When your blood sugar drops below 70 mg/dL, you need fast-acting carbohydrates immediately. The goal is to get about 15 grams of simple sugar into your system as quickly as possible, then recheck and follow up with a more balanced snack to keep your levels stable. Below 54 mg/dL is considered severe, and the priorities shift toward getting help fast.
The 15-15 Rule for Quick Recovery
The standard approach to treating a blood sugar low is simple: eat 15 grams of fast-acting carbohydrates, wait 15 minutes, then check your blood sugar again. If it’s still under 70 mg/dL, repeat the process. Keep going until your levels return to your target range.
The key word here is “fast-acting.” You want carbohydrates that hit your bloodstream quickly, with minimal fat or protein slowing them down. Fat delays how fast your stomach empties its contents into the small intestine, which is where sugar gets absorbed. That means a candy bar with chocolate and nuts is a poor choice compared to something like juice or glucose tablets, even though both contain sugar.
Here’s what 15 grams of fast-acting carbohydrates looks like in practice:
- 3 glucose tablets (the fastest, most precise option)
- 4 ounces (half a cup) of fruit juice
- 4 ounces of regular soda (not diet)
- 1 tablespoon of honey or sugar
- A small handful of jelly beans or hard candies (check the label for carb count)
Glucose tablets are worth keeping on hand because the dosing is exact and they work fast. Juice and regular soda are the best household alternatives. Avoid anything labeled “sugar-free” or “diet,” as those won’t raise your blood sugar.
What to Eat After Your Levels Come Back Up
Once your blood sugar is back in a safe range, the fast-acting sugar you just consumed will burn off quickly. Without a follow-up snack, your levels can drop right back down. This is where a combination of carbohydrates and protein matters. The protein slows digestion and helps keep your blood sugar steady over the next few hours.
Good follow-up snacks that pair roughly 15 grams of carbohydrates with protein include:
- Half a sandwich with meat, cheese, or peanut butter
- A small piece of fruit with an ounce of cheese
- 8 animal crackers with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
- 6 saltine crackers with a quarter cup of tuna salad
- 55 Goldfish crackers with an ounce of cheese
- 15 to 20 baked tortilla chips with refried beans and sliced vegetables
If it’s close to a regular mealtime, eating your meal promptly works too. The point is to not leave your body running on just the quick sugar fix.
What Not to Eat During a Low
Your instinct during a blood sugar crash might be to grab whatever food is closest or to eat large amounts until you feel better. Both of these are traps. Overeating during a low often causes a spike afterward, and choosing the wrong foods delays the recovery you need right now.
Skip these during the initial treatment:
- Chocolate, ice cream, or cookies: The fat content slows sugar absorption significantly.
- Peanut butter by itself: High in fat and protein, low in fast carbs.
- Large meals: Eat your 15 grams, wait, recheck. The urge to keep eating is strong, but it leads to overcorrection.
- Diet drinks or sugar-free candy: These contain no real sugar and won’t raise your blood glucose at all.
Save the protein and fat for your follow-up snack after the 15 grams of fast carbs have done their job.
If You Get Lows Without Diabetes
Not everyone who experiences low blood sugar has diabetes. Reactive hypoglycemia causes blood sugar to drop two to five hours after eating, typically because the body releases too much insulin in response to a large carbohydrate-heavy meal. The treatment for an active low is the same (15 grams of fast carbs), but preventing future episodes requires a different eating strategy than what someone on insulin might follow.
Eating five to six smaller meals spaced about three hours apart, rather than three large ones, helps keep blood sugar from swinging. Each meal or snack should combine carbohydrates with protein and some healthy fat. Keeping carbohydrate portions moderate (roughly 40 to 50 grams per meal, 15 to 20 grams per snack) prevents the flood of insulin that triggers the crash in the first place. Choosing high-fiber, low glycemic index carbohydrates like whole grains, legumes, and most vegetables also helps, because these are digested more slowly.
Alcohol can trigger reactive lows, and large amounts of caffeine may worsen symptoms in some people. Sugary drinks and sweets, somewhat counterintuitively, are among the worst offenders because they spike blood sugar quickly and provoke an outsized insulin response that sends levels crashing a few hours later.
When Eating Isn’t Enough
If someone is unconscious, having a seizure, or unable to swallow safely, do not try to put food or liquid in their mouth. This is a choking risk. These situations call for emergency glucagon, a hormone that signals the liver to release stored sugar. Glucagon kits are available by prescription in injectable and nasal spray forms, and anyone who takes insulin or has a history of severe lows should have one accessible. The people around them, family, coworkers, close friends, should know where it’s kept and how to use it.
If glucagon isn’t available and the person can’t eat or drink, call emergency services immediately. Repeated attempts to give sugar that don’t improve the person’s condition also warrant a 911 call.