To basically hate food

[restofthetimes]

I only eat to live and because I get terrible shaking from low blood sugar if I leave eating too long (think 4 hours max), but almost everything I eat makes me feel ill - palpitations and groggy with carbs or sugar for example. I can’t see a way to eat and not feel shit. Gp does t really care.
Aibu to think there is a better way?

lots of protein and vegetables?

delicious veg dishes?

The only thing that worked for me to stop blood sugar issues was a book called The Pancreatic Oath, but it involves lots of testing your blood sugar to work out what you can eat and I haven’t kept it up long term, but it does work if you stick to it.

Yes, there is a better way. You need to learn what works for you and go with it.

I would suggest you get help from a dietician, who will hopefully ask you to keep a food diary and help you design a diet which gives you everything you need nutritionally while managing your blood sugar to keep it stable.

Veg and protein good and I know to have that always for lunch. But not practical for every meal/ snack throughout the day.
I’ll look at that book - sounds a bit like a full time job. I feel like a baby half the time, getting colic and grumpy.

Thing to do is to find ways of making the things that work in a more snackable format. E.g. if veg and protein are good, you could make something like tofu/ham and veg little balls that can be had cold as snacks, or have a bit of cheese or a few nuts rather than a biscuit.

I can be the same sometimes and I find that rice cakes with something veggy and some cheese make a pretty reasonable snack that doesn't make me feel awful, as does a glass of kefir.

Little and often is the key.

Have you been tested to see if you have a food intolerance or similar? Palpitations sound like a reaction to something.

Do you think it could be a psychological issue that makes you not like eating - perhaps sensory issues or some sort of phobia/childhood trauma? Or something physical like intolerances? Some people really aren’t bothered by food and do only eat to live, and that’s fine, but this is clearly a major issue for you. If the GP won’t help see a different one, ask for a referral to a dietician

Thanks, I could try a different gp as never been tested for intolerance - I asked but she just said no.
Food is a very complicated and emotive issue for me, I just wish I could survive without it. I’d sign up to futuristic meals in pill in a moment.

Have you looked into the ketogenic way of eating? I've been doing it for 6 months and don't get any of the ups and downs I used to get with carbs. Also don't need to eat as often anymore as my blood sugar is not up and down.

I snack on babybels, boiled eggs, take cold meats, avocado, cooked salmon etc... to work for my lunch.

Good resources are the 2ketodudes podcast or the ketogenicforum if you want to find out more.

Food is a very complicated and emotive issue for me

Well that’s the issue isn’t it! What support are you getting to deal with that rather than with the food itself?

Is it possible your having the palpitations and other symptoms are anxiety around eating? I am a recovered anorexic, ive been eating healthily and at a healthy weight for over 10 years now but like you I just eat to live, I dont enjoy it in the slightest and eating in public or unhealthy foods is horrible.
Lots of PP have suggested physical causes but as you mentioned that food is very complicated and emotive for you I think it may be physcological.

Have you looked into the ketogenic way of eating? I've been doing it for 6 months and don't get any of the ups and downs I used to get with carbs. Also don't need to eat as often anymore as my blood sugar is not up and down.

I was going to suggest this as well. I am not all the way down to ketogenic but I do eat pretty low carb. And when I do have carbs (particularly sugary foods) I make sure that I eat them with other things rather than by themselves. It helps to minimize the impact of the carbs.

What about Huel? It’s nutritionally complete for humans and you just make it like a milkshake I think.
Close to the future pill idea.

Have you been tested to see if you have a food intolerance or similar?

There isn’t a test for food intolerance. A quack charlatan trying to exploit you and make money from you may try to convince you otherwise, but you cannot be tested for food intolerance. People can be tested for coeliac disease which is an immune response to gluten and for food allergy if there are symptoms suggestive of allergy/anaphylaxis, but your symptoms don’t sound like this.

Yes, the only intollerance tests worth their salt are tests for dairy allergies and coeliac disease (which is an autoimmune disorder not an intollerance anyway) The only way to find out as best you can is an elimination diet and then bringing things back in. But it’s an art not a science. Far fewer people are actually intollerant to gluten than those that think they are. More likely it’s just feeling crappy from processed white flour.

But that’s by the by - from your last post this doesn’t sound like a physical issue, it sounds like an emotional one. A dietician who’s worked with people with eating issues would probably be best for you. Do try and go back to the GP, or a different GP, and push for a referral.

Another thing that worked for me (but again, was too much of a faff to keep up long term) was something called Bright Line Eating. It’s a diet which involves eating no sugar, no flour and particular weights of different foods. I wasn’t a big fan because all the weighing drove me a bit nuts, but no blood sugar issues whilst I was on it despite only eating 3 meals a day. I had NEVER been able to do that previously. There’s a book called ‘Bright Line Eating’ with all the info in it if you’re interested. It’s aimed at overweight people but would work for blood sugar control too.