Wonderful and Unusual Treatments for Hypoglycemia…That Are Actually Healthyfeatured

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

How good are you at carb counting? Can you guess the carbs in this bad boy?

Traditionally when the nice weather arrives my family and friends have come to expect the following official announcement from me:

“Ice Cream Season has begun!!! Woot, woot!”

Well, no “woots” for me this year. :(

I honestly have no cravings at all for sweets… it’s crazy my friends. None!

I will send you all my chocolate stash. And I’m a big chocoholic!

That being said I have consumed a rather fair share of fast-acting carbs.

But as I promised in my last post, I want to share with you a few healthier, quicker and down-right unusual hypo treatments.

For crying out loud, the poor Peanut in utero has to undergo enough with mama bear having type one.

So instead of exposing Peanut to a free-for-all at the local 7-Eleven I’m aiming for the following healthier hypo treatments:

Let’s start with the unusual (I know you want to discover that first!)…

1. Baby Food.

What, what!?! Okay, so let me explain :)

This brand called Earth’s Best is a personal favorite of mine! And it’s organic too.

Having been a mom for over a year has introduced me to some pretty cool baby products.

One of them is baby fruit pouches (see pic at the right).

I first tried one out of desperation. Being too tired to shop and completely out of candy I searched the cupboards for a hypo treatment and came across this goldmine.

Some of the pure fruit pouches are 15 grams of carb exactly. But you do have to look carefully.

They are also almost indestructible in a purse.

And they are brilliantly easy to consume when you need something fast. Come on, it’s literally puree.

I will say, publicly I do feel awkward downing one of these in 3 seconds in front of other adults. But I will also admit I’ve done it nonchalantly at very public places like malls.

Another downside for me: My baby gets mad at me and wonders why I’m stealing his food… so I share!

A little note: If you want to try this… don’t buy fruit and veggie purees as they obviously don’t have as much carb and don’t taste particularly fantastic. Shhhh, don’t tell my son :)

Also make sure you look for ones that have a low fibre content, as fibre slows down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.

Meet my pet monkey, Bananas! Isn’t he cute? He loves posing for photos.

2. Ripe Bananas

I often have decaying bananas sitting on our counter. They’re my son’s favorite food so I buy them in bunches. The local grocery store probably thinks I own a pet monkey!

Truth is, I don’t care for bananas all that much. And I pretty much write them off during pregnancy because they tend to raise my sugar too fast.

But I know they’re really good for you.

Most people know they’re a great source of potassium. But did you know that bananas have 25% of your daily recommended intake of B6? They also contain: vitamin C, manganese, biotin and copper.

One typical banana has around 25-30 grams of carb. Bear in mind that the sugar content increases as the banana ripens.

I find 1/2 of a ripe banana does the job!

And I just feel so good knowing Peanut is getting a nutritional boost too.

3. Dried Fruit

Let’s face it: Dried fruit is delicious but it’s an enemy to people with diabetes.

Since it’s often covered in sugar, it’s so easy to lose track of how much you’ve really eaten.

Yes, that’s sadly about one serving size :(

Am I the only one who suddenly becomes a horrible estimator when eating delicious dried cherries and mango?

I’m like, “yeah, that was a small mango slice so I’ll count it as half a slice, but then a big piece is just one.”

Here’s the trick: Measure on a scale each serving so they equal 15 grams of carb and then place them in prepackaged baggies.

This way when you’re famished and searching for a treatment, you really can’t cheat.

Well… you can but you’ll be fully aware of your actions.

One word of caution: Many dried fruit products contain sulfites, which I generally think are good to avoid during pregnancy.

There are dried products that don’t contain them, but you may need to shop at your local health food store.

I purchased dried tart cherries (with no added sulfites) from a local cherry farm.

Tart cherries are a nice option for any of you ladies who may be struggling with insomnia. They have naturally occurring melatonin, which can help you sleep better at night.

4. Healthier Fruit Snacks

I’m not one to say fruit snacks are healthy. A whole fruit, in its natural form really is better for us.

I’m warning you… if your husband or significant others find these, they will steal them from you!

But sometimes when on the go I just want something to take the edge off the 3rd low I’ve had for the day.

So in these moments I grab fruit snacks that contain no artificial colours or flavours. No thanks, don’t want Peanut getting those.

A few of my favourite products are:

• Florida’s Natural Nuggets made my Au’some treats.
• Yummy Earth Naturals (Jelly beans, gummy bears and fruit snacks). My fav are the jelly beans called Sour Beans. I literally buy 50 packs online at a time at iHerb.com.

That’s all for now folks!

Drop me a line and help me add to this list. Looking forward to hearing from you, as always!