What Is Good For Low Sugar

How To Treat It

If you have hypoglycemia, you need to have food or a drink that is a fast-acting carbohydrate. Good sources include fruit juice, regular soda, glucose tablets, or glucose gel. A good rule of thumb is to eat or drink 15 grams of carbohydrate, wait 15 minutes, and then test your blood again. If your blood glucose is still lower than 70 mg/dl, take another 15 grams and test again 15 minutes later. Although you may feel like you want to eat more, be aware that eating too much can send your glucose too high.

CARBS IN A HURRY

There are about 15 grams of fast-acting carbohydrate in:

• 4 ounces of juice or soda

• 8 ounces of skim milk

• 56 Life Savers candies

If you use glucose tabs or gel, check the package, because doses vary from brand to brand.

A person who passes out from hypoglycemia should not be given food or drink. Instead, he or she needs a shot of glucagon. If your health care provider thinks that you may be at risk of a severe low, you will be given a prescription for a glucagon kit, which you should have with you at all times. Your friends, family, and other people around you, like a coworker or coach, will need to learn how to give you a glucagon shot if you are unable to treat yourself. If you have a severe low and glucagon is not available, someone must call 911.

What Are Some Tips To Prevent Nighttime Blood Sugar Level Dips

Best Overall: Rxbar Chocolate Sea Salt

If you want to feel like you’re eating a decadent salted brownie while meeting all your protein needs, you’ve met your match with an RXBAR. Dubbed a favorite by many of the experts we spoke to, Natalie Rizzo, MS, RD, an NYC-based Registered Dietitian, particularly likes the simplicity of ingredients: “RXBAR does a nice job of making bars out of recognizable ingredients. They are very straightforward on their packaging and tell you that each bar contains dates, nuts, egg whites, and flavors. My personal favorite is the Chocolate Sea Salt, and I find that the 12 grams of protein really keeps me full.”

Recommended Reading: Pedialyte For Diabetics

Likewise What Sweets Can I Eat On Low Carb

Crush your cravings with lowcarb desserts.

• No-Bake Bumpy Peanut Butter Nuggets | Carbs: 3.8 g per serving.
• French Chocolate Mousse with Orange | Carbs: 12.3 g per serving.
• Quick Keto Chocolate Mousse | Carbs: 6.9 g per serving.
• Low-Carb Almond Coconut Sandies | Carbs: 2.7 g per serving.

Here are 15 easy ways to reduce your carb intake.

How To Treat Someone Who’s Having A Seizure Or Fit

Follow these steps if someone has a seizure or fit caused by a low blood sugar level:

Tell your diabetes care team if you ever have a severe hypo that caused you to have a seizure or fit.

Read Also: Diet For Hyperglycemia Without Diabetes

A Low Blood Sugar Level And Driving

You may still be allowed to drive if you have diabetes or you’re at risk of a low blood sugar level for another reason, but you’ll need to do things to reduce the chance of this happening while you’re driving.

You also need to tell the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and your car insurance company about your condition.

For more information, see:

Healing Low Sugar Protein Drink Recipe

By Evelyn

Diabetes is a serious condition that affects more than 30 million people in the US alone and a staggering 84 million more may have prediabetes. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are chronic illnesses that deal with blood sugar levels. In order to understand diabetes, its important to know that it starts with the food we eat. Foods that are given a high score on the glycemic index scale will spike blood glucose levels rapidly. Foods that are given a lower score have a lower impact on blood glucose levels. When blood glucose levels spike, insulin is needed to transport the glucose from the blood to cells in our body. Health issues arise when high levels of glucose stay in the blood stream.

If not managed properly, diabetes can lead to serious and life-threatening complications. Some of these complications include nerve damage, kidney damage, heart disease, eye damage, impaired hearing, serious skin conditions, and even Alzheimers disease.

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Stick To An Eating Schedule

Dr. Kara warns against skipping meals frequently to avoid the rollercoaster of high to low blood sugar surges and dips. Spreading your meals out throughout the day, rather than eating a large breakfast or large dinner can help to regulate blood sugar. Eating regularly from morning through evening is the best strategy.

Whats The Link Between Diabetes And Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is most common, by far, in people with diabetes. Treatment for the diseaseoften involves taking medication to increase insulin. Hypoglycemia can develop if things like food, exercise and diabetes medications are out of balance.

Common pitfalls for people with diabetes include:

• Being more active than usual.
• Drinking alcohol without eating.
• Eating late or skipping meals.
• Not balancing meals by including fat, protein and fiber.
• Not eating enough carbohydrates.
• Not timing insulin and carb intake correctly .

Also, if someone with diabetes uses the wrong insulin, takes too much or injects it incorrectly, that can cause hypoglycemia.

