What is an appropriate meal plan for someone who has hypoglycemia and insulin resistance?
July 19, 2009 by Diabetes and Blood Glucose Tips
Filed under Hypoglycemia & Hyperglycemia
Can you answer Alex M’s question about Diabetes?:
What is an appropriate meal plan for a 15yr old boy who weighs 200lbs. and has hypoglycemia and insulin resistance?
Early Warning Signs Of Diabetes
What is an appropriate meal plan for a 15yr old boy who weighs 200lbs. and has hypoglycemia and insulin resistance?
Early Warning Signs Of Diabetes
Diabetes Feedback: Hi Alex.
You know, if you care enough about your health to do some research, then I suggest just seeing your doctor and asking, because to be honest, your doctor is the only one who can give
you a proper meal plan.
Good luck.
Diabetes Feedback: You need to discuss this with an endocrinologist (a doctor who specializes in metabolic disorders). An endocrine doctor can determine if a change in the way you eat is adequate or if medication is needed. The doctor can also test for thyroid abormalities which may be part of the weight problem. A family doctor does not have all the specialized training of an endocrinologist to help someone with this combination of problems.
Diabetes Feedback: HYPOglycemia and insulin resistant are two totally opposite happenings!!
HYPOglycemia means low blood glucose levels.
Insulin Resistance means the natural insulins cannot get into the muscles to make the natural glucose work correctly and thus person has HYPERglycemia or type 2 Diabetes!
A 15 yr old boy who weighs 200 pounds should be well over 6 feet tall and a basket ball player!
If not a low carb form of food plan is needed. Learn to count grams of carbohydrate - total counts, not just the sugars. Atkins Carb Counter books work great.
Go to for Glycemic Index of foods and choose foods from the medium to low range of GI numbers.
Also you can plan menus and check out recipes at:
Some of the above have good forums for asking questions and getting good answers too.
Diabetes Feedback: Hypoglycemia is the direct opposite of Diabetes, where as exercise is needed when one has diabetes; however, exercise can cause a huge problem when one has hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is low (hypo) glycemic (blood sugar,) levels. In other words, low glucose. When we eat food, that food is turned to glucose. An appropriate amount of insulin is released from the pancreas to push the glucose into our cells to give us energy. When a person has hypoglycemia and his/her food is turned to glucose, a huge, overwhelming amount of insulin is released from the pancreas to push the glucose into our cells. Because the pancreas sent out too much insulin to accomplish the job, much of that insulin remains in the bloodstream, where it does not belong. The person is now fatigued, dizzy, and lethargic, stumbles in speech, and will soon pass-out if he/she doesn’t eat to use up the left over insulin. Insulin resistant means the insulin cannot push glucose into our cells. That is not the case in a person who is has hypoglycemia; in fact, it is the opposite. Exercise is not good for a person with hypoglycemia, because exercise uses up glucose for energy, and this person already has low glucose levels. This is the difference between diabetes and hypoglycemia. Although people with hypoglycemia often wind up with diabetes sooner or later. The reason is that once the pancreas is confused about the ratio of glucose/insulin, it doesn’t often get unconfused. A person with hypoglcemia should be eating often during the day and should be eating complex carbohydrates. Foods such as fruit, vegetables, whole wheat, fiber bars, and all unprocessed foods are good for a person with hypoglycemia. These foods contain more nutrients, more fiber, more starches, and take time to digest, and won’t cause the “munchies.” Simple sugars such as juices, candy, cakes, pies, etc., will cause the munchies and also call for more insulin to be released from the pancreas, and remember the pancreas is confused in the ratio of insulin to glucose and sends out huge numbers of insulin to tackle a small amount of glucose, which is a bad thing.The person with hypoglycemia, should consult a registered dietician for a complete food menu.
Diabetes Feedback: Hypoglycemia Symptoms
Because epinephrine, one of the hormones that is activated by hypoglycemia, comes from the central nervous system, the majority of early symptoms of hypoglycemia are related to the nervous system.
Common symptoms of hypoglycemia include the following:
Trembling
Clamminess
Palpitations
Anxiety
Sweating
Hunger
Because the brain is deprived of glucose, a second set of symptoms follows:
Difficulty in thinking
Confusion
Headache
Seizures
Coma
Ultimately, death
Eating every 4-6 hours is important to prevent hypoglycemia.
Be adventurous and try something new to liven up your snacks between meals!
Each of the following counts as one starch:
One small apple, orange, peach, pear, nectarine, or tangerine
Eight animal crackers
Four medium fresh apricots or seven dried halves
1/2 of a banana rolled with 2-tablespoons Grape Nuts cereal
1 cup cubed cantaloupe
Twelve Bing cherries
Two chocolate mousse bars (Weight Watchers)
1/2 cup chow mein noodles
Two sugar-free fudgesicles
Three gingersnaps
36 Goldfish (adds 1 fat serving)
Three graham crackers (2 1/2-inch square)
1/2 low-fat granola bar
15 grapes
½ cup fruit juice
Five slices melba toast
1 cup skim milk
Three peanut butter sandwich crackers (adds 1 fat serving)
Two small plums
24 oyster crackers
3 cups popcorn (popped by hot air, or low-fat microwave)
1 slice of angel food cake
1 sugar-free pudding snack cup
Three dried pitted prunes
15 fat-free potato or tortilla chips
3/4 ounce pretzels
2 tablespoons raisins
Two rice cakes (4″ diameter)
1 regular Jell-o snack cup
Seven Ritz crackers (adds 1 fat serving)
Six saltine crackers
½ cup canned fruit
15 Teddy Grahams (adds 1 fat serving)
Five reduced-fat Triscuits
Six Vanilla Wafers (adds 1 fat serving)
Six Waverly Wafers (adds 1 fat serving)
12 Original Wheat Thins (adds 1 fat serving)
13 Reduced-fat Wheat Thins (adds 1/2 fat serving)
1 cup nonfat fruit-flavored yogurt (sweetened with sugar substitute)
1/2 cup of sherbet or I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt or TCBY frozen yogurt
And probably Metformin for the insulin resistance>