The Truth about Healthy Carbohydrates and Low Blood Sugar

People are still confused. When you have low blood sugar, should you follow a high-carb diet or the opposite? Studies that have been conducted to discover the link between carbohydrates and low blood sugar have unfortunately produced mixed results.

Starting with the Basics: The Role of Carbohydrates

Food can be divided into several groups. One of such groups is foods that are high on carbohydrates. Carbohydrates, to health-conscious individuals, are the bane of their existence and represent their greatest temptations. Why? While foods high on carbohydrates are usually sinfully delicious, they’re also quick to increase your weight. Obviously, they’re not the types of foods that you could eat in abundance – even if you want to.

Carbohydrates can be found in rice, bread, fruits, and of course, sweets such as candies, chocolates, ice cream, and cakes. Yes, the best things in this world are usually high on carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates however cannot be eliminated completely because they’re an important source of glucose. Glucose or blood sugar is basically one of the things that keep our bodies functioning. If the glucose level in our bodies go past the safety line, our organs will be severely affected.

The Two Types of carbohydrates

Simple Carbohydrates

What They Are: When you eat anything with carbohydrates, the carbohydrates into smaller and more basic particles, like glucose. Some carbohydrates are simpler to break down than others, and these are called – what else – simple carbohydrates. These carbohydrates can be found in foods like milk and fruits. When you eat them, they almost immediately allow glucose to enter the bloodstream in our bodies. This can lead to reactive hypoglycemia in some instances.

What to Do: Limit intake of food with simple carbohydrates as much as possible. Because they’re mostly delicious to eat, it’s hard for you to stop yourself from eating too much of it. After overeating, the next possible step might be hypoglycemia.

Complex Carbohydrates

What They Are: Like protein, complex carbohydrates play a significant role in our diet. Like simple carbohydrates, they also give our bodies energy to continue functioning. Unlike simple carbohydrates however, complex carbohydrates – as you may have guessed – are more difficult for our bodies to digest and break down. For that reason, they have a somewhat more beneficial effect to our body. Since it takes complex carbohydrates comparatively a longer time to produce glucose, this will help in keeping the blood sugar level in our bodies normal. Complex carbohydrates an be found in foods like pasta and potatoes.

What to Do: If you’re already suffering from reactive hypoglycemia, the best antidote for your problem is complex carbohydrates. But again, don’t eat too much of it, or you’ll be back to square one!

Other Ways to Defeat Hypoglycemia

You already know how to treat hypoglycemia by choosing to eat healthy carbohydrates rather than its evil twin. That’s great. But don’t limit yourself to just one option. When you know you’re facing a life-threatening risk, it’s always better to have more than one lifeline to hang on to, isn’t it?

Medication – It’s very possible that your hypoglycemia could be just a side-effect of your diabetic medication, especially if you haven’t actually consulted a doctor yet.

Exercise – While we commend you for your determination and willpower, you’re not allowed to exercise too much or for too long if you’re suffering from diabetes. Exerting effort requires glucose expenditure, which may consequently lead to hypoglycemia.

Whatever you do, don’t do it without asking your doctor. That’s the way life goes for diabetics!