Have you heard that if you have diabetes, you should eat six small meals per day? I have too. I agree that eating at least three times per day is beneficial for the body’s sugar levels. The whole waiting-until-the-end-of-the-day-to-eat thing makes managing internal sugar levels difficult. It also makes it hard to stop eating when we start feeling full.
Snacks can certainly fit into the eating pattern of a person with diabetes. Often, snacks are helpful for preventing a low sugar level and tiding us over until we can eat a full meal. So what are some options for snacks when you have diabetes?
My biggest piece of advice is to choose something that has both carbohydrates* and protein, and preferably also fat. Why might this be helpful? Because protein and fat slow how quickly carbohydrates are broken down into sugar, and thus how quickly the body’s sugar level goes up.
Which would be some good foods to pair?
I recommend crackers and cheese (with fruit if desired!)
Fruit and peanut butter
Greek yogurt and granola
Deli meat and bread
Hummus and pita chips, to name a few.
The wonderful thing about food is that there are so many options, and I want you to choose what sounds good to you!
Lynn is a registered dietitian and a CDCES (Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist)
Finally, it’s important to be as consistent as you can be with your eating routine. This goes for people with diabetes, and for people who don’t have noticeable changes in their body’s sugar levels. Nourishing your body consistently lets it know what to expect from you. Namely, that you’re going to keep taking care of it.
So let’s focus on taking care of ourselves and enjoying our snacks. Eating is one of life’s pleasures. It’s time to return to finding the joy in eating. Even when it’s “just” a snack.
Looking for more diabetes or blood sugar support/Education?
At Bamboo Nutrition we lead a class for anyone with some form of blood sugar issues, or the loved one (care person, child, parent, spouse, etc.). This class is once per month, in person and online. You can see our full schedule by clicking the button below.
*Please note that if you take mealtime insulin, you may want to check with your healthcare team about having carbohydrate-containing snacks between meals, because your insulin routine may need to change.
This blog post came to you from one of our Snack With A Dietitian segments on instagram.
Here is the video for this blog post.
To see move Snack With A Dietitian videos, follow us on instagram!
If you’re a person struggling with diabetes management or just looking for support and another specialist to help with specific food struggles, Lynn Eaton is a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist and would love to work with you!
Bamboo Nutrition is located in Columbia, MO and Rochester, MN, and sees clients in person and via telehealth.