Healthy Whole Food Snacks for People with Diabetes
Today I was reading Health.com and I noticed an article, "5 Healthy Snacks for People With Diabetes." Since I have a strong interest in helping people living with diabetes I had to stop and see what they were recommending. I was happily surprised to see that the article had basic information that I share with patients.
For years, patients with diabetes would say to me after our first visit "I have had diabetes for all these years and no one ever explained it the way you explained it to me." One of the principles I think is very important for people balancing their blood sugar is to eat a combination of protein, carbohydrates and fat with all their meals and snacks. In the article they do mention that as part of the snacking process. They even give recipes that contain a combination of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. The key to controlling diabetes is to manage blood sugars and this is achieved through the foods that you eat. Digestion of protein and fat is demanding for the digestive system and slows the release of glucose from the meal into the blood stream. The slow release of blood sugars help maintain blood sugar levels in acceptable ranges. This is why it is so crucial for diabetics and pre-diabetics to understand what foods have protein and good fats in them. The suggestions in the article include protein sources along with carbohydrate sources with each meal and that helps maintain good blood sugar levels. There were certain suggestions that I would have modified but in general I thought this was a good healthy whole food-based snack list and a good start to eating and living in a more healthy way. I’m glad to see the change in the snacks offered--it gives me hope we are starting to look at whole foods as part of the solution to the diabetes problem.
Here are the suggestion from the article: Whole-grain crackers, grapes, and cottage cheese, homemade popcorn, apples and cheese, black bean salad, and veggies and fresh yogurt dip. To get the recipes go to health.com and look up the article. These are good whole food suggestions even if you are not a diabetic. These can be healthy snacks the whole family can enjoy.
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
Add a CommentComments
There are no comments yet. Be the first one and get the conversation started!