Did you know that diabetes is dubbed as the most rising disease in the entire world, with over 31.7 million diabetic people? What’s worse is, the World Health Organization (WHO) predicted that this number will double by 2024! That’s not too far, and we definitely don’t want to be one of them, do we?
Diabetes is a medical condition that is sometimes difficult to diagnose until the situation becomes serious. Genetics plays an instrumental role in diabetes. If your mother is diabetic, and if your grandmother is diabetic too, you are at risk. Another important factor that could make you prone to diabetes is the type of lifestyle you are accustomed to.
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Types of Diabetes
Source: Sell Diabetic Test Strips
There are various types of diabetes, and each one differs in its effects. The majority of the population is affected by Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Type 1 is a condition that develops in the early years of life because of low or negligible insulin in the body. Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, is the direct result of incorrect lifestyle choices. Among the other types, gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy, and MODY (Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young) is a rare type that affects individuals under the age of 25. However, irrespective of the type, the primary symptoms remain the same.
According to ceraonline.org, the most important problem when a person falls into the realms of diabetes is that he or she gets panicked, thinking about what needs to be eaten in order to maintain good blood sugar levels in the body. Some resort to dieting as well. But following a wrong diet can do more harm than good to your diabetic condition. As it is, when a person is diabetic, they need to eat food at the right intervals of time. And on days when it’s just 3 pm, and the lunch you had a few hours back is nothing less than a distant memory, and your next meal which is dinner which is a few hours away might feel like 5 years from now on, you decide to snack on something and make your tummy happy.
And snack, dear friend, snacks are an evil eat because most of the time, they tend to go overboard. Therefore, here’s a list of seven best snacks that you can munch out whenever you are hungry and not let the weight of eating a snack take a toll on your diabetic condition. Read on.
1. Hummus With Veggies
Source: Sargento
You don’t have to get to Mediterranean countries to get yourself some hummus. You can do it in the comfort of your home as well. Just grind those fresh or tinned soaked chickpeas along with some tahini and olive oil. Add garlic is you’re a fan of it. Now don’t make the mistake of pairing it with the usual pita bread. It screams carbs! Pair them with fresh raw vegetable sticks like celery, carrots, beans, broccoli, bell peppers, etc. This snack is rich in proteins, and also you get to reap the benefits of essential vitamins and nutrients from the veggies. Now, if you