Top 8 Easiest & Best Snacks For A Diabetic

We all get hungry in between meals. So instead of reaching for those chips and nasty saltine crackers, opt for one of these easy tasty snacks instead.

They are all low in carbs and perfectly diabetic friendly – of course!

1. Olives

Olives make the perfect snack. They are full of healthy monounsaturated fats and contain all the same benefits extra virgin olive oil offers – the ability to lower blood glucose, increase insulin sensitivity, lower cholesterol, reduced risk of heart disease and just improve overall health.  When it comes to diabetes, monounsaturated fats are the best types of fats to eat – you’ll also find this type of fat in avocados and nuts.

Olives are a great source of antioxidants – vitamin E, flavonoids, and polyphenolic compounds that all reduce oxidative stress and inflammation.

Just grab a handful, chew them slowly and thoroughly, and your hunger pangs will soon be entirely satisfied.

Nutrition Facts: 10 olives: Calories (Energy): 50g   Fat: 4.70g   Carbohydrate: 2.80g   Fiber: 1g   Sugar: 0g   Protein: 0.40g.

2. Cucumber

Cucumbers are low in calories – being mostly made up of water, which makes them perfect for quenching thirst and hunger.

According to Organic Facts:

“The flesh of cucumbers is rich in vitamins A, C, and folic acid while the hard skin of cucumbers is rich in fiber and a range of minerals include magnesium, molybdenum, and potassium.”

Tip: Cucumber rounds make the perfect cracker replacement. They are crisp, provide a firm base, and aren’t overly powerful on taste. So you can top them with whatever you like for a super healthy diabetic snack. Or, even use them as crackers for dips. The idea is to replace your processed crackers with cucumber crackers instead (see recipe below).

Nutrition Facts:  Half cup slices: Calories (Energy): 8g   Fat: 0.06g   Carbohydrate: 1.89g   Fiber: 0.3g   Sugar: 0.87g   Protein: 0.34g.

3. Blueberries

Blueberries contain anthocyanins and other polyphenols that act as powerful antioxidants. It is believed that these antioxidants help improve the overall metabolic changes that occur in type 2 diabetes, having positive effects on blood glucose, cholesterol, reduced insulin resistance, could possibly be protective of the pancreas, and help decrease inflammation.

Tip: You don’t want to chow down on too many blueberries at once. But they’re great to top some cottage cheese, or eat with a small handful of nuts.

Nutrition Facts: Per half cup (74g): Calories (Energy): 42g   Fat: 0.24g   Carbohydrate: 10.72g   Fiber: 1.8g   Sugar: 7.37g   Protein: 0.55g.

4. Cheese

Having a couple of slices of full fat cheddar cheese is great for on the go and incredibly satisfying. Yes, I did say full fat!

Personally I’ve always chosen the full fat varieties and recent research has shown that full fat is better than low fat when it comes to dairy – it’s also a lot more satisfying and lower in carbs, too.

Quoted from Independent, Dr Ulrika Ericson, from Lund University, Sweden said:

“Those who ate the most high-fat dairy products had a 23 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who ate the least.”

The two main reasons cheese is so satisfying is it’s full of both protein and fat, which satisfy our appetites very quickly. Be sure to choose a decent cheddar cheese – none of that processed stuff – okay!

Tip: Try topping your cucumber rounds with some tasty cheese, wrap a slice in some lettuce leaves, or eat it with some tomato (no crackers needed).

Nutrition Facts: One slice (28g): Calories (Energy): 114g   Fat: 9.47g   Carbohydrate: 0.37g   Fiber: 0g   Sugar: 0g   Protein: 6.73g.

5. Nut butters – peanut butter 

Nut butters..Mmm…delicious. Hazelnut butter, cashew butter, almond butter and just good ol’ peanut butter – these all make the perfect snack.

Tip: Eat one tablespoon straight as a snack, with a few blueberries, spread it on some celery, serve it with some carrot sticks, or even top your cucumber rounds with a dash of your favorite nut butter.

And just on a side note, when it comes to peanut butter, choose natural peanut butter – there’s no need to buy it loaded up with sugar, salt, and preservatives when you can buy it natural – the way it’s meant to be. 🙂

Nutrition Facts: Peanut butter, 1 Tbsp (16g): Calories (Energy): 100g   Fat: 8g   Carbohydrate: 3g   Fiber: 1g   Sugar: 1g   Protein: 5g.

6. Celery

Celery is very underrated. It’s so high in fiber that it fills you up quickly, it contains small amounts of most vitamins and minerals, and it’s incredibly low in calories so you can eat it as a ‘free’ food – meaning eat as much as you want.

Eat it on it’s own, fill it with peanut butter, cottage cheese, dip it in guacamole, wrap it in some ham – it really is very versatile. And, it also happens to be cheap to buy.

Nutrition Facts: 1 medium stalk (40g): Calories (Energy): 6g   Fat: 0.07g   Carbohydrate: 1.90g   Fiber: 1g   Sugar: 0.54g   Protein: 0.28g.

7. Macadamia nuts

Like olives, macadamia nuts are high in monounsaturated fat, which have been shown to regulate glucose balance and improve insulin sensitivity.

Most nuts are very high in fat. And although it’s the healthy kind, nuts are only meant to be eaten in small portions so just have one small handful and chew them well for higher satisfaction.

Try combining nuts with carbohydrates as this has been shown to reduce the post meal glucose response. So, have some with your blueberries, strawberries or other diabetic friendly fruits.

Nutrition Facts: Per half cup (67g): Calories (Energy): 481g   Fat: 50.77g   Carbohydrate: 9.26g   Fiber: 5.8g   Sugar: 3.06g   Protein: 5.30g.

8. Cottage cheese

Proteins are made up of amino acids and some sources of protein don’t contain all the amino acids – but cottage cheese does. That means it’s a complete protein source!

You could literally eat cottage cheese as a meal. And that means it also makes the perfect satisfying snack. A half cup serve also provides 19% of your daily needs of vitamin B12 and 9% of your daily calcium needs.

Tip: Slice up some scallions/ spring onions, add some salt and pepper and dip your celery sticks in as a dip. Or, it works really well as a sweet treat – add some blueberries, a little stevia, a sprinkle of cinnamon and you have a super healthy sweetish snack to go!

Nutrition Facts: Per half cup (112.5g): Calories (Energy): 110g   Fat: 4.81g   Carbohydrate: 3.8g   Fiber: 0g   Sugar: 2.5g   Protein: 12.5g.

Cheese Image: Flickr.

Mixed Cucumber Crackers

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