Diabetes Snacks. Here Are Some Snacks to Consider in Diabetes
Healthful Vitality | 10/24/2021 | By NP Contributor | Diabetes Snacks
Diabetes is all about limiting daily calorie intake, losing bodyweight. Therefore, frequent snacking may sound counterproductive in diabetes. However, on the contrary, snacking has an important place in diabetes management.
It should be understood that in diabetes, despite the high level of blood glucose, the body cells are starving. Therefore, this increased blood glucose level is due to the inability of glucose to enter body cells.
It means that maintaining a consistent low-level supply of glucose that the body can utilize effectively is essential in diabetes. However, one needs to avoid any sudden upsurge in blood glucose levels.
Thus, the recommendation for diabetes is to avoid heavy meals and instead eat more frequently. It means that apart from three meals a day, one may consume snacks twice or thrice a day.
Few things to consider in diabetes snacks:
- High in protein but moderately high in fats
- Low in carbs, only complex carbs, and sugar-free
- Nutrition dense – means rich in micronutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants
- High in dietary fiber
Some high protein snacks
One may mix these food items, learn various recipes. Some foods high in protein are hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese, hummus, roasted chickpeas.
In diabetes, anabolic processes suffer the most. Therefore, high protein intake may be especially important for physically active individuals or those practicing some sports. Most vegan, poultry, and dairy protein sources are good. Milk products are also good as they have a glycemic index below 40. Still, one should be careful with flavored yogurts as they might have added sugars.
However, one should be careful with red meat if living with kidney problems. Sausages must be avoided due to a large number of additives.
Low in carbs or complex carbs
Nuts are loved as snacks by most people. A handful of nuts could be excellent for snacking. Most nuts have an amazing low glycemic index (below 20). They also have small amounts of complex carbs. Additionally, nuts are abundant in various other beneficial compounds, vitamins, minerals.
Nutrition dense
Berries are excellent examples of nutrition-dense foods. They are also suitable for snacking. Berries have intense flavor, high content of flavonoids. They also reduce the incidence of diabetes-related complications. Similarly, nuts and seeds are also nutrition dense.
High fiber
Dietary fiber has no calories. It slows down the absorption of carbs and has a positive impact on gut flora. Good examples of high fiber foods are banana, nuts, hummus, seeds.
Above are some foods good for snacking. With some research, one can find numerous recipes for foods perfect for snacking. Below are some snacks to consider:
- Tuna burger
- Fried veggies
- Salad with egg white
- Hummus
- Various nuts mix
- Roasted chickpeas
- Beef sticks
- Baked potato chips with salsa
- Oatmeal with berries
- Sliced peppers with low-calorie dips
- Low-fat mozzarella with tomatoes and greens
- Greek yogurt with fruits
- Avocado and lime
- A portion of mixed fruits
To conclude, diabetes can be managed better with healthy snacking, as they help counter sudden upsurge in glucose levels, help restrict calorie intakes, and at the same time help avoid hunger pangs.