It’s always useful to have a few snack ideas up your sleeve or snacks on hand that you can take a break with carb counting and even legitimately not having to take an insulin dose for. Thankfully there are some healthy and nutritious foods out there which make great low carb snack options!
Vegetables are mostly low carbohydrates including cherry tomatoes, carrots, celery, cucumber, capsicum, gherkins and even olives. These veges on their own make for fresh non-insulin-requiring snack ideas but pair these with some light cream cheese, hummus, peanut butter, salsa or tzatziki to make a filling and nutritious combo!
Nuts, seeds and nut butters are all low carbohydrate and in a healthy portion size (approx. 30g or 2 x Tbspn butter) will not only fill the mid-morning void but provide a good source of protein and healthy fats without having to deal with too much diabetes admin.
There are some good low carb “vehicles” out there. By vehicles I mean food that doesn’t taste brilliant on its own but does contain some nutrition and acts as a means to consuming the food you pair with it. For example, cheese and crackers. The cracker is a bit boring and tasteless on its own, neither will it fill us up much. However, pair it with a couple of thin slices of protein and calcium packed Edam or Colby cheese and you have a tasty, nutritious snack! Good “vehicles” include; Vita-Weat crackers, rice or corn thins, rice crackers or low carb bread. Good toppings may include a can of tuna, sliced ham and mustard, cheese and salsa, peanut butter or smashed avocado and feta.
And, of course, nothing beats a classic (slightly smelly but oh so tasty) boiled egg!
Check out these great snack ideas for less than 10g carbs:
- 6 x cut celery sticks with light cream cheese filling
- 1 x carrot chopped into sticks with 2 large Tbsn hummus
- 30g roasted, unsalted almonds, cashews, peanuts, macadamias
- ½ cup Greek Yoghurt
- ½ cup frozen mixed berries, raspberries or blueberries
- 1 punnet strawberries
- 5 x vita-weat crackers with 1 matchbox sized portion of cheese, sliced
- 2 x corn or rice thins topped with 95g tin of Tuna or Salmon
- 1-2 slices low carb bread with peanut butter or avocado
- 1 cup home-popped popcorn
I will leave you with a final tip I learnt from one of my clients… keep a container of low carb snacks in the fridge or pantry so when you come in from work or are rushing out the door and looking to throw something in your bag you can grab it safely without too much thinking. This does require some planning such as having it on the shopping list, perhaps some pre-prep and portioning but low carb snack ideas are a valuable food tool in your Diabetes tool box that will;
- Reduce the burden of diabetes by having only 3 meals to think about carbohydrate dosing.
- Ensure you are snacking on healthy foods for long term health and weight management and,
- Help to keep BGLs stable throughout the morning.
Don’t let your imagination stop there! Please share your low carb snack tricks and ideas below.
Bon Appetit!
Nicole
