The diet your husband should follow is a high protein, low carbohydrate, and bland, lactose-free diet in six small feedings. Your husband needs help in putting this all together. He should see a dietitian to individualize his diet to consider his food preferences.
To get him started, your husband should avoid all concentrated sweets such as cakes, pies, cookies, ice cream, candy and carbonated beverages. These foods trigger his hypoglycemia. He also needs six small meals per day to spread out the carbohydrate and calorie content of his diet.
His diet should have good sources of protein (beef, pork, veal, lamb, chicken, turkey, fish or eggs) at each meal. Breakfast should include peanut butter, cheese or an egg. At noon, a two-ounce meat sandwich would be good. At supper, a three or four-ounce portion of meat is recommended. The carbohydrate foods at each meal are limited to one piece of bread or potato, one piece of fruit and a vegetable. The in-between meal snacks are light. Snacks of cheese and crackers or fruit and cheese would be all right. The snacks help prevent the possibility of low blood sugar.
In regard to the hyperacidity, you didn’t state if your husband has an ulcer. Foods that stimulate the excess secretion of acid are alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, pepper, cayenne, chili powder, and curry. These foods should be omitted from the diet of a person with an ulcer. He should also eat six small meals per day. This should be evaluated by a doctor and not by the person himself.
Your husband’s hyperacidity and intolerance to lactose in milk limit the amount of milk he should drink to less than 2 cups per day. Any milk he does drink can be treated with lactase enzyme. Lactase is the enzyme necessary to break down lactose in milk. There is an over-the-counter product called Lactaid which when added to milk converts the lactose to glucose and galactose, which he should be able to tolerate. People with ulcers should not drink more than two glasses of milk per day. This is a big change from years ago when we had them drinking lots of milk and cream.
A diet that would supply the necessary daily nutrients is based on the Food Guide Pyramid. If an adult eats two to three meat servings, two milk servings, two to four fruits, three to five vegetable servings, six to eleven bread servings and use fats, oils and sweets sparingly by choosing a variety of food choices, he/she should be able to meet their Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA).
