When your blood sugar drops below 70 mg/dL, you need fast-acting carbohydrates immediately, about 15 grams worth. The right food choice depends on how low your blood sugar is and whether you’re treating an active low or trying to prevent one. Here’s what to reach for and what to avoid.
The 15-15 Rule for Treating a Low
The standard approach is simple: eat 15 grams of fast-acting carbohydrates, wait 15 minutes, then check your blood sugar again. If it’s still below 70 mg/dL, eat another 15 grams and repeat. Keep going until your levels are back in your target range.
The key word here is “fast-acting.” You want simple sugars that hit your bloodstream quickly, not complex carbohydrates that take time to break down. Good options that deliver roughly 15 grams of carbs include:
- Glucose tablets: 3 to 4 tablets
- Fruit juice or regular soda: 4 to 6 ounces (half to three-quarters of a cup)
- Table sugar: 1 tablespoon
- Honey: 1 tablespoon
- Hard candy: about 6 Life Savers
Glucose tablets are the most precise option because they’re pre-measured. Juice and regular soda work well too, and most people have them on hand. Diet soda won’t help since it contains no sugar.
What Not to Eat During an Active Low
This part trips people up. When your blood sugar is dropping and you feel shaky or lightheaded, it’s tempting to grab whatever is nearby. But foods high in fat, like chocolate, peanut butter, or nuts, are poor choices for treating an active low. Fat slows carbohydrate absorption, which means the sugar takes longer to reach your bloodstream. You need speed, not sustained energy, in that moment.
High-fiber foods cause a similar delay. Save the whole grains, beans, and raw vegetables for after your blood sugar has stabilized. During the acute drop, stick to the simple, sugary options listed above.
Follow Up With a Stabilizing Snack
Once your blood sugar is back above 70 mg/dL, the job isn’t done. Fast-acting sugar gets absorbed quickly, but it also burns off quickly. Without a follow-up snack, your blood sugar can crash again within an hour or two. This is when you want the opposite of what you just ate: a combination of complex carbohydrates and protein that releases energy slowly.
Aim for about 15 grams of carbs paired with a protein source. Some practical combinations:
- Half a sandwich with meat, cheese, or peanut butter
- 8 animal crackers with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
- A small piece of fruit with 1 ounce of cheese
- 6 saltine crackers with a quarter cup of tuna salad
- 55 Goldfish crackers with 1 ounce of cheese
- 15 to 20 baked tortilla chips with 2 tablespoons of refried beans
- 3 cups of plain popcorn with 1 ounce of nuts
The protein slows digestion and helps keep your blood sugar steady for the next few hours. If a full meal is coming up soon, you can skip the snack and eat the meal instead, as long as it includes both protein and carbs.
Preventing Nighttime Lows
Blood sugar can drop while you sleep, especially if you take insulin or certain diabetes medications. You might wake up sweating, with a headache, or feeling groggy and confused. A bedtime snack can help prevent this, but the goal here is stability, not a sugar spike. You want protein and a small amount of slow-burning fuel.
Good bedtime options include a tablespoon of peanut butter with celery, a hard-boiled egg, a light cheese stick, or Greek yogurt. These are low in carbohydrates but high enough in protein and fat to keep your blood sugar from dipping overnight. If you frequently wake up with low blood sugar, that pattern is worth discussing with whoever manages your diabetes care, since your medication timing or dose may need adjusting.
When Food Isn’t Enough
If blood sugar drops below 55 mg/dL, the situation becomes more serious. At that level, you may feel too confused or disoriented to treat yourself. This is classified as severe hypoglycemia, and it can lead to loss of consciousness or seizures if untreated.
If you’re still awake and able to swallow, someone nearby should give you a fast-acting sugar source like juice or regular soda, followed by crackers with cheese or a sandwich once you can eat safely. But if you’ve lost consciousness or can’t swallow, food is dangerous because of choking risk. Injectable glucagon, available by prescription, is the standard treatment. It’s the only approved option for severe lows that can be given by someone who isn’t a healthcare professional. A person who receives a glucagon injection typically wakes up within 15 minutes.
If you or someone in your household uses insulin, keeping a glucagon kit accessible and making sure family members or roommates know where it is and how to use it is a practical precaution. Young children may need less than 15 grams of carbs to treat a low, so pediatric dosing is worth confirming with their care team.