Question:
Why do they make those glucose tablets so big? One giant pill is
only like 4g of carbohydrates. If you're actually low, it takes 3
or 4 of them at least. It would be handier if they made something
much much smaller for people who travel light. I know that anything
would work, but I would rather avoid the fat in things like M&M's.
Any suggestions?
Answer:
Best I've found so far is Smarties. They're almost 100% dextrose
(same thing as glucose) and come in small pocket-size rolls. 3 rolls
provide 15g of dextrose. SweeTarts are similar (and better-tasting),
but are a bit harder to chew.
Incidentally, candy that consists mainly of corn syrup or sugar
(sucrose) won't raise your BG nearly as rapidly as dextrose will.
Corn syrup has a high fructose content, which breaks down _very_
slowly in the digestive tract, and sucrose breaks down about half as
fast as dextrose.
So dextrose is the thing to use for treating low BG. It is absorbed
directly into the bloodstream through the stomach lining.
