I was in a doctor's office in the hospital, when my blood sugar started to drop. I was with a client seeing the doctor for him. We were waiting for a specialist to explain an upcoming procedure. After the specialist had spoken to us and left, my blood sugar dropped to 81 mg/dL. As his fellow studying under him was leaving the office, I told him my blood sugar was dropping and asked if he could speed the process up. Now the question was how to handle this without starting a blood sugar roller coaster ride of highs and lows.
I tried to be patient. After all, we were in a medical hospital facility that had a food court on the main level. All I really needed to do was leave this doctor's office with my client and make a wise food choice downstairs. Of course, this would make too much sense and be too easy.
After waiting 15 minutes, I could feel my blood sugar dropping even more to 73mg/dL. We still had to follow up seeing the nurse and scheduling his procedure which would take even more time. This was scary; so I exited the examination room and ran into the doctor doing his fellowship. I told him again my blood sugar was running low; but this time I showed him my Freestyle Libre app.
A minute later, a nurse was offering me a package of peanut butter crackers. I don’t usually eat crackers. They tend to blow my sugar through the roof. Still, beggars can’t be choosers. I took the snack and said thank you.
An hour later when my blood sugar was 192 mg/dL, I wondered did the doctor's office spike my blood sugar? I looked at the packaging and saw the carbohydrate count was 21 g and the sugar count including sugar alcohols was 7 g. So no, the crackers didn’t cause it. But why was my blood sugar still so high?
My blood sugar had just gotten too low. My body released glucagon from the alpha islet cells in my pancreas. This hormone triggers the release of glycogen from the muscles, liver, and pancreas. The liver turns glycogen to glucose that rides around in the blood vessels to feed muscles and the brain. This increased my blood sugar level on top of eating the crackers.
Don't get me wrong, I was grateful for the crackers. I prefer to enjoying a healthier option from the food court downstairs like this week's recipe. The crackers had carbs. It didn't have all the additional nutritional value that a cup of pumpkin puree has like fiber and 245% of our daily recommended value of vitamin A that helps your body fight infections.
Sources: "Pumpkin: Loaded with Scary Good Nutrients"
Mayo Clinic 10/01/ 2015
"Glucagon: What It Is, Function & Symptoms"
Cleveland Clinic 01/03/2022
Pumpkin Bread
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups almond flour & 2 tablespoons (for lining baking pan)
1 15 oz. can pumpkin 🎃 puree
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 eggs
3/4 cup vanilla flavored almond milk
3/4 cup of sugar free maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 tsp ginger
butter spray
***Optional decorative Halloween toppings***
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl and mix. I like to use a fork to mash out the lumps in the almond flour while combining all the seasoning.
Combine all the wet ingredients in another bowl except the butter spray. I like to beat the eggs first & continue mixing adding the pumpkin puree last.
Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine.
Spray your cake pan with butter spray and lightly coat with almond flour.
Pour the mix into a 9x9 baking pan
Cook for 50 minutes.
The souffle has a nice smooth texture. The light sweet flavor pairs well with the occasional sliced ham and riced cauliflower for dinner. The decorative Halloween toppings give it a touch more of a sweet flavor for a fun Halloween burial plot dessert. Or you may choose to melt some dark chocolate and lightly drizzle it over a serving. Take a look at last year's "Berry Smart" article for the chocolate coating recipe.
Healthy options like this recipe with just a touch of carbohydrates can make recovery from a hypo event much easier. For many diabetics, this may come from taking an insulin dosage that is too high. It can happen from exercising more than usual. Changing to healthier eating habits may trigger a hypoglycemic event as well. I applaud your hard work on improving your overall health.
Make sure to keep your doctor in the loop. It's even better if you can add in a friend or family member that sees you regularly to help you keep an eye on your daily health. It needs to be a person that can point out what they see without being judgmental. Or you may decide to pick up a Free Style Libre 2 complete with high and low glucose alarms. Hypo events mean your brain isn't getting enough sustenance, so you won't be at your sharpest and having a safety net can be a life saver.
Please let me know if this week's recipe makes it into your recipe book. Our diet can play a significant role in undermining our hard work. I'll keep working on the recipes to prevent this. If you have a favorite dish, please tell me. I'll create a diabetic friendly version, just let me know by leaving a note below. I've learned how to swap blood sugar spiking ingredients for others with a lower glycemic index. It may take a week or two, but I love the challenge. I'll also work on introducing more recipes to help lower the ceramides in the body. Please comment, like, share, and come back next week for more recipes, ideas, and tips. Subscribe to the website, if you would like weekly email reminders to add more recipes to your recipe book.
Disclaimer: This is not medical advice, but a compilation of research from medical sites. Make sure to see your doctor and have up-to-date lab work