How can I prevent low blood sugar?

Functional medicine physician

Eliminate white flour.

Choose whole-grain, fiber-rich foods, such as whole-grain bread, pasta, and bran muffins. White-flour products, including bread, cakes, cookies, and white rice, cause blood sugar to rise very quickly. Over time, they  can stress your insulin-hormone system and potentially cause diabetes.

Eat several small meals a day.

If you get hypoglycemia frequently, you’ll want to eat more often than three times a day. Instead, eat small meals every three to four hours, and stop eating at least two hours before bed. Eat a midafternoon snack, and if the time between breakfast and lunch is more than four hours, eat a midmorning snack as well.

Get enough protein.

Slow the rise in blood sugar by eating protein—maybe chicken, soy, or lentils—with every meal or snack. For example, choose protein- and nutrient-rich nuts instead of white-flour pretzels, which are high in sodium and nutritionally empty.

–Susan Blum, MD, MPH, Rye Brook, New York