What to give for low blood glucose

Oct. 20, 2021

For patients with diabetes, monitoring blood sugar levels is a part of daily life.

Low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, can occur for many people with diabetes who are on certain medications, including insulin and sulfonylureas. It can occur for a variety of reasons including skipping a meal, exercising strenuously, taking too much insulin or consuming alcohol, especially on an empty stomach.

Low blood sugar can be as minor as a slight inconvenience or as serious as a life-threatening emergency. That’s why it is important to boost blood sugar before it becomes problematic.

Angela Norton, a diabetes educator at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center, has diabetes herself, so she knows firsthand the tips and tricks of keeping blood sugar on track. Although blood glucose is considered normal if above 70 mg/dL, Norton says patients with diabetes should not wait until they reach below that threshold to take action.

“Treat when you feel the symptoms, even if your blood sugar is not below 70, because as long as it is less than 100, it may be dropping fast,” she says.

When it comes to treatment, Norton shares these five foods to help boost low blood sugar.

1. Candy
When hypoglycemia occurs, patients should follow the 15-15 rule. Consume 15 grams of carbohydrates to raise blood glucose and check your levels again after 15 minutes. When the numbers return to normal, eat a snack to stay on track.

Gummy candies contain carbohydrates, which have a large impact on blood sugar levels.

“Simple sugar-based foods absorb rapidly into the bloodstream after you eat them and can raise your blood sugar within five to 15 minutes,” says Norton.

She recommends eating between 15 and 30 grams of carbohydrates to help increase blood sugar. When it comes to candy, she suggests eating one of the following portions: 12 gummy bears, five ring-shaped candies, 15 hard-shelled fruit-flavored candies, four chewy fruit candies or six large jelly beans.

2. Fresh or dried fruit
Fruits that provide the appropriate amount of carbohydrates include half a banana, 15 grapes, two tablespoons of raisins or a small apple or orange.

3. Fruit juice
Fruit juice can also boost blood sugar levels. Norton suggests half a cup (4 ounces ) of your favorite fruit juice, such as apple, orange, pineapple or cranberry juice.

4. Fat-free milk
Milk contains vitamin D and carbohydrates, so Norton suggests drinking one cup of fat-free milk when your glucose levels start to drop.

5. Honey
“Having one tablespoon of honey or jam as a snack after your blood sugar dips is a good way to balance out blood glucose levels,” says Norton.

Norton says it’s important for patients to find the snacks that work best for them. “There are many other foods you can use, and each person finds their own favorite. Mine are little bags of organic fruity snacks that have 17 grams of fast-acting carbohydrates in each pouch,” she says.

Sharp HealthCare offers diabetes education classes that cover a wide range of topics — including nutrition, exercise and medications — that empower people with diabetes to improve their overall wellness.

Medically reviewed by Jillian Kubala, MS, RD, Nutrition — By Mary Ellen Phipps MPH, RDN, LD — Updated on February 4, 2021

Health and wellness touch each of us differently. This is one person’s story.

Shaky. Fuzzy. Sleepy. Tired. Low. Crashing.

These are all words I used growing up with type 1 diabetes, to describe how I was feeling when my blood sugar was low.

I was diagnosed when I was 5. So I came up with some interesting ways to describe how I was feeling to my parents and other adults in my life.

I remember one time when I was in kindergarten, I was describing how I felt to a PE teacher, and she thought I was just trying to get out of having to do the activity.

I nearly had a hypoglycemic seizure because I didn’t have access to proper attention or treatment. (In her defense, she was a substitute and hadn’t been told I had diabetes.)

So, what is the proper treatment for low blood sugar? To answer that question, we first need to know what’s considered low blood sugar or hypoglycemia.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) defines hypoglycemia as anytime your blood sugar is lower than the healthy range. This can be different for each person with diabetes, but it usually means blood sugar less than 70 mg/dL (1).

Symptoms to look out for can include:

tiredness
increased appetite
cloudy thinking
blurry vision
an inability to concentrate
pale facial complexion
sweating

I’ve sometimes described it to my friends who don’t have diabetes as an almost “out of body” experience.

Once you start to feel these symptoms, it’s crucial to immediately test your blood sugar to confirm if you are, in fact, experiencing hypoglycemia.

Some of these symptoms are also characteristic of high blood sugar levels or hyperglycemia. You may also feel these symptoms anytime you experience a rapid drop in your blood sugar.

