Healthy snacks for people with diabetes are essential for your body to ensure you gain nutrients while stabilizing your blood sugar levels and making mindful choices about what you eat as a snack. Choosing a healthy snack will benefit your body and reduce your chances of having health complications. The most important thing is choosing snacks with healthy fats, fibre, and protein to ensure you can control your blood sugar levels. We’ll dive deeper into details on healthy snacks for people with diabetes.
Benefits of healthy snacking: Good snacks for diabetics
You can choose from good snacks for diabetics without processed sugars and fats, which will benefit your body more. Some benefits of healthy snacks for people with diabetes include:
- Balancing blood sugar levels.
- Preventing overeating
- Sustain your energy levels.
- Add nutritional value to your body.
- Keep your blood sugar steady before you exercise.
- Treat hypoglycemia episodes.
People with diabetes tend to snack and eat smaller meals in between the day, totalling their meals to four to six times a day, preventing blood sugar spikes. You need to avoid having snacks with a high caloric count that surpasses 200. Good snacks for diabetics have the following characteristics:
- High fibre content.
- Nutrient-dense.
- Sources of Healthy fats.
- High protein content.
- Low added sugars.
Best Snacks for Diabetes
The best snacks for diabetes are those full of nutrients that keep you constantly healthy. These snacks include the following:
- Hard Boiled Eggs – the protein level in eggs is 6.3 grams per large boiled egg, which essentially prevents your blood sugar from rising high after consuming it. Eating eggs also lowers caloric intake, which may lead to weight loss, and you can achieve remission from this disease.
- Almonds – are rich in vitamins and reduce the level of insulin in the body. They also contain protein, healthy fats, and fibre which help you manage diabetes and reduce cholesterol levels.
- Yoghurt with berries contains antioxidants that reduce inflammation and protect the pancreatic cells from damage as these cells release hormones that lower blood sugar levels. The yoghurt also has probiotics that improve your body’s metabolism rate to absorb sugars.
- Hummus and celery – the protein and fibre nutrients will keep you full and reduce cravings.
- Apple and peanut butter are substitutes for a sweet dessert that won’t spike your blood sugar. Peanut butter has high magnesium content and is low-glycemic, slowing your body’s absorption of sugars.
- Popcorn is a great snack that can satisfy your sweet cravings. You should monitor the amount you serve not to surpass 200 calories so that you can serve about 3 cups.
- String cheese is also a good snack as it’s a quick snack with high protein content. You should confirm that your cheese doesn’t contain high sodium content.
- Homemade trail mix, which you can make by adding an ounce of dark chocolate to almonds. Make sure to use dark chocolate with 72% cacao or more, which is high in antioxidants and will make you full.
- If you’re in the mood for a salad, a tuna salad would do; write when you combine it with cottage cheese or yoghurt instead of mayonnaise to make it healthier and increase its protein content.
- Avocado toast is a snack with healthy fats and fiber which raises your good cholesterol levels, and you avoid getting chronic conditions affiliated with diabetes, such as a heart attack or a stroke.
- Beef sticks have high protein and low carb to keep your blood sugar in check. Beef sticks with grass-fed beef are better as they contain high omega-3 fatty acids that stabilize your blood sugar level.
Tips For Snacks For People With Diabetes
- Always have a ready-to-eat snack around you
- Don’t miss meals
- Schedule your eating so the insulin always has food to act on to avoid inducing low blood sugar.
- Don’t eat the same snack too much
- Avoid mindless eating: portion your serving
- Consult with your doctor or dietitian on the best snacks for you
