Contents:
- Medical Video: How To Manage And Treat Low Blood Sugar? - Manipal Hospital
- Various foods are recommended for hypoglycemia
- Whole wheat bread with peanut butter
- Fruit and cheese
- Nuts
- Yogurt with fruit
- Diet guide for low blood sugar
- After Wake up
- Snack before lunch
- Lunch
- Afternoon snack
- Dinner
- Snack before bed
- What should be consumed when symptoms of hypoglycemia strike?
Medical Video: How To Manage And Treat Low Blood Sugar? - Manipal Hospital
Someone who has low blood sugar levels or also called hypoglycemia, is obliged to sort out the food consumed. Avoid foods that are rich in sugar because they can increase your blood sugar levels quickly but can also cause a rapid decrease in blood sugar in people with reactive hypoglycemia.
Insulin in the body helps body cells absorb glucose. Protein, fat, and fiber are substances that can help stabilize blood sugar. In addition, foods containing carbohydrates with a low glycemic index value will help the body to stabilize blood sugar.
Various foods are recommended for hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia is a condition where a person has blood sugar levels that are below the normal level. This condition is not a stand-alone disease. However, this condition marks a health disorder found in the body. Hypoglycemia can occur due to various factors, such as diet, the influence of drugs and certain conditions, and exercise. In addition, this health disorder can also occur in diabetic patients who are undergoing insulin therapy. Someone who experiences hypoglycemia usually feels headaches, trembling, nausea, weakness, and anxiety.
In principle, those of you who have hypoglycemia should eat a little but often and add snacks beside the main food. Here are some foods that can be consumed daily to relieve symptoms.
Whole wheat bread with peanut butter
Wheat bread containing whole wheat has a low glycemic index. While peanut butter contains protein and fat. Combining foods that come from whole grains with protein and fat will make your blood sugar stable for longer periods so as to avoid the recurrence of symptoms that might occur.
Fruit and cheese
Fruit is a good source of fiber which can slow the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream. Some fruits do contain carbohydrates that are quite high. However, you can choose apples, pears, and oranges as fruits that are safe for people who have low blood sugar levels. Adding protein and fat contained in a piece of cheese to your fruit pieces can help keep blood sugar levels stable.
Nuts
Peanuts are a very good snack for people with hypoglycemia. Nuts contain a number of substances that can slow down glucose absorption. This one snack is rich in protein and fat which can slow down the absorption of glucose in the body. Try to bring beans as a mandatory snack in your bag.
Yogurt with fruit
Eat sugar free yogurt (usually the one) plain,not the one that feels). To add pleasure and fiber to your snack, add fresh fruit such as mangoes, bananas and strawberries. A mixture of both will produce carbohydrates and protein as an energy source. While the fat and fiber contained in it acts to slow down glucose metabolism.
Diet guide for low blood sugar
Someone who experiences below normal sugar levels is recommended to eat every 3 hours and follow the following diet to keep blood sugar levels in his body stable.
After Wake up
You should eat as soon as possible after waking up. A good breakfast must consist of protein and complex carbohydrates, such as:
- Boiled eggs and a slice of whole wheat bread with cinnamon.
- A serving of steel-cut oatmeal with extra blueberries and sunflower seeds. This type of oatmeal has a lower glycemic index compared to other types of oatmeal. In addition, it also contains soluble fiber which is good for slowing down glucose absorption.
- Additional unsweetened yogurt combined with honey, oatmeal, or berries.
Snack before lunch
Fruits can be an option to be a nutritious snack to prop up your stomach before lunch. Fruit contains lots of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and natural sugars that can be used as energy. You can combine fruits with protein or healthy fats to meet nutritional needs and keep blood sugar levels stable. Combining whole grains with protein and healthy fat can also be the best choice. Here are some snacks that you can try at home:
- Cut the apple with grated cheddar cheese on top.
- Banana pieces mixed with nuts or seeds.
- A slice of whole wheat bread with avocado or crushed avocado jam on top.
- Sardines or tuna with wheat crackers are added with a glass of low-fat milk.
Lunch
For a lunch menu, you can make a tuna sandwich or sandwich containing lettuce and chicken pieces. The bread used to make a sandwich is to try wheat bread, not white bread. You can also use menu options such as:
- Green salad with slices of chicken, beans, tomatoes and other vegetables.
- Grilled fish with roasted sweet potatoes and salad or sauteed vegetables. Sweet potatoes are rich in antioxidants and the most important are able to help the body to regulate insulin.
Afternoon snack
In the afternoon you are advised to consume complex carbohydrates. Moreover, the afternoon is a period where energy has been drained after a day of work. Complex carbohydrates are slowly digested by the body. This makes glucose absorption low and helps keep blood sugar levels stable.
Complex carbohydrates can be found in:
- Wheat bread
- Broccoli
- Peas
- Brown rice
You can make a menu of the various ingredients above like a cup of brown rice mixed with red beans or whole wheat bread mixed with peanut butter.
Dinner
Dinner is a good time to consume protein and complex carbohydrates. You can eat brown rice and eggs and a mixture of broccoli as a complement.
Snack before bed
Eating a snack before bed helps keep your blood sugar stable throughout the night. You can eat low-sugar yogurt with a mixture of fruit and nuts or smoothies made from vegetables.
What should be consumed when symptoms of hypoglycemia strike?
If you or someone closest to you has a sudden onset of symptoms of hypoglycemia, then immediately consume foods or drinks that contain sugar. This is done to stabilize the sugar levels in the body so that the symptoms that attack will also subside. You can consume warm sweet tea, sweets, fruit juices containing sugar, or glucose tablets.
In addition, you are also advised to eat foods with a high glycemic index such as white bread, white rice, or cereal. Usually the symptoms will subside after 10-20 minutes.