Low Blood Sugar Go-To's so We Don't Over Treat

Low blood sugars suck! Symptoms can seemly come out of nowhere and have us feeling hungry, horrible, shaky, anxious, confused, sweaty, plus a host of other symptoms, which are all scary. Low blood sugars make us feel as if we will drop at any second.

Experiencing a low blood sugar

And at least half of the time, they seem to occur at the most inopportune of moments - like when 10 minutes away from a big work presentation, or while standing in the middle of the TSA line at the airport.

The whole “eat or drink 15 grams of carbs, then wait 15 minutes, check your blood sugar before treating again,” isn’t always easy to do in the throws of a low blood glucose. Afterward, we are left feeling worn-out, emotional, and possibly dealing with high glucose spikes after the fact. All of the above means it’s incredibly easy to over-treat a low blood glucose.

Tips for treating a low blood sugar

Here are some quick and easy low blood sugar treatments that roughly equal 15 grams of carbs, or slightly more.
Note: Carb counts vary by brand so be sure to read labels.

• 3 to 4 glucose tabs at 4 grams per glucose tab. My favorite glucose tabs: mixed fruit and green apple flavors.
• Small glucose gel tubes and or pouches, carb counts fluctuate, but most small size pouches and tubes are about 15 grams of carbs.
• 1 juice box of your favorite flavor juice equals roughly 15 grams of carbs. I prefer fruit punch, cran-apple, or lemonade.
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce and depending on the brand - 15 grams of carbs.
• 1 mini snack size of Sun-Maid raisins contain 11 grams of carbs, 2 contain 22 grams of carbs.
• 3 Sunsweet individually wrapped prunes contain 6.5 grams of carbs each, with a total of three containing 19.5 grams of carbs.
• 8-ounces (1 cup) of dark chocolate almond milk contains 19 grams of carbs.