Snacks: A Healthy Necessity in a Diabetic Diet

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Snacks: A Healthy Necessity in a Diabetic Diet

Snacks play a very important role in the daily life of a person with

diabetes, particularly those with type 1 diabetes and insulin-requiring type 2

diabetes. For these people between-meal and bedtime snacks are essential to keep

blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible and to help prevent low

blood

sugar (hypoglycemia).

Wherever you go you should always carry a supply of snacks to eat in case of

low blood sugar -- we keep snacks in our purse or briefcase, in the glove

compartment of our car, in our office desk drawer, and in the sports bag that we

carry to the exercise gym.

We've provided 37 snack recipes in our Beard Cookbook Award-Winning

Joslin Diabetes Gourmet Cookbook (Bantam Books). The recipes run the gamut from

Bruschetta to Stuffed Bread Slices, Zesty Corn Chips, Quick Passaladière,

Dilled Potato-Cheese Soup, and Soft Pretzels. We also offer creative ways to

combine " free foods " for when you are especially hungry and don't want to use

your

carbo exchanges.

Here's a list of snacks that can be purchased at most supermarkets calculated

to supply 12 to 15 grams of carbohydrate or 1 carbohydrate (1 bread/starch)

exchange:

1small apple

8animal crackers

4medium fresh apricots or 7 dried halves

1/2of a banana rolled with 2 tablespoons Grape Nuts cereal

1cup cubed cantaloupe

12Bing cherries

2chocolate mousse bars (Weight Watchers)

1/2cup chow mein noodles

3dried dates

2small dried figs

2sugar-free fudgesickles

3gingersnaps

36Goldfish (adds 1 fat exchange)

3graham crackers (2 1/2-inch square)

1/2low-fat granola bar

15grapes

5kumquats

3Lorna Doones (adds 1 fat exchange)

12loquats

5slices melba toast

1small nectarine

1cup skim milk

3thin sliced Norwegian Kavli flatbread (2 thick sliced)

1small orange

1small peach

3peanut butter sandwich crackers (adds 1 fat exchange)

1small pear

16Mr. Phipps Tater Crisps (adds 1 fat exchange)

2small plums

24oyster crackers

3cups popcorn (popped by hot air, or low-fat microwave)

3dried pitted prunes

15fat-free potato or tortilla chips

3/4ounce pretzels

2tablespoons raisins

2rice cakes (4 " diameter)

7Ritz crackers (adds 1 fat exchange)

6saltine crackers

2Stella d'Oro Sesame Breadsticks (adds 1 fat exchange)

1tangerine

15Teddy Grahams (adds 1 fat exchange)

5reduced-fat Triscuits

6Vanilla Wafers (adds 1 fat exchange)

6Waverly Wafers (adds 1 fat exchange)

12Original Wheat Thins (adds 1 fat exchange)

13Reduced-fat Wheat Thins (adds 1/2 fat exchange)

1cup nonfat fruit-flavored yogurt (sweetened with sugar substitute)

1/2cup of either I Can't Believe It's Yogurt or TCBY frozen yogurt or Baskin

Robbins, Sugar-Free Ice Cream