What to eat to keep blood sugar up for a beginner!!!

[anthony c]

Hi everyone!!

What to eat that is simple for a very beginner who has not started yet and has low blood sugar??

I have been thinking about becoming a vegetarian or vegan for a long time now but reading about what to eat has me very confused and don't know where to start. It's all very overwhelming really!!!

I want to start off slow, like eat vegan stuff during the day and eat dinner as usual till i can keep the habit going and then 100% of the time.

Any fruits and fruit juice that you could suggest please??

I get low blood sugar and that is the main reason i want to become a Vegan. Looking to start eating something simple and non expensive. So why i am looking for something to eat that would keep be full for longer and keep my sugar levels up till the next meal without the horrible low sugar symptoms, any advice?? With eating snack between meals too.

Any meals i can start with that is not very complected, like what salads ect?

Thanks

[Miss Hepburn]

Keep nuts with you at all times.
Have a handful every 2 hrs...no more than 3 hours apart.
Forget fruit juices...could you change that to vegetable juices with
veg protein powder?

[Tobi]

Like Miss Hepburn suggested, nuts are a great idea. Any source of protein will also help.
There are also things like Quinoa which is filling and yet is high in protein. Something like cooked Quinoa sprinkled with toasted seeds or nuts would be pretty good and a satisfying meal (with veg)or snack on its own.
Hummus is good, maybe with some seed crackers or oatcakes? Oats are good for regulating blood sugar.
Tofu salad....salad with Puy lentils added....there are so many tasty ideas
Sugars including fruit sugars obviously will 'spike' the blood sugar so make you feel better, but then whoooosh! you come down again.

[Kaere]

Plain oatmeal is a great way to start the morning, maybe add some banana or berries you enjoy or chopped apples to add some sweetness if you like. Cinnamon is good too. Oatmeal is quite filling and will help maintain sugar levels (no crash). Just make sure you don't use the flavoured kinds, go straight for the plain quick cook oats. This could be a great way to ease your way into your new eating plans. Good luck

[Lucky 1]

I tend toward hypoglycemia and always keep a bag of Trail mix at home and my office.

The one l have is heavy on the nuts but also has dried fruit in it....walnuts seem particularly good at keeping me going......

The thing to remember is someone who has or tends towards hypoglycemia requires more fats in there diet to sustain there energy level......

Drinking fruit juice will give you a quick pickup that only lasts 20 minutes if your lucky.....then because of the sugar in it...causes you to hyperinsulate......burn it up and end up with even lower blood sugar than before you drank it......trust me....it's a one way ticket to feeling like ****!

And there!..... I helped out on the vegan forum without talking about eating meat!

[Debrah]

Originally Posted by anthony c

Hi everyone!!

What to eat that is simple for a very beginner who has not started yet and has low blood sugar??

I have been thinking about becoming a vegetarian or vegan for a long time now but reading about what to eat has me very confused and don't know where to start. It's all very overwhelming really!!!

I want to start off slow, like eat vegan stuff during the day and eat dinner as usual till i can keep the habit going and then 100% of the time.

Any fruits and fruit juice that you could suggest please??

I get low blood sugar and that is the main reason i want to become a Vegan. Looking to start eating something simple and non expensive. So why i am looking for something to eat that would keep be full for longer and keep my sugar levels up till the next meal without the horrible low sugar symptoms, any advice?? With eating snack between meals too.

Any meals i can start with that is not very complected, like what salads ect?

Thanks

If you had a varied diet to begin with, you can just leave out the meat, make a point of eating more nuts, lentils, green peas, beans, quinoa and pasta.
Peanut butter toast is a good breakfast, along with some oatmeal with seeds and fruit in it.

You can also have a fabulous smoothie to start the day (or maybe for lunch???). The recipe I use is as follows:

1 handful of mixed baby greens
1 scoop of chocolate protein powder
1 frozen banana
1 peeled navel orange
1/3 tsp ginger poder
enough cold soy milk to help it blend smoothly

and blend oil it's smooth. That recipe will make enough for you to share your smoothie with someone else and it is fabulous.

And you could also go to this link and I think it would give you a lot more information that you could look at and absorb. http://www.chooseveg.com/vsg

And like someone else said, keep the nuts handy. Walnuts are super because six halves will give you all the omega 3's that you need for a day and almonds give you calcium as well as protein. They are a natural and very healthy fat and do a lot to help get you over the low blood sugar moments. I always give my husband some to tied him over until supper is ready and he is one of those guys who also feels the low blood sugar shakes very easily.

For meals, learn to make a good curry. You can add lentils or chick peas to those, any veggies in the fridge, and you can have a meal for tonight and the left overs are great for taking to work or school the next day. And making it with coconut milk and adding spices makes it creamy and just as spicy as you like.

An easy seasoning suggestion for that curry is a paste from an Indian company called 'Kitchens of India'. If you have it, try the Hyderabad Biryani Paste. I opened a large pack of it, scoop out only what I need for that dinner and freeze the balance for the next time you make curry. It's hot though so be careful and don't overdo it.


It's a bit of a learning curve in the beginning, but once you got a few fall back ideas happening, it gets easier all the time.

There's also some great non dairy cheeses that you can use to make grilled cheese sandwiches, cube cheeses to add to your salads, even melted cheese on nachos. The brand that I've found that so far is easily available in the supermarkets is Daiya and you would find that in the natural, health food aisles of your store. Good luck and enjoy the new foods and dishes you'll be coming up with in no time.

[Bohdiyana]

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

Keep nuts with you at all times.
Have a handful every 2 hrs...no more than 3 hours apart.
Forget fruit juices...could you change that to vegetable juices with
veg protein powder?

Yea fruit wipes me out. Vegi's don't make a problem for me.

[Bohdiyana]

Oh another thing I do I take a firm cube of tofu, cut into slices. Put the slices into square/rectangle glass or steel cake pan with tamari in it. Coat both sides of tofu with the tamari and broil them. When side is browned turn and do other side. Refrigerate the slices and if you feel down from lack of protein, just make a sandwich with the tofu slices. Put on A1 sauce or mayo or mustard, onions, lettuce, tomato, whatever. It's a good hamburger, turkey etc replacement and tastes just as good or better.

[Debrah]

A tofu scramble is also nice and super simple. Just chop up all the veggies that you like for it, saute them until just about tender, add your spices, stir and then add your crumbled firm tofu.

For spices I would add salt and pepper, parsley, a touch of curry powder and maybe some Five Spice powder and a touch of soy sauce and that would be so easy and give you a nice balance of nutrients and be filling.

[Bohdiyana]

Originally Posted by Debrah

A tofu scramble is also nice and super simple. Just chop up all the veggies that you like for it, saute them until just about tender, add your spices, stir and then add your crumbled firm tofu.

For spices I would add salt and pepper, parsley, a touch of curry powder and maybe some Five Spice powder and a touch of soy sauce and that would be so easy and give you a nice balance of nutrients and be filling.

I'm not a very good cook but a friend makes something similar to that. I think she starts by putting olive oil and finely chopped onions in a pan, letting onions cook down then adding vegi's and tofu. She also will do the onions and olive oil, add tofu cubed then tamari, spices and yeast to coat the tofu. It goes great with pasta to add a protein to it. I want to try to get her to make a youtube of it to show how it is made. My video camera is really bad but maybe I will try this weekend.