For example: If your blood sugar is high and you take insulin to bring it down, you may feel the symptoms commonly associated with hypoglycemia as your blood sugar dips, even if it isn’t low by definition (2).

Once you’ve confirmed your blood sugar is low — or lower than normal — how should you treat it? Essentially, you want fast-acting carbohydrates, which are simple sugars with little to no fiber.

You also want to avoid high fat foods. The fat that will often stabilize blood sugars after meals can actually delay how quickly your body absorbs those needed simple carbohydrates.

In the case of low blood sugar, that’s the opposite of what you want.

The most commonly recommended treatment for low blood sugar is glucose tablets or glucose gel.

And let me tell you, those glucose tablets aren’t the tastiest things in the world. Think chalky, super sweet, and fake fruit flavor all rolled into one… sounds appetizing, I know (1).

So while these treatments are highly effective, they’re not exactly what this dietitian would call “nutritious.”

Don’t get me wrong; nutrition isn’t our main goal when treating low blood sugar — raising your blood sugar quickly is the primary goal.

But what if you could adequately treat low blood sugar and not have to resort to chalky tablets filled with processed sugar, food coloring, and artificial flavors?

Speaking from both professional and personal experience, here are 10 ways to treat low blood sugar with real food:

If your blood sugar is greater than 80 mg/dL, but you’re feeling symptoms of hypoglycemia:

1. all-natural peanut butter with no added sugar (I prefer this one)

Share on PinterestGabriel Bucataru/Stocksy United

If your blood sugar is greater than 80 mg/dL, you’re likely experiencing these symptoms due to rapidly changing blood sugar levels and don’t require quick-acting carbohydrates.

Peanut butter (or any nut butter) without added sugar is filled with protein and fat and can help alleviate these symptoms without raising your blood sugar.

If your blood sugar is 70–80 mg/dL:

2. peanut butter and crackers

At this point, your blood sugar is still not technically low, by definition. However, this may be lower than you’re comfortable with.

Any form of starch — in this case, crackers — will help gradually raise your blood sugar just slightly, and the fat and protein in the peanut butter will sustain those levels.

If your blood sugar is 55–70 mg/dL:

3. raisins

4. medjool dates

5. applesauce

6. bananas

7. grapes

8. pineapple

Share on PinterestWoman cutting pineapple on desk 1181341225 Eclipse_images/Getty Images

All the foods listed above are fresh or dried fruit with higher amounts of naturally occurring sugars than other fruits. While some fiber is present in these, the amount is minimal and will raise blood sugar quickly and effectively.

If your blood sugar is less than 55 mg/dL:

9. 100% grape juice

10. honey or maple syrup

If your blood sugar has dropped below 55 mg/dL, you need quick, rapid-acting liquid carbohydrates. There should be no fiber, fat, or protein present.

Grape juice is one of the highest carbohydrate-filled juices and is my choice for myself and clients experiencing this severity of hypoglycemia.

Some people have trouble chewing and swallowing when blood sugar reaches this level, so we want to focus on concentrated sources of carbohydrates, like higher-carbohydrate juices, or sweeteners like maple syrup and honey.

Before implementing any of these suggestions into your hypoglycemia plan, make sure to talk with your healthcare provider first.

Mary Ellen Phipps is the registered dietitian nutritionist behind Milk & Honey Nutrition. She’s also a wife, mom, has type 1 diabetes, and is a recipe developer. Browse her website for yummy diabetes-friendly recipes and helpful nutrition tips. She strives to make healthy eating easy, realistic, and most importantly… fun! She has expertise in family meal planning, corporate wellness, adult weight management, adult diabetes management, and metabolic syndrome. Reach out to her on Instagram.

What do you give for low glucose?

Eat or drink 15 to 20 grams of fast-acting carbohydrates. These are sugary foods or drinks without protein or fat that are easily converted to sugar in the body. Try glucose tablets or gel, fruit juice, regular (not diet) soda, honey, or sugary candy.

How can I raise my low blood sugar quickly?

Your doctor may tell you to have really sugary foods or drinks (like regular soda, orange juice, or cake frosting) or might give you glucose tablets or gel to take — all of these can help to raise your blood sugar level fast, which is what you need to do when it's low. Wait about 10 minutes to let the sugar work.