Just a Thought

Type 1 and LADA Teens and Young Adults
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I don’t know about the rest of you, but when my blood glucose drops below 65, I sometimes have trouble counting accurately. I know that if I eat 15 carbs, my blood sugar will climb back into range and I will be fine. So when I am using Skittles (1 carb each) to come out of a low, I have found that putting 15 into a small condiment cup before I go low and storing those cups in my cupboard works great. Then when I go low, all I have to do is pop the top off one of the cups and eat the correct amount of Skittles.

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This method saves money because I can buy Skittles in bulk, the condiment cups are inexpensive if purchased at a place like Costco or Sam’s, and the accurate count prevents me from eating Skittles by the handful, which I am prone to do to try to get out of a low more quickly.

For those of you caring for children with diabetes, this also is an easy way for you to teach the child that just ONE cup is all that he or she needs. And these cups with their tops fit well into picnic baskets, gym bags, bags that go to babysitters, or storage areas in cars (although the Skittles DO tend to melt if forgotten in a hot car!).

This works for me, so I thought I would share this idea with you. Have a great day!

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Great idea!!

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Don’t you find that 15 Skittles make you go HIGH? Over my years of experience, I found that it is best for me to take 4 Skittles first. Then, depending upon how fast I’m going low, add 2 more Skittles. I also like to eat something with a bit of fat in it such as a slice of cheese. That brings me up and keeps me up without taking me on a rollercoaster.

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We all are so very different in how our bodies react to glucose, but you make a valid point. For me, if I am going down quickly due to exercise or to overestimating how many carbs I are, I find 15 works well. For someone else, five or ten may work just fine.

With something like a big bag of Skittles, my idea is to just count out however many work for you or your child, and have that dose neatly put together in a small, covered container for easy access. The system works for me and keeps me from eating too many. As a former teacher, I also know that having something from a parent to give to a diabetic child in trouble also is convenient and the least disruptive in a classroom.

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This is a fantastic idea. Having recently started insulin, I was “prepping” for lows and purchased several small bottle of glucose tablets, but I like this skittle idea much better for day-to-day use.

I’ll keep the glucose tabs in my car (I’m sure skittles would dissolve in our hot, south Florida sun lol).

Thanks for the tip!! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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You are SO right. I live in Florida in the winter time, and even in the “cooler” temperatures of winter, Skittles in the car are not a good idea. I carry glucose tablets in my purse and in my car, saving the Skittles for the A/C environments!

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You may want to try Swedish Fish. They tend to handle temperature and humidity variations quite well

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I know about Swedish fish. They were a staple in care boxes sent to soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq because they do not melt.
Thanks, anyway, but I’ll stay with the glucose tabs in the car. Those, I know, will not melt in the warmest of cars. :grin:

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You’re speaking my language. I LOVE Swedish Fish. They’re one of my favorite candies.

At least that’s one bright spot for this dreadful disease! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Each one drives my BG up 15 points so makes for easy math too!!! :slightly_smiling_face:

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I was reading all of these to my mother, and it struck me as a bit funny and ironic that I am gearing myself up with sweets and things I rarely ate prior to being diagnosed with diabetes.

I wonder if I could get away with calling the seven pound bag of Skittles on Amazon a necessary product for my diabetes care?? :sweat_smile::blush:

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I have a different view of this. After having had T1 for almost 50 years and being a committed Sugar Surfer, if I had eaten skittles every time I was heading a bit lower, I would have eaten TONS of skittles. And the ingredients in skittles are eye opening: first three ingredients are sugar (ok, good), corn syrup (ok, pure glucose, even better), and hydrogenated palm kernel oil (WHAT - TRANS FAT!!!). Let alone that the fat is possibly slightly slowing down the glucose into bloodstream, more importantly I avoid trans fats assiduously. Once I found out skittles and starburst are made with trans fats, they became candies I USED to have occasionally, but never more.

So what do I eat as a sugar surfer when my BG is trending down at a reasonable rate - fruit of course! I keep small glass jars with raisins and or dates in all of our cars and next to my bed, so it is always there as a fallback. But I also always keep fresh fruit around, whatever is in season. When I’m at home, a down trending BG will send me to our pantry or fridge for the ripest fruit. And when headed out the door I’ll usually grab a couple pieces of whatever fresh fruit is ripe to have it when I’m running around. If I don’t need it I bring it home, ready for the next BG excursion.

When I buy fruit I buy it not just for freshness but also for size. And small or medium size fruit (apple, pear, orange, peach, 1/2 banana) is already packaged in 10 or 15g carb containers (their skin or peel) so no plastic tubs needed. Melon takes more of a commitment, so usually gets eaten at home, though I’ll sometimes cut some pieces into a Tupperware to take on the go.

Besides raisins and dates we almost always have apples and oranges (which last a LONG time in fridge) plus this week cantaloupe and red grapes; last week peaches and mangoes; couple weeks ago watermelon and bananas; kiwis and papaya; etc.

I don’t want it to sound like I never eat anything sweet besides fruit, I’ll sometimes treat a trending low with some chocolate chip cookie, Reese or other candy, even a pastry or ice cream if roaming around and that makes sense at the time. But I keep fresh fruit around because I love it, and try to go there first because I believe it is healthier for me in the long run (50 years and counting).

And I also DO always carry around smarties (glucose candy rolls), and each roll of these is 6g glucose. They are my desperate, fall back, last resort carb if my BG is going down fast and I want the fastest possible treatment. They are always kept in my BG meter case and cars forever, and have the same advantages as glucose tabs of being indestructible, pure glucose and therefore fastest possible treatment. Even when low I can count to three, so in the rare event I need them, they are easy to dose, whether I need 6, 12 or 18g carb.

But when it is not an all out emergency, I’ll head for fruit first. Teaching kids to eat real food is important! I was very lucky to have learned to eat vegetables and fruit of every variety from my mom who grew up on a farm.

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Smarties are my goto. An 8 lb bag on Amazon is lowest unit price for glucose anywhere. I have a plastic box from a 35 stick pack of Extra cheming. It holds 9 rolls of Smarties perfectly and fits nicely in my pocket. And pure glucose is the best treatment for hypos.