Re: Best Low Food?

Milk isn't anything I've ever heard of for lows, and don't think I would've even thought it!

I usually keep some kind of candy or glucose tablets with me. At home I'll also have orange juice.

But, to share a story: One time, I had a really low reading in the middle of the night, but didn't have any candy, tabs, or OJ. Feeling a bit desperate, I went to the kitchen and grabbed the first thing I could -- hot chocolate mix. I ate it by the spoonful, but it turned to globs in my mouth. I opened the fridge and discovered a bottle of coke, so I drank some of that to wash it down, knowing that would help with the sugars. 

Coke + hot chocolate mix = not a good combo. 

Wish I'd seen the coke first.

i usually use glucose tabs but my friends end up eating them more than i do. =)

i cannot stand the taste of any regular soda any more so i never go for that.

i have learned that juice is the fastest. (i like apple)

like most D1's i use a low as an excuse to eat candy!

I try to stick with a juice box because I know exactly how many carbs are in it.

But I've had many juice boxes explode in the bottom of a bookbag, purse, duffel bag, etc...  Not too fun cleaning up that sticky mess.

I try to stay away from the Capri Sun juice "pouch" type.  I've found that when I'm low it's the hardest thing in the world to stab that stupid straw into the pouch.  Heck, it's gotta be hard for those non-diabetics out there who just like to drink juice.  Haha.

It depending how low I am...  If I'm really low and need a super quick acting item, I drink either orange juice or use glucose tablets.  If I'm just slightly low and can spare a bit of time, I'll indulge in chocolate chip or Oreo cookies!

Nads

BrianC: I'm glad to hear that the coke + hot chocolate sorked, but seriously... Ew, gross!!!  LOL

Nads

as I'm reading this, my sugar just dropped to 59 so I opened up an Ensure and added my protein powder to it.  I also have gastroparesis so need Ensure and the protein to keep my weight and evergy up.  I also like Little Debbies cakes or snicker bars.

That just sounds gross, coke and hot chocolate, sometime though we get so low, we just start grabbing.

I love peanut butter and graham cracker too.  When in the hospital that is what they give you too.

i remember when i first started treating my lows with milk, we ran out of juice and i remembered something that a neighbor of mine told me about her husband having reactions to milk because i think he's a type 2 or something. and i was like milk has carbs. so i started drinking milk. but that was at home. while im out i usually have some sort of candy or fruit snack in my purse or back pack. usually im at a place where they have a convienent store near by with in the building i go to school at now.

to treat a low, a 4oz. apple juice box. 15g (yeah, the kind with big bird/ clifford on them) :-) or during class 4 glucose tabs (the watermelon or green apple ones, I'm not too picky)

after my bg has come up past 70 (usually 15-20 min. after treating) I eat crackers and cheese, or I like Cinnamon Streusel MiniWheats w/peanut butter. The MiniWheats have 2g carbs each, so I eat 8. My diabetes educator taught me it is impt to eat carbs and protein beacause the protein stabilizes bg.

I do about the same as Amanda. Under 70, I have glucose tabs. Once I'm up again, I'll usually either have a glass of milk, a high protein Power bar, something like that.

I carry little cartons of vanilla soy milk in my backpack and have a big old stash of them and Power bars in my office... Like the Horizon organic, the soy milk doesn't have to be refrigerated. If I'm under 80 and don't feel like eating much (or under 100 and still have active insulin in my system), I'll have one of those.

If frosting is something you like, try cake mate wriying frostings. One tube is 15g. they are small and can fit in a pocket anywhere. That is what we usually use for our son.

Everyone is using milk? This throws me off a bit. Our educaters stressed the sugars with no fat in them. They said it slows absorbtion and could actually result in going lower before coming up. Anyone have this problem? We do not drink milk but do use rice milk, so now I am curious.

my current nurse, and a pediatric endo I once had, recommended milk during the night only because the fat and protein that it contains will keep your blood sugars steady over time.  Soooo, this means that if I were to treat a low at night, I won't worry about waking up high as opposed to if I treated my low with juice....

hope this helps. 

mismidge,

I think this is one of those answers that begs for trending information.  If I am low and dropping quickly, milk or something that will absorb more slowly may not start working until I am actually in danger.  But if it was just a late check and I have a 65 and stable blood sugar, I imagine a bit of milk would be a fine solution.  Either way fat and protein are an important part of the equation, as with most things D, timing is the trick.  I would want to wait on slowing my carbs down in a fast drop but I may prefer it if I have a steady number that's a bit under target.  Once the blood sugar is stable you will want to know there are some more complex fuels available (fat/protein) so that the down-trend doesn’t pick right back up. 

Hopefully this didn’t muddy things up more than they were…

Cheers!

A-D

P.S.

I know you are getting a lot of inbound information these days, so I will also offer my favorite method for evaluation:  The thing that works?  Yeah, that's a good/right answer.   J