
February 19, 2001
Hypoglycemia, Meal Planning, Food and Diet
Question from Cullman, Alabama, USA:
Answer:
It would be a good idea for you to ask your physician what condition your daughter has so that you can contact a dietitian to develop an appropriate meal plan. I suspect that he feels her blood sugar may be dropping low between meals, and he wants you to give your daughter snacks between meals. If the condition he is thinking she has is hypoglycemia, a determination needs to be made as to the reason for the hypoglycemia is. Usually, for what is termed reactive hypoglycemia, keeping the diet as free of sugar as much as possible is helpful, and eating every two hours is recommended to keep the blood sugar in a normal range. Sometimes, eating sugar can cause the body to over-react, and the blood sugar drops very rapidly causing weakness and even passing out. Making sure that each meal has a balance of protein, carbohydrate, and fat is as important as limiting sweets. Foods with sugar should not be eaten by themselves.
I highly recommend that you seek some more answers from your physician and get a recommendation for a dietitian to help you develop a meal plan that will allow your child to grow and develop normally.
JM