Jelly Babies or Jelly Beans?

[Dillinger]

It's a question we've all asked I'm sure, or perhaps it's just me ... :shock:

Anyway, I'm pretty fed up with the chalky Dextro tablets and tried Jelly Babies as an alternative to them for hypo corrections.

However, I seem to need quite a lot of Jelly Babies to correct moderate hypos; last night I over estimated my dose before dinner and had a 3.2 mmol/l about an hour after eating; so I took 6 jelly babies and only got a 4.6 after 20 minutes, I took a few more (3 I think) and then went to bed and woke high this morning. Which obviously isn't ideal; also it implies that they take a while to hit the system which is the last thing you want with a hypo; I want an instant glucose hit. Also, as low-carber I don't really like the idea of eating a handful of sweets at all; less would definitely be more for me.

So, when people say they use Jelly Babies do they mean the larger squidgy things or actually Jelly Beans with the hard covering that are sort of pill sized? They strike me as possibly being more effective being apparently sweeter than Jelly Babies? Any thoughts? Any Jelly Bean users? Am I just getting the Jelly Bean/Baby terminology wrong?

Thanks

Dillinger

 

[noblehead]

Give the Jelly Beans a try and see if they do make a difference, as you went low soon after injecting your insulin it wouldn't have reached it's peak and this may explain why you needed so many JB's.

 

[Ambersilva]

Hi,

I use Jelly Beans. Can't stand the glucose tablets of any variety.

When using glucose tabs I only need half a tablet to raise my levels a couple of mols. Even while out walking, a couple of Jelly Beans every 30 minutes keep my BS levels at a satisfactory level thus preventing hypos.

We are all individual and what works for me may be totally inadequate for fellow Type Ones.

 

[phoenix]

Personally, I don't like either dextrose or jelly babies/beans . They are both horribly sweet
The tiny lucozade jelly beans are about 1g carb each but others look to be a bit bigger. They're OK for drip feeding whilst running but they take me quite a long time to get down because they stick to my teeth. TBH , I only used them because I got some free at an exhibition and wouldn't buy them, I don't think their ingredients are any different to non sports ones.
Though I don't like dextrose, I'd use it rather than jelly beans for what I consider to be a 'real' hypo ( ie one that is caused by too much insulin rather than a 'low' as a result of exercise which is more under my control) .

But size does matter, how many hypos would this treat?
http://giantgummybears.com/ :lol:

 

[Sheffield27]

Hi

I use Jelly Babies as in the minature humans coated in powedered sugar. (I never thought I would how to describe how a Jelly Baby looks!)

If I am having a hypo I will have between 4 and 8. 2 Jelly babies will raise my BG by about 1

I cant stand Lucozade tablets! but that meant I never over did it which the same cant be said about Jelly Babies as I love the little blighters!

 

[Dillinger]

Thanks all - I've ordered a big bag of jelly beans from Amazon and will see what happens, at least I'll be able to fit some in the pill holder I got a while ago for stashing jelly babies (which doesn't work).

Best

Dillinger

 

[copepod]

Hi

I use Jelly Babies as in the minature humans coated in powedered sugar. (I never thought I would how to describe how a Jelly Baby looks!)

If I am having a hypo I will have between 4 and 8. 2 Jelly babies will raise my BG by about 1

I cant stand Lucozade tablets! but that meant I never over did it which the same cant be said about Jelly Babies as I love the little blighters!

Actually, mini humans, covered in starch powder, not sugar.

Off topic, I hve vague memories of a Two Ronnies (?) sketch about a chancellor of the exchequor, as a child, wanting the sweet shop owner to give him just jelly boys, not jelly girls, because they have a tocuh more jelly.

 

[iHs]

Dolly mixtures are fairly good and stay solid no matter what the weather temp is. Easy to eat quickly as they are small...

Also Barratt Spogz 'Hotfrogs' are a solid jellybaby type of sweet with a liquid glucose centre. Just what hypo diabetics need......

 

[xorsyst]

I tend to use the glucotabs rather than the dextrose brand, and I find them less chalky, and more resilient to being in a coat pocket for weeks.

