss, etc;) Cream (heavy and sour;) Cottage and Ricotta (1/2 cup limit per day;) Butter; Margarine. |
| FRUITS Fresh coconut; Avocado (limit 1/2 per day;) Cantaloupe (limit 1/4 per day;) Strawberries (limit 6-8 per day;) Lime or Lemon juice for flavoring (limit 2 tsp. per day.) |
| VEGETABLES Asparagus; Bean Sprouts; Broccoli; Brussels sprouts; Cabbage (limit 1 cup per day); Cauliflower; Celery Root (celeriac;) Celery; Chard; Chicory; Chinese cabbage (limit 2 cups per day;) Chives; Cucumber; Daikon (long, white radish;) Eggplant; Endive; Escarole; Fennel Bulb; Greens (Mustard, Beet, Collard etc;) Jicama; Kale; Leeks; Lettuce (any type;) Mushrooms; Okra; Olives; Parsley; Peppers (green, red, yellow, etc;) Pickles (dill, sour, limit one per day;) Pimiento; Radicchio; Radish; Rhubarb; Sauerkraut; Scallions (green onions;) Spinach; Squash (yellow or summer only;) String beans (green or yellow;) Snow peas; Soy Beans, Tomatoes (not sauce or paste); Water Chestnuts; Watercress; Zucchini. |
| NUTS (limit 12 per day) Almond; Brazil; Butternut; Filbert; Hazel; Hickory; Macadamia; Pecan; Pistachio; Sunflower seeds (small handful); Walnut. |
| DESSERTS Sugar-free Jell-O with NutraSweet; Custard (made with cream and artificial sweetener.) |
| DRINKS Club soda; Decaffeinated coffee; Decaffeinated tea; Caffeine-free diet sodas. |
| CONDIMENTS and SPICES All herbs and spices including seeds (fresh or dried); All imitation flavorings; Horseradish; Sugar-free sauces such as Hollandaise, Mayonnaise, Mustard, Ketchup; Sugar-free salad dressings; Oil and Vinegar (all types;) Worcestershire sauce. |
| MISCELLANEOUS All fats; Caviar; Tofu. |
| FOODS TO STRICTLY AVOID Alcohol (most hypoglycemics can tolerate one drink after two months on the diet – use discretion as individual tolerance levels vary;) Baked beans; Refried beans; Black-eyed peas (cow peas); Bananas; Lima beans; Potatoes; Corn; Dried fruits & Fruit juices; Barley; Rice; Pasta (all types;) Flour and Corn Tortillas; Tamales; Sweets of any kind; Products which contain Dextrose, Glucose, Hexitol, Lactose, Maltose, Sucrose, Honey, Corn Syrup, Agave Syrup, Rice and Cane Sweeteners, Fructose, Corn Syrup, Food Starch, Caffeine. |
The Liberal Diet:
You may add the following foods to the strict diet:
| FRUIT (limit: one piece of fruit every four hours. No fruit juices.) Apples; Apricots; Blackberries (1/2 cup limit;) Blueberries (1/2 cup limit;) Boysenberries; Casaba melon (1 wedge limit;) Grapefruit; Honeydew melon (1 wedge limit;) Lemons; Limes; Nectarines; Oranges; Papaya; Peaches; Pears; Plums; Raspberries; Strawberries; Tangerines; Tomato juice; Tomato sauce or paste; V8 Juice. |
| VEGETABLES-remove limit from strict side Artichokes; Beets; Carrots; Onions; Peas; Pumpkin; Winter squash; Hubbard squash; Turnips; Rutabagas, Spaghetti squash. |
| NUTS–no limit Cashews; Peanuts; Soy Nuts. |
| DAIRY PRODUCTS Whole, Non-fat, Low-fat milk and buttermilk, unsweetened yogurt. |
| DESSERTS Sugarless diet puddings (1/2 cup a day limit) |
| BREADS Three slices a day of sugar-free white, whole wheat, sourdough or light rye. No more than two slices at one time. |
| MISCELLANEOUS Corn tortillas (2 only per day;) Carob powder; Flour (gluten or soy only;) Gravy made with gluten or soy flour only;) Popped popcorn (one cup only;) Sugar-free cereals (puffed rice, shredded wheat, oatmeal etc;) Wheat germ. |
If cholesterol is a problem, avoid cold cuts (except turkey,) cheese, cream, solid margarine, hollandaise sauce, and macadamia nuts. Use egg whites or Egg Beaters instead of whole eggs. Use liquid margarine only. Nuts should be dry roasted only. Trim all visible fat from meats and remove skin from poultry. Use canola or olive oil.
This diet is not meant to be used as to make a medical diagnosis. Please consult your own physician before making any changes to your current diet, medications or treatment. Prior to commencing any diet R. Paul St. Amand M.D. recommends a basic work-up that includes a thyroid test, blood count, blood glucose screening and testing for any conditions that may mimic blood sugar abnormalities.