One Friday per month, I’ll write about my favorite diabetes products. These items make the cut because they’re functional, fashionable, or fun – but usually, all three at once!
Mini boxes of yogurt-covered raisins is an oddly specific kind of food, but they’ve literally saved my life (and my mom’s) hundreds of times.
I’m almost certain that I introduced these raisins into our low supply kit because I was looking for something that 1) was portable 2) had 10-15 grams of carbs 3) could be quick and easy to consume and 4) wasn’t glucose tablets (I get sick of them). I must’ve been browsing through the aisles of the grocery store when I found a bag containing 10 mini boxes of raisins. Clocking in at exactly 10 grams of carbs per box, they seemed to fit the bill nicely. I brought them on a trip to Disney World soon after buying my first bag, and that sealed the deal for me. They proved to be super convenient throughout the trip and helped prevent me from over-correcting my lows, which was huge for me.
Since that trip, the raisins have become a go-to low treatment for me and my mom, who agrees that they work just as well as glucose tablets. They’re much tastier than glucose tablets, and qualify as a healthier way to treat a low. As tempting as it might be to treat with Skittles or Starbursts, I struggle to control my intake of the candy when dealing with a particularly icky low. The raisins are already perfectly portioned, so that eliminates the can’t-stop-won’t-stop (eat ALL the foods!) feeling that can make dealing with low blood sugars difficult.
The raisins are excellent on the go, too. I can pop a box of them in the car, at my office desk, in the gym, or at church. I’ve even whipped them out at bars, and my friends get a bit of a chuckle when I down them like a shot of alcohol. But honestly, they’re so discreet and go down so easily that most of the time, people don’t even notice that I’m eating them. And if people aren’t noticing yet another part of my otherwise very prominent diabetes care kit, then that suits me just fine!
Hugging the Cactus 
Another good tablet replacing food. The biggest issue I have with using sugar tabs is the lack of carbs in them. For me it depends on how soon I catch it and how low it already is. At a minimum, I need about 30 grams and at times as much as 50 grams. In pinch I’ve used a 12oz can of Mt Dew which is 46 grams. I go from 80 to 148 and then it drops again, usually way too soon, maybe 90 minutes, but it is fast acting. lol I may try the raisins. It has been a long time since mom bought us those back when Fred Flintstone was just starting his career at the quarry. lol I’m going to break out the polish for my cane later this morning. This is a good point as to the difference in treatment from person to person. Your fix at first look may not work well for me and I can only hazard a guess that fix fix will not work for you either. I’m still going to look into it though. Never ignore a suggestion.
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