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Looking for food options to treat hypoglycemia

Ido_Wolf

Newbie
Messages
4
Location
Herzliya, Israel
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hello,

I'm looking for a list of options to consume when treating a case of hypoglycemia. Searching the internet hasn't been too helpful as most lists are very generalized and unspecific, mostly detailing the nutritional value of the desired "snack" rather than saying what the snack itself is supposed to be.

I'm looking for meals and "snacks" that fit the following criteria:
  • It is not too much of a hassle to consume in a busy workday (anything that has to be constantly refrigerated, for example).
  • It is easy to carry throughout the day.
  • It is not too noisy to eat, so as to not disturb a lecture/meeting (optional as I can get out of the room, but I do want to minimize interruptions to my comprehension and attention).
  • It does not take a terribly long amount of time to prepare (so it can be done daily, every evening or so if necessary).
I hope my question comes across the way I intended - I'm looking for very practical suggestions rather than the statements I've mostly found searching the internet, like "It should be low in XYZ" or "Avoid ABC". Since I'm trying to follow all of these tips and avoid all sorts of foods I've remained without an actual solution to the problem

My day normally consists of university courses, so I'm looking for practical solutions for sugar drops between larger meals and during lectures, as currently I'm relying on sugary soda drinks available on vending machines (as I also have Coealic disease and most of the food at the cafeteria is unsuitable to me), and I want to treat my hypoglycemia situations in a healthier manner.

Best regards and thank you!
 
I'd suggest that you buy sugar cubes and find a little pot to put them in. Pure sugar, no issues. Your hypo is treated. Isn't that what you are after?

There isn't really a "healthy option" for treating a hypo. You should be eating something to raise your bg level quickly. Are you asking for something that you can consume after the glucose intake to stay any other hypo symptoms?
 

Hi @Ido_Wolf ,

If your hypo comes on quickly then you need to get glucose into your body FAST. Liquids are much better for this than solids which take longer to digest. Full strength Coke (I appreciate you may not like this), orange juice or an energy drink such as Lucozade will normally do the business, and ready made milk shakes also have a surprising amount of sugar in them. Ideally I'd follow this with a small amount of longer acting carbohydrate such as a biscuit (in the region of) 10g or so.

If you have really good awareness and feel your hypo's coming on before anything unpleasant happens then just have the biscuit and see how it goes. You can also use a multitude of sweets such as jelly babies and sports type dextrose tablets which are quite discreet if that's an issue for you.

Any help?
 
I would suggest liquid.............that really is the best and quickest thing to take for a hypo.......

I take 250ml of isotonic sports drink, just ASDAs' own cheap stuff, but does the trick........
 
Glucojuice contains 15g of fast-acting glucose.
 
Lucozade is king in terms of speed, but not always practical to carry around.

I keep either skittles or fruit pastels in my pocket (to treat hypos) - and they appear to be okay for celiacs.
 

celiacs are gluten intolerant...
 
Neemo said:
celiacs are gluten intolerant...
Click to expand...
You can get virtually anything gluten free these days!

Are you having frequent hypos and if so, do you know why? Is your basal too high, are you carb counting inaccurately and over egging the bolus?

Ali
 
My favourites for treating hypo's are either jelly babies or dextrose tablets...while dextrose are much easier to carry around...jelly babies definitely taste better. If necessary I usually follow this up with a couple of Nairn's cheesy oatcakes...I'm sure I've seen a gluten free version of these too. Only problem is although they're in little packets...they do go a bit soggy once opened...so I usually keep them in a little tub...although a bit of a pain to carry around.
 
Wee cartons of ribena work best for me and are pretty easy to carry etc. However, I often opt for mini packs of haribo - they are a bit slower to act, but are considerably yummier
 
Ali H said:
You can get virtually anything gluten free these days!

Are you having frequent hypos and if so, do you know why? Is your basal too high, are you carb counting inaccurately and over egging the bolus?

Ali
Click to expand...

"Gluten free" doesn't equate to no gluten..Rather the semantics this meaning relates to is if the food contains 20 parts per million or less..

Additionally, there is also real possibility of cross contamination during the manufacturing process.

https://www.coeliac.org.uk/gluten-free-diet-and-lifestyle/food-shopping/law-on-gluten-free/

I have a niece who is a coeliac, she has adopted a gluten free/processed carbs free diet - best course of action IMO, as even 'crumbs' of gluten can lead to small intestine damage.
 
Jelly beans work very well for hypos, there is no need to follow up with a snack either. If you keep dropping then look at your basal as it shouldn't in theory be happening.
Jelly babies are a no no unless they say gluten free. Many have a warning on them to say they are not.
Really fast acting though is Kendal mint cake as long as you like peppermint.
These are a nice snack https://shop.9bar.com/ the online price is hideous so check out your supermarket or health food shops. The two bars I have tried have been less that 10 carbs per bar and haven't moved by blood sugars one bit.
 
I use Lucozade if I want my blood sugar to go up quickly. I buy the small bottles with the screw tops so they're easy to seal. I also carry dextrose tablets and always have done since becoming diabetic. They're nice and small.

Also useful are those little packets of children's sweets as, again, they're small to slip in your bag.
 
Neemo said:
celiacs are gluten intolerant...
Click to expand...

It's not hard to find 'biscuits' that comply with the current codex for 'gluten free' food............
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Most supermarkets produce their own G/F products which can be found in the free from section. Carb fat and sugar content leave a lot to be desired in most cases though.
 
I always have a bottle of lucozade close by. It has saved my life on many occasions literally (used to be alcohol dependent)

Especially early hour hypos (that are truly terrifying) after consuming large amounts of drink.

About a quarter of a small bottle (500ml bottle) will do the job in about ten minutes. I don't mess about when sugars are low.
 
Hi. Can I make the point that you may perhaps be focussing too much on treating the hypo and perhaps not worrying enough about trying to avoid them by optimising the insulin. Surely as long as you have glucose tablets, drink or similar always handy then that can be the best short-term treatment. Obviously a full hypo needs assistance from others. After the use of fast glucose then may be a little extra carb but you have to be careful not to yo-yo.
 
The other thing to bear in mind is that if you are on two injections per day, you may well need to have a snack post eating the glucose to pull you out of hypo.
 
Having stomach issues and also intolerance to anything with gelatine or jelly babies etc and also un natural products ie artificisl sweeteners or preservatives.. I have sugar cubes now thanks to advice here. I also have a packet of dried glucose from boots that I make up with water and put in a little bottle if going to the gym as a back up. I keep 12 cubes in a very small container that just about fits in my pockets if out walking. I could also though just pop them in to a zip up freezer bag if I got myself organised better.

At offices or working or at home I just put sugar in a coolish coffee or in a tommee tippee child proof mug with milk.

My advice is that it is best if you like the hypo stopper and will readily eat or drink it. Not much good if you find the stuff horrible as you would be less likely to have it. I know if I needed 3rd part help even if I was off my rocker I refuse lucozade or cold sugary drinks as I find them vile... And anybody offering them is likely to be told where to go.. Even though I wouldn't have a ckue if needing 3rd party help that I was saying this.
 
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