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Signs And Symptoms Of Low Blood Sugar

Each person’s reaction to low blood sugar is different. Learn your own signs and symptoms of when your blood sugar is low. Taking time to write these symptoms down may help you learn your own symptoms of when your blood sugar is low. From milder, more common indicators to most severe, signs and symptoms of low blood sugar include:

• Feeling shaky
• Color draining from the skin
• Feeling sleepy
• Feeling weak or having no energy
• Blurred/impaired vision
• Tingling or numbness in the lips, tongue or cheeks
• Headaches
• Nightmares or crying out during sleep
• Seizures

The only sure way to know whether you are experiencing low blood sugar is to check your blood sugar, if possible. If you are experiencing symptoms and you are unable to check your blood sugar for any reason, treat the hypoglycemia.

A low blood sugar level triggers the release of epinephrine , the fight-or-flight hormone. Epinephrine is what can cause the symptoms of hypoglycemia such as thumping heart, sweating, tingling and anxiety.

If the blood sugar level continues to drop, the brain does not get enough glucose and stops functioning as it should. This can lead to blurred vision, difficulty concentrating, confused thinking, slurred speech, numbness, and drowsiness. If blood sugar stays low for too long, starving the brain of glucose, it may lead to seizures, coma and very rarely death.

Low Blood Sugar Levels In Diabetes

People with diabetes can have low blood sugar levels because of the medicines they have to take to manage their diabetes. They may need a hormone called or diabetes pills to help their bodies use the sugar in their blood.

These medicines help take the sugar out of the blood and get it into the body’s cells, which makes the blood sugar level go down. But sometimes it’s a tricky balancing act and blood sugar levels can get too low.

People with diabetes need to keep their blood sugars from getting too highor too low. Keeping blood sugar levels in a healthy range means balancing when and what they eat, and when they exercise with when they take medicines.

Recommended Reading: Which Cells Produce Hormones To Regulate Blood Sugar

Alcohol On A Low Carb Keto Diet

For years, Ive read countless dieting books that prohibited me from drinking alcohol. Actually, its probably the first thing that many diet gurus say to cut out of your diet and for good reason. Alcohol gets a bad reputation because its basically empty calories. In an ideal world, sure. Ill give up alcohol to lose weight. But lets get serious. Im 23 years old and I very much enjoy a tasty alcoholic beverage and a wild night out on the town with my friends. The beauty of a ketogenic, low carb diet is that you can still enjoy yourself from time-to-time with alcohol and still lose weight! However, there are some guidelines as to what alcohols you can enjoy and those you should avoid. Liquor On average, one shot is the equivalent to about 1.5oz and for these spirits have a nutritional value of 0 carbs and roughly 64 calories. Of course, this will vary depending on how much is actually in your beverage . Approved spirits on a keto, low carb diet include: Vodka Rum Gin Tequila Whiskey Scotch Brandy Cognac Please note that these are for the original, unflavored versions. For flavored spirits , always check up on nutritional information before consuming as they often contain carbohydrates. My spirit of choice is generally a nice gin or cognac . Ive been known to drink a fair share of Hennessy. Chasers & Mixers For mixing or chasing, you have many no sugar, no calorie options Diet sodas Soda water Diet tonic water Seltzer waterContinue reading > >

High Blood Sugar: Hidden Dangers

In the short term, high blood sugar levels can zap your energy, cause excessive thirst and urination, and blur your vision. High blood sugar levels can also lead to dehydration, dry and itchy skin, and infections. Minimizing the time spent above your target blood sugar range can help you feel your best and will help prevent complications and injury to your body.

Over time, high blood sugar affects many parts of the body. Chronic high blood sugar can start to cause noticeable changes, including:

• Memory problems
• Vision problems like blurriness, diabetic retinopathy, and blindness
• Gum disease that leads to tooth loss, which can make eating healthy foods difficult due to problems chewing
• Heart attack and stroke due to increased plaque build-up in the vessels and other vascular issues
• Kidney disease, which can lead to the need for dialysis or a kidney transplant
• Nerve damage that can cause decreased sensation in the feet and legs which increases the risk for wounds to turn into serious infections and even amputation

Nerve damage from high blood sugar can also cause a variety of symptoms including:

• Pain and tingling in the feet and hands
• Difficulty emptying your bladder
• Problems during the digestion process after eating, which can cause food to sit in the stomach too long and lead to nausea, vomiting, and erratic blood sugar levels

Checking your blood sugar frequently and taking immediate action when it is above range can reduce your risk of complications.

