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May 1, 2024 · Prepare for a delicious adventure with these diabetes-friendly snacks made with complex carbs and blood sugar-conscious nutrition.
- 25+ Diabetes-Friendly Snack Recipes for Better Blood Sugar
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- 15+ Make-Ahead Diabetes-Friendly Snack Recipes - EatingWell
These easy snacks feature complex carbs like chickpeas,...
- 25+ Diabetes-Friendly Snack Recipes for Better Blood Sugar
- Overview
- 1. Hard-Boiled Eggs
- 2. Yogurt with Berries
- 3. Handful of Almonds
- 4. Veggies and Hummus
- 5. Avocado
- 6. Sliced Apples with Peanut Butter
- 7. Beef Sticks
- 8. Roasted Chickpeas
- 9. Turkey Roll-Up
If you have diabetes, choosing nutrient-rich snacks high can help promote fullness without causing your blood sugar to rise too high. This can include avocados, chickpeas, and almonds.
Choosing healthy snacks can be difficult when you have diabetes.
The key is to choose snacks that are high in fiber, protein and healthy fats. These nutrients will help keep your blood sugar levels under control.
It’s also important to snack on nutrient-dense foods that promote overall health.
Hard-boiled eggs are a healthy snack for people with diabetes.
Their protein content really makes them shine. One large hard-boiled egg provides 6.3 grams of protein, which is helpful for diabetes because it helps prevent your blood sugar from rising too high after you eat.
In one study, 65 people with type 2 diabetes ate two eggs daily for 12 weeks.
By the end of the study, they experienced significant reductions in their fasting blood sugar levels. They also had lower hemoglobin A1c, which is a measure of long-term blood sugar control.
Eggs can promote fullness, which may help lower calorie intake and lead to weight loss. People with diabetes who lose at least 10% of their body weight may be able to achieve remission from the disease.
You can enjoy a hard-boiled egg or two for a snack on their own, or garnish them with a healthy topping like guacamole.
Yogurt with berries is an excellent diabetes-friendly snack for a variety of reasons.
First, the antioxidants in berries may reduce inflammation and prevent damage to cells of the pancreas, the organ responsible for releasing hormones that lower blood sugar levels.
Additionally, berries are a great source of fiber. For example, a 1-cup (150-gram) serving of blueberries provides 3.6 grams of fiber, which helps slow digestion and stabilize blood sugar levels after eating.
Yogurt is also known for its ability to lower blood sugar levels. This is partly due to the probiotics it contains, which may improve your body’s ability to metabolize foods that contain sugar.
Furthermore, yogurt is rich in protein, which can help manage blood sugar levels. Greek yogurt is especially high in protein.
Yogurt and berries taste great together as a snack, as the sweetness of the berries helps balance out the tartness of the yogurt. You can simply mix them together, or layer them on top of each other to make a parfait.
Almonds are very nutritious and convenient to snack on.
A 1-ounce (28-gram) serving of almonds provides over 15 vitamins and minerals, including 0.6 milligrams or 27% of the recommended daily intake for manganese, 76.5 milligrams or 18% for magnesium and 0.32 milligrams or 25% for riboflavin.
Research has shown almonds may help control blood sugar in people with diabetes. In one study, 58 people who included almonds in their diets every day for 24 weeks experienced a 3% decrease in their long-term blood sugar levels.
In another study, 20 adults with diabetes who consumed 60 grams of almonds daily for four weeks experienced a 4% reduction in their levels of insulin, a hormone that may worsen diabetes if levels are consistently high.
The ability of almonds to help stabilize blood sugar is likely due to the combination of fiber, protein and healthy fats they contain, all of which have an important role in diabetes management.
What’s more, almonds may also benefit heart health — by reducing cholesterol levels — and promote weight management, both of which are major factors in preventing and treating type 2 diabetes.
Hummus is a creamy spread made from chickpeas. It tastes great when paired with raw veggies.
Both vegetables and hummus are good sources of fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Additionally, hummus provides a small amount of protein and fat. All of these properties may benefit blood sugar control in people with diabetes.
One study found that individuals who consumed at least 1 ounce of hummus at a meal had blood sugar and insulin levels that were four times lower than a group that consumed white bread at a meal.
If you have diabetes, snacking on avocado may help manage your blood sugar levels.
The high fiber content and monounsaturated fatty acids in avocados make them a diabetes friendly food. These factors may prevent your blood sugar from spiking after a meal.
One study found that individuals with type 2 diabetes who included sources of monounsaturated fatty acids in their diets on a regular basis experienced significant improvements in their blood sugar levels.
You can eat avocado on its own, or make it into a dip such as guacamole. Since avocados are quite high in calories, it is best to stick with a serving size of one-fourth to one-half an avocado.
Sliced apples paired with nut butter make for a delicious and healthy snack that’s great for people with diabetes.
Apples are rich in several nutrients, including B vitamins, vitamin C and potassium, while peanut butter provides vitamin E and magnesium, all of which are known to help manage diabetes.
