Grab a Healthy Snack

"I seem to do really well with my food plan until about 3:00 in the afternoon. Then, it is downhill from there. At work, I am craving sweets and or salty, and either I eat some candy, cookies or chips (or I white knuckle it) and go without any food until I walk into my house around 6:00. Then I am ravenous and find myself eating anything I can put my hands on."

Sound familiar?

The scenario described above is very typical, not just for diabetics, but for anyone with a busy schedule. It is not unusual to want a snack around 3:00, when our energy starts to wane. As you have experienced, eating a snack that causes a sharp rise in blood sugar (like cookies and candy) or skipping food altogether, can cause blood sugars to plummet, leaving you feeling like you are “starving” when you arrive home. Then you are ready to eat the first thing you can find, most often things like crackers, pretzels, cookies, etc.

To break this cycle, here are some tips that will help you feel satisfied all day long, with energy to spare.

Eat a nutritious breakfast: Believe it or not, what you eat at breakfast has an impact on how you are feeling the rest of the day. Breakfast does not have to be a large meal, but it should provide fiber and nutrition to stabilize your blood sugars and set the stage for eating well the rest of the day. Good choices for breakfast include a high quality protein, high fiber whole grain and vegetables and/or low glycemic fruit.

Don’t skip lunch: Even if you are pressed for time or aren’t feeling overly hungry, try to have something at lunchtime. Best choices for lunch include vegetables, salad, and/or high quality protein. If you are going to eat a sandwich or grain, don’t overdo it grain is a whole grain with plenty of fiber. The best choice is to avoid bread, but if you feel like a sandwich try sprouted whole grain bread.

Include a nutritious snack mid-afternoon: Having a mid-day snack can be very helpful to keep blood sugars stabilized and hunger at bay, as long as you are eating a nutritious snack that won’t cause sharp spike in blood sugars. Here are some suggestions:

• Miniature Low Fat Cheeses (such as Laughing Cow)

• Hummus with Veggies

• Avocado slices or Smashed Avocado on slice of sprouted grain bread

• Marinated artichokes, roasted red peppers and olives (So easy, you can get artichokes, olives and the peppers already prepared. Dish them out and Enjoy!) 

• Turkey & Cheese Rollups (add avocado or other vegetables)

• Sprouted Grain English Muffin Pizza

• Smoothie with Berries and Whey Powder (avoid adding lots of like bananas, pineapple, & other tropical fruits)

• Pumpkin Seed Mix (with Sunflower seeds and assorted chopped nuts)

• Cucumber or Zucchini rounds with smoked salmon, tuna or sardine salad

• Deviled Egg

• Celery Sticks and Apple slices with almond or peanut butter

• Cup of bean or vegetable soup

• Small Cup of Chili

• Tomato slices with mozzarella

• Marinated vegetables

• Ricotta cheese with Vanilla whey powder, alternative sweetener of choice & sliced strawberries

• Woven wheat crackers (such as Triscuits) with spreadable goat cheese, onion and nova salmon