Also Check: Is Grapefruit Bad For Diabetes

How Can I Be Better Prepared For Hypoglycemia

You can take some steps to be ready for hypoglycemia:

• Be aware of the symptoms and treat them early.
• Carry some fast-acting carbs with you all the time.
• Check your glucose levels frequently, especially around meals and exercise.
• Inform family, friends and co-workers so they know what do if you need help.
• Talk to your healthcare provider regularly to make and update your plan.
• Wear a medical bracelet that lets people know you have diabetes. Carry a card in your purse or wallet with instructions for hypoglycemia.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Hypoglycemia is quite common in people with diabetes. If not treated, it can cause troubling symptoms, and even serious health problems. Fortunately, you can avoid hypoglycemic episodes by monitoring your blood sugar. You can also make small adjustments to eating and exercising routines.

Talk To Your Doctor Or Nurse

If you use insulin and your blood sugar is frequently or consistently low, ask your doctor or nurse if you:

• Are injecting your insulin the right way
• Need a different type of needle
• Should change how much insulin you take
• Should change the kind of insulin you take

DO NOT make any changes without talking to your doctor or nurse first.

Sometimes hypoglycemia can be due to taking the wrong medicines. Check your medicines with your pharmacist.

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Kite Hill’s Plain Almond Milk Yogurt

Made from low-calorie almond milk, one 5.3 ounce container of Kite Hill’s plain yogurt has 140 calories and only 5 grams of added sugar. Plus, you’re getting a dose of vitamin Ewhich works as a powerful inflammation-fighting antioxidant. For those opting for no-sugar, Kite Hill also has an unsweetened alternative.

Will I Gain Weight If I Start Eating Carbs Again

Focus on hard to digest carbs

Theres a reason carbs stand for CarboHYDRATES. Youre naturally going to gain a few pounds when you reintroduce them back into your diet because they contain water. The key is to pick healthy, whole carbs that wont cause gigantic spikes in your blood sugar.

Here are 10 easy and delicious ways to replace conventional wheat bread:

• Oopsie Bread.

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What Can Cause Low Blood Sugar Levels

Some things that can make low blood sugar levels more likely are:

• skipping meals and snacks
• not eating enough food during a meal or snack
• exercising longer or harder than usual without eating some extra food
• getting too much insulin
• not timing the insulin doses properly with meals, snacks, and exercise

Also, some things may increase how quickly insulin gets absorbed into the bloodstream and can make hypoglycemia more likely. These include:

• taking a hot shower or bath right after having an insulin injection increases blood flow through the blood vessels in the skin, which can make the insulin be absorbed more quickly than usual
• injecting the shot into a muscle instead of the fatty layer under the skin
• injecting the insulin into a part of the body used a lot in a particular sport .

All of these situations increase the chances that a person may get hypoglycemia.

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What Causes A Low Blood Sugar Level

In people with diabetes, the main causes of a low blood sugar level are:

• the effects of medicine especially taking too much insulin, medicines called sulfonylureas , medicines called glinides , or some antiviral medicines to treat hepatitis C
• skipping or delaying a meal
• not eating enough carbohydrate foods in your last meal, such as bread, cereals, pasta, potatoes and fruit
• exercise, especially if it’s intense or unplanned
• drinking alcohol

Sometimes there’s no obvious reason why a low blood sugar level happens.

Very occasionally, it can happen in people who do not have diabetes.

Also Check: What Fruit Contains The Most Sugar

Target Blood Sugar Ranges For Pregnant People With Diabetes

Blood sugar targets during pregnancy are lower due to hormonal influences. The ADA, AACE, and Joslin Diabetes Center have slightly different guidelines for target blood sugar levels during pregnancy. In general, pregnant women with diabetes will want to follow individual guidelines provided by their endocrinologist.

The ADA recommends maintaining blood sugar levels of 95-140 mg/dL for pregnant women. However, some providers recommend an even tighter goal of blood glucose levels below 89 mg/dL before a meal and below 120 mg/dL after a meal.

To keep close tabs on levels, most diabetes specialists recommend that women with diabetes during pregnancy check their blood sugar:

• First thing in the morning
• Before all meals

Consuming Sugar In Moderation

I think were all aware that excessive sugar isnt the best for your body, but as long as you consume it in moderation, youll be just fine. Ill admit, I love fruit and include quite a bit of it into my weekly meals, but the key is understanding which fruits have higher or lower sugar content. Here is a quick breakdown:

Which Fruits Have High Sugar?

• Banana

• Avocado

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Increase Your Fiber Intake

High fiber is key to the foods that lower blood sugar, so increasing your soluble fiber intake will help you lower your blood sugar. Focus on eating foods that stabilize blood sugar such as unrefined carbohydrates like whole grain bread or pasta, sweet potatoes, legumes, lentils, nuts, and non-starchy vegetables.

Another perk? High fiber foods can help you feel fuller. That can help you avoid overeating or craving foods that can negatively affect your blood sugar. Men should aim for 30 to 38 grams daily, and women 21 to 25 grams daily, according to the Mayo Clinic.