Both apples and peanut butter are also very high in fiber. One medium apple combined with 2 tablespoons (32 grams) of peanut butter provides almost 7 grams of fiber, which is helpful for managing blood sugar.
Apples have been studied specifically for their potential role in diabetes management. The polyphenol antioxidants they contain are thought to protect pancreatic cells from damage that often worsens diabetes.
Beef sticks are convenient, portable and diabetes-friendly.
What makes beef sticks an excellent snack for people with diabetes are their high protein and low carb contents.
Most beef sticks provide around 6 grams of protein per ounce (28 grams), which may help keep your blood sugar under control.
If possible, consider purchasing beef sticks that are made with grass-fed beef. Compared to grain-fed beef, grass-fed beef is higher in omega-3 fatty acids, which can help keep blood sugar levels stable.
Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are an incredibly healthy legume.
There are about 7 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber in a 1/2 cup (82-gram) serving of chickpeas, making them an excellent snack for people with diabetes.
Research has shown that consuming chickpeas and other legumes on a regular basis may play a role in reducing diabetes risk, thanks to their potential to help manage blood sugar levels.
In one study, 19 adults who consumed a chickpea-based meal daily for six weeks had significantly lower blood sugar and insulin levels after eating, compared to individuals who ate a wheat-based meal.
Turkey roll-ups are an easy snack to make.
They are essentially a breadless sandwich wrap consisting of turkey breast slices wrapped around low-carb contents of your choice, such as cheese and veggies.
Turkey roll-ups are a great snack option for people with diabetes due to their low carb and high protein contents, which will help prevent your blood sugar levels from rising too high.
In addition, the protein in turkey roll-ups may help lower your appetite, which is beneficial for preventing overeating and promoting weight management. Both of these are key factors in controlling type 2 diabetes.
- Brianna Elliott, RD
- Alex Loh
- Air-Fryer Crispy Chickpeas. Air-fried chickpea snacks are intensely flavored and incredibly crunchy. Drying the chickpeas is essential to a good crunch, so don't skip this step.
- Avocado Hummus. This vibrant green hummus recipe couldn't be easier--just toss a few ingredients in the food processor and whir away! Aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) and avocado make this healthy dip extra smooth and creamy.
- Chocolate-Hazelnut Energy Balls. These energy balls marry the flavors of nutty hazelnuts with rich chocolate. They're chewy with a slight crunch and have just enough sweetness to curb a midday or post-dinner sweet tooth.
- Strawberry-Chocolate Greek Yogurt Bark. Lightly sweetened Greek yogurt gets studded with fresh strawberries and chocolate chips then frozen so you can break it into chunks just like chocolate bark (but healthier!).
- Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas. Try this satisfying snack instead of nuts. The tasty legumes are lower in calories and packed with fiber.
- Savory Date & Pistachio Bites. A touch of sweetness from the dates and raisins paired with crunch and nuttiness from the pistachios make these bites perfect for an on-the-go snack or as an accompaniment on a cheese board.
- Avocado Hummus. This vibrant green hummus recipe couldn't be easier--just toss a few ingredients in the food processor and whir away! Aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) and avocado make this healthy dip extra smooth and creamy.
- Cinnamon-Sugar Roasted Chickpeas. Roasting canned chickpeas until crispy makes a simple and healthy snack. In this riff on candied nuts, chickpeas are coated with cinnamon sugar to make them irresistible!
- Mary Claire Lagroue
- Air Fryer Plantain Chips. View Recipe. "Green plantains in the air fryer result in potato-like crunchy, crispy chips without being full of calories and fat.
- No Bake Bumpy Peanut Butter Nuggets. View Recipe. Roll a mixture of no-sugar-added peanut butter, milk powder, unsweetened coconut flakes, oats, ground cinnamon, wheat germ, and apple juice concentrate into one-inch balls, and keep them in the fridge for a sweet snack that's free of refined sugar.
- Black Bean Hummus without Tahini. View Recipe. Omitting tahini (sesame paste used in traditional hummus recipes) lightens up this black bean hummus. A tablespoon of sesame oil brings a similar flavor, while lime juice, jalapeño, garlic, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper give this dip serious kick.
- Mexican Jicama Snack. View Recipe. "I found this recipe while on a trip to Mexico. It is a great snack that is crunchy, has a great flavor, and is very healthy.
Mar 7, 2023 · Are you craving a snack but are worried that your diabetes will act up if you indulge? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Read on for 30 diabetic-friendly recipes that you’ll love! Contents. 1. Cheesy Kale Chips. 2. Guacamole. 3. Cottage Cheese. 4. Cucumber Crackers. 5. Carrot and Cinnamon Cake. 6. Avocado Toast. 7. Roasted Chickpeas. 8.
Sep 1, 2020 · Snacks can serve a lot of purposes—tiding you over between meals, preventing hypoglycemia, helping you recover from a workout and more. Whatever the reason for your snack, we’ve got 25 simple ideas to help you make healthy choices.