When I have used sweets, I've found pez to be quite effective. A single-wrapped packet that would go in a dispenser works well for me.

Another alternative I've used is Rowntree's Tutti Fruttis, which have a hardish outer that keeps them fresher when transporting, but are chewy. I find the chewing required makes the sugar get absorbed a bit in the mouth, which tends to raise levels a little quicker.

 

[AMBrennan]

I find the chewing required makes the sugar get absorbed a bit in the mouth, which tends to raise levels a little quicker

That is a myth

 

[xorsyst]

I find the chewing required makes the sugar get absorbed a bit in the mouth, which tends to raise levels a little quicker

That is a myth

I appreciate I'm not giving any supporting evidence for it, other than that I've heard it a few times, but can you cite any sources for it being a myth? Isn't the reason hypogel is given around the gums for precisely this reason?

 

[Pneu]

I am not a massive fan of dextrose tablets but have always used them instead of sweets as I find they act quicker..

 

[anna29]

When walking my 2 yorkies I always carry a packet of kiddies jelly babies
in my pocket.
These contain 6-7 small jelly babies in the kiddies sized packs!
Only dextrose tablets I like are the blackcurrant flavoured ones.
Bulk buy these in from my local chemist have them stashed in my car,
hubbys car,handbag,bedside drawer!
Anna.

 

[noblehead]

When walking my 2 yorkies I always carry a packet of kiddies jelly babies
in my pocket.
These contain 6-7 small jelly babies in the kiddies sized packs!

Each individual packet contains 16.7g of carbs, they are handy for pockets/bags etc :thumbup:

 

[LaughingHyena]

I bought a pack of resealable snack bags from Tesco. Great for to carry a few jelly babies around in my pocket. They also come in handy for carrying a few nuts or other snacks too, or as intended for the kids snacks

 

[noblehead]

I bought a pack of resealable snack bags from Tesco. Great for to carry a few jelly babies around in my pocket. They also come in handy for carrying a few nuts or other snacks too, or as intended for the kids snacks

That's a good idea :thumbup:

 

[david252]

I'm not sure about the exact ingredients in jelly babies but it's possible that the other ingredients in them retard their absorption (ie they have a low Glycaemic index). This would explain why your blood sugars were higher the next morning. Or the morning high may have just been a rebound effect from the hypoglycaemia (if it was was a severe one with shaking/sweatinfg etc - ie lots of adrenaline release - this can cause your blood sugars to run high for several hours, or in some people, days afterwards).

I tend to use lucozade or similar high content sugar drink - it's very quick and easy to swallow and has a very fast absorption rate. 80ml (15g CHO) will deal with most hypos (even severe ones) pretty quickly and this also reduces the severity of any rebound effect. I appreciate the drawback is carrying around a cumbersome bottle all the time - but this is the best thing to use. An alternatives would be fruit juice

 

[richyb]

I use dextrosol now. Gluco tabs better for longevity in plastic tube. But tabs are sometimes hard. Not very consistent. Dext are now 3gr/tablet, used to be 4. I also carry a hard plastic sealed tub of jelly babies, but find they are slow. I also carry a carton of juice. All in a man bag

 

[Ushthetaff]

Mini can of coke cola here it’s the quickest I’ve found and easy to carry ,early morning rises in sugar especially after waking can be the old dawn phenomenon too .oh the complex life we live , and to quote something my mate use to say about his wife “ and it’ll all change tomorrow”

 

[sallymac65]

I use dextrosol now. Gluco tabs better for longevity in plastic tube. But tabs are sometimes hard. Not very consistent. Dext are now 3gr/tablet, used to be 4. I also carry a hard plastic sealed tub of jelly babies, but find they are slow. I also carry a carton of juice. All in a man bag

I used to take jelly babies but they melt in the sun, had to move over to wine gums that don't. Harder to eat though when you're low. You're a brave man, there's no way I could touch dextrosol or gluco tabs again, are too many as a child. Thankfully we're all different!