When it comes to high blood sugar, everyone is alarmed, but not many people understand low blood sugar. What you may not know is that low blood sugar can be even more dangerous than high blood sugar.
[Common Causes of Low Blood Sugar]
1. Severe organ diseases such as liver and kidney
The liver's ability to synthesize, store, and break down glycogen is impaired, and the liver or kidneys have a decreased ability to inactivate and excrete insulin, which can cause low blood sugar even with regular doses of insulin.
2. Overuse of oral hypoglycemic drugs
This is particularly common in elderly diabetic patients with liver and kidney dysfunction.
3. Excessive alcohol consumption
Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol on an empty stomach, especially in malnourished diabetic patients, can easily cause low blood sugar.
4. Various endocrine disorders
Such as adrenal, pituitary anterior lobe, thyroid dysfunction, insulin counter-regulatory hormone (glucagon, adrenaline, growth hormone, cortisol, etc.) secretion decreases.
5. Excessive insulin in the blood
Possible reasons include excessive insulin injection in diabetic patients, or a decrease in food intake without a corresponding decrease in insulin; it may also be due to hyperplasia or tumors of pancreatic B cells, leading to excessive secretion of insulin.
[Diet Therapy for Low Blood Sugar]
1. Fried Five-Spice Sparrow
Ingredients: 10 sparrows, a little five-spice powder, yellow wine, ginger slices, soy sauce, monosodium glutamate.
Method: ① Remove the feathers and internal organs of the sparrows, add wine, soy sauce, five-spice powder, monosodium glutamate, marinate for half an hour, then roll them in dry cornstarch.
② Heat cooking oil to about 60% heat, add ginger slices, and fry the sparrows until golden brown.
2. West Lake Beef Soup
Ingredients: 200g beef leg, 2 eggs, yellow wine, green onion, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper, salt, monosodium glutamate.
Method: ① Cut the beef into fine shreds, chop it slightly, and marinate it with a little wine, soy sauce, pepper, and raw starch.
② Boil a suitable amount of water with ginger, and then mix the beef shreds into the water. Then pour in the beaten egg mixture, season with light gravy, sprinkle with green onion, and drizzle with sesame oil.
3. Taishi Eel Soup
Ingredients: 250g eel fillets, 100g lean pork, 50g water-soaked black fungus, 5 shiitake mushrooms, 1 clove of garlic, yellow wine, green onion, ginger, sesame oil, salt, monosodium glutamate.
Method: ① Cut the eel and lean pork into 3cm long shreds, marinate the eel shreds with wine and salt for a while.
② Heat oil to 50% heat, add minced garlic, ginger, stir-fry the eel shreds, add wine, pork shreds, and an appropriate amount of water.
③ After boiling, add the soaked fungus and shredded shiitake mushrooms to the pot, stir-fry for 15 minutes, season with light gravy, add shredded green onions, and drizzle with sesame oil.
[How to Prevent Low Blood Sugar]
People with diabetes and a history of low blood sugar attacks should pay attention to the following:
Diabetic patients do not need to pursue blood sugar control too strictly. Especially for middle-aged and elderly people, the harm of low blood sugar is much greater than that of high blood sugar. Increasing the dosage of medication to achieve normal blood sugar levels can greatly increase the risk of low blood sugar.
Pay attention to eating on time. If you cannot eat on time, you should still eat some fruits, snacks, etc. at mealtime. If food intake is reduced for various reasons, the use of hypoglycemic drugs or insulin should be appropriately reduced as well.
Avoid exercising on an empty stomach. The amount of exercise should not be arbitrarily increased or decreased, and should be kept consistent.
Develop good lifestyle habits, drink alcohol in moderation, and avoid drinking on an empty stomach.
Carry candies, biscuits, chocolates, and other snacks with you. In case of suspected symptoms of low blood sugar, they can be eaten immediately for early prevention.
