If you’re a diabetic or pre diabetic you’ve probably been advised by your doctor or dietitian that you need to eat snacks in-between your meals. If there’s anyone in this world who has to keep an eye on what they are eating, it’s got to be a diabetic. Snacks have to be a part of your daily routine. If you do not eat snacks and just stick to 3 meals/day your blood sugar will spike which is not good for you. Snacks help prevent spikes and balance your blood sugar. This is especially important if you have type 1 diabetes.
Now, what do you snack on ? Just like meals, snacks should be a combination of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Aim for one that consists of 15 to 30 grams of carbohydrates and 100 to 200 calories (depending on your meal plan and medication). A combination of carbs and protein is better than just carbs. For example : 4 wheat crackers with cheese ( about 120 calories) is better than 4 wheat crackers ( 80 calories ) because of way it hits your blood stream. The second choice with cheese although higher calorie will hit your blood stream at a slower rate making it a more diabetic friendly snack than plain wheat crackers.In this case low-calorie is not the best snack. Slightly higher calories balanced with all three nutrients is better. Combining a protein and fat with a carbohydrate is possibly the best snack you can eat as a diabetic. If you can’t do all three nutrients at one shot, at-least do two. Combine a fat and carb or a protein and carb.
When You combine carbs with protein and fat it makes the carb low GI ( Glycemic Index). The glycemic index (GI) is a numerical system of measuring how much of a rise in circulating blood sugar a food triggers–the higher the number, the greater the blood sugar response. So a low GI food will cause a small rise, while a high GI food will trigger a dramatic spike. Diabetics should aim for low or medium GI meals and snacks.
Check out these great low GI snack combos. Great for anybody !
Cottage cheese and fruit
Great and yummy protein, fat , carb combo with a boost of calcium.
Protein shake
Milk + Protein powder + fruit or low sugar chocolate syrup make a great diabetic snack !
Hummus with whole grain chips or veggies
Healthy hummus with olive oil and chickpeas with whole grain chips or veggies would make a great snack !
Low fat yogurt and fruit
Creamy unsweetened low fat yogurt with fruit will make a yummy snack. Sweeten with stevia if needed.
yogurt smoothies
whip up some yogurt, protein powder and fruit for a healthy carb protien combo
Half a turkey sandwich
1 slice of whole grain bread with turkey, lettuce and tomato or your favorite trimmings. Use low fat mayo and skip the cheese unless you want a heavier snack.
Fruit and Cheese
Easy to carry around snack with good protein, fat and carbs.
Low fat cheese and crackers
Whole grain crackers and low fat cheese. Easy to carry this snack around.
Veggies and Dip
Crisp raw veggies with a low fat dip. Mix some yogurt or low fat cream cheese into dip to make it protein dense.
Trail mix of nuts with some fruit
Make your own trail mix with a healthy blend of nuts, dried fruit in the ratio of 3:1. Nuts and dry fruit are high calorie so only have 1/2 cup.
Protein bars or granola bars
Aim for bars that have a good dose of protein and fiber and make sure they don't go above 150 calories/ bar. Go for natural bars with no added sugars.
Peanut butter with bread or crackers.
1 slice of wheat bread with a tsp PB or some wheat crackers with PB make a low GI delish snack.
High Protein muffins with no sugar added
Make your own muffins by mixing in a cup of ricotta cheese and swapping sugar for fruit or agave nectar.
Bean salad
A hearty bean salad drizzled with some olive oil gives you the perfect carb, protein fat combo ! Added bonus, you get tons of fiber and antioxidants too !
Soy or Edamame
Edamame drizzled with some olive oil or roasted tofu with nuts make a nice low GI snack
These are just some ideas ! Get creative. Mix some low-fat protein, Healthy fat and complex carbs and make your own healthy diabetic friendly snack combinations !
Hi there! I’m Sunithi, AKA Sue, a registered dietitian with a sweet tooth and a passion for eating healthy (quite a combo) currently working as an independent consultant in the DC Metro area. I’m also a blogger, health nut, nutrition geek who jogs to keep sane :)! I love to revamp recipes and add some ‘Nutrition Bytes’ to them. All my recipes are gluten free! I also blog on natural health and fitness! Visit often and drop me a note if you have any nutrition queries!
I’ve tried some of those menus from your recipes. my family really like them and always asked me to make them for our daily menus 🙂
Glad you like them 🙂
Awesome…thanks for this, Sue!
🙂 Glad you liked it & find it useful ! Thanks !
My mom is diabetic, sending the post to her ! Good Stuff . Like the different ideas you gave and ways to get creative.
I stopped over to check out this list. I have been really looking for low GI foods, not because I’m diabetic, but because I believe it is key to weight loss. I have been eating gluten free (and mostly dairy free) and have seen great results so far (down 40lbs with minimal exercise). I was surprised to see the whole wheat bread on your list. Did you know that that slice of whole wheat bread has a higher GI than a SNICKERS bar? Crazy, right? The book “Wheat Belly” was extremely enlightening for me. When it comes to wheat, I now just say “no thanks”.
Nice to see you Matt ! Your’e right about the snickers bar & it’s usually my choice of candy when I need a candy fix for just that reason. If you notice I said wheat crackers & bread with PB or cheese to lower the GI of plain wheat bread or crackers. Congrats on going GF . It’s not easy but has great benefits ! And’ Big Congrats’ on losing so much wt ! So proud of you 🙂 If you cook up any GF recipes, ping me. I would like to hook it up to my GF cafe ! Must see if I can read that book !
This snack is not only looks healthy but also delicious. I eager to taste all of them.
Great foods for Diabetes. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome blog and lovely foods milkshake .
Thanks for the sharing.
Ill be honest – this is my first time on this site.. nice article Sunithi 🙂
I personally follow fitness principles and therefore split my carb, protein and fat intake in a 40-40-20 scale. 40% Protein 40% Carbs and 20% fat.. heathy fats of course 😀 Just wanted to share my take on macros
These snacks intended for people with diabetes looks so fine to jealous on..
Great care has to be taken by the people suffering from the diabetes on their eating habit. But you told some good snacks that can be taken in without any worry. Thanks for sharing.
This paragraph provides clear idea designed for the new users of blogging,
that really how to do blogging.
Nice sharing and great blog, thank you Sunithi
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