Diabetics!!! What do you Eat when sugars are Low??

Not diabetic but I do have some insulin resistance (or out of whack insulin production - not sure and I'm not going to spend money on a doctor to find out. I would rather gather my info from diabetics themselves - it's a disease that the patient has to manage - not the doctor) and I've done a lot of research - my father is on dialysis and my older brother has it. I didn't catch the damage in time but it won't go any further.

Got this off of Blood Sugar 101 (website - great one. Also has a book out but everything is on the website):

Keep some Smarties around. 5 Smarties (or 2 Sweettarts) will give you 2g of glucose and that will raise your blood sugar 10mg. They are made out of dextrose which is just glucose. It will go straight to your bloodstream.
IMO, though, I don't understand why you would eat the very thing that caused the crash (glucose). Are you still told to eat a high-carb diet? Unfortunately, when your glucose metabolism/insulin productin is broken all carbs, even whole grains, are going to mess up your blood sugar numbers. I'm learning that. I have to be careful with healthy starches, too (like sweet potatoes).

I've had a number of times when my bs dropped into the low 50s. I eat some protein and fat (fat will make you feel better and your body will convert protein into glucose. It does take longer so you would have to just deal with the nasty feeling. But if you need to bring it up fast then I think the Smarties would work.

I want to say if you wait long enough your body will take care of it, but I'm not sure if that can apply to a diabetic.

We diabetics can't diagnose you and can't advise you without knowing exactly what the problem is. It very much is a patient-managed disease.... all patients are different. What works for me may not have the same effect on you, Suzie Cue, or anyone else. Also, if you feel that you're having issues, get it checked out by a doctor. There are many different factors that can send insulin and glucose out of whack. It may not be just a diabetes thing. While yes, it's a patient controlled disease, you can't control anything if you don't know what point you're starting from. I used to be simply reactive hypoglycemic. I changed my diet, started exercising, and started watching what I ate and WHEN I ate more carefully. My A1C should have either stayed the same, or went down. It didn't. It ballooned out and I became a full blown diabetic--my doctor and I were both shocked. The body is weird, and when you think it's doing one thing, it could be doing something completely different. Get it checked out so you at least know where to start in terms of your body.

My late bride was a type1. We always had small hard candies close by. She would have one and the increase took about 10 minutes.

Here is what is on the Diabetes.org site:
Foods with 15 grams carbohydrates:
•4 oz (1/2 cup) of juice or regular soda
•2 tablespoons of raisins
•4 or 5 saltine crackers
•4 teaspoons of sugar
•1 tablespoon of honey or corn syrup

I find 4ozs of apple juice do the trick for me(measured} You are supposed to follow the 15 min rule but sometimes it takes 30 min to come up & every 15 min you can overtreat & end up with a high rebound. I used to eat (or gobble) anything & everything around me until the symptoms subsided Fother diabetics truly understanriend me if you like. Only other diabetics truly understand what we deal with from day to day & we can encourage & support each other.

Diane

I know a lot of people who use smarties. I was on insulin while I was pregnant and I used OJ, glucose tabs, and hard candy.

While nuts are great for keeping me from having high BS in the morning it won't do much in an emergency. Although often, when I go low I like some protein once I take care of the initial reaction.

If you continue to have problems, you might want to really look at how much insulin you are using. If you have become more active and/or are watching your carbs more it can alter the amounts your body needs. I keep hoping that if I lose the few extra pounds that it will magically control my BS. The website Blood Sugar 101 has lots of great info on controlling your BS.

I wish they would put me on insulin. I shoot way up overnight if I even look at a piece of bread or sometimes just because my body feels like it. I had to take a final last night and super low carb makes me kind of drifty so I ate a couple pieces of wheat bread yesterday and now I'm paying for it. Sadly, intense exercise also raises my BS but makes me need carbs and I just started doing 30 Day Shred. diabetes really sucks and what works for me doesn't necessarily work for you and we all have to just keep trying to find our own balance.

Diabetes support groups on MFP:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/search?error_user_id=1362324&error_username=yesthistime&order=0&page=2&phrase=diabetes

As a Type 1 for 38 years and being in "too" good of control according to my doctor, I've become as expert on low blood sugars as you can be without actually going to medical school. I've been put on an insulin pump to try to stop my lows and it's helped! Obviously, what works for me doesn't work for everyone else but here's what I've been told for 38 years by some outstanding endos:

Do NOT eat fats when you are treating a low. Fat slows down the absorption of the carbs you need to get the blood sugar to a safe level. So, no Snickers bars etc. Fruit, while not loaded in fat, can also be absorbed too slowly. It works for a lot of people but not for the majority of diabetics according to the studies my endo has participated in.

Eat or drink something that is fast acting (again, with no fat). The best is glucose tablets or drinks/gels. Next would be milk (high in lactose which is sugar) or juice. Be sure you begin with about 15 grams of carbs (the rule of 15). But as someone said earlier in this post, it sometimes takes 20 or 30 minutes for blood sugar to rise. Don't over do the carbs and have a huge rebound (been there, done that. . . went from a 32 to a 348).

If you don't like glucose tabs or dinks/gels (I fight not to eat those when I'm so low that I need help), try something you'll "like" or think of as a treat. I use Juicy Juice fun size boxes which are only 60 calories and 15 to 18 carbs (depending on the flavor). Perfect! Or as a lot of people have said, Smarties. Three "normal" sized rolls are 18 carbs and around 75 calories (no fat). Decent choices for those of us that are trying to lose weight and be healthy. Icing works for a lot of people but is hard to measure. Glucose tabs/gels/drinks, juice boxes, smarties etc. are pre-measured or easy to count out. Also, not high in calories or fat. Obviously, bringing your blood sugar up is most important! If you need to, use what ever is available and don't worry about calories, fat etc. A coma due to lows is not worth skipping that candy bar that is the only thing available!

Once your blood sugars return to normal, most endos suggest some sort of fat and protien to stableize. One serving of crackers and peanut butter works well for that.

I too follow the 15 g every 15 min as needed rule.. I've been type 1 half my life, so I know and understand how hard it is not to EAT everything in site! my husband still freaks out and like to stuff me full of food until i'm acting better. ( he's impatient)

But i keep glucose tabs EVERYWHERE my purse, my desk at work, the kitchen by the bed, one in my car and one in my hubby's car..

If i dont have them, then juice or milk. peanut butter is a good one to help keep it up so you don't plument back down, b/c sometimes it will raise and if you only had simple sugars, it won't stay up it will drop again.

orange juice even milk will do the trick. But if im not where i can get a drink i go for a candy bar!

i take glucose tablets and then some fruit or cheerios if it's still low. i LOATHE low blood sugars and i absolutely can not wait to be off of my meds.

I always keep jellybeans around. They are all sugar and have no fat so they're absorbed quickly without needing too many. I also like them because they don't go bad and don't need refrigeration, so even if I don't need them for a while I know they'll still be good next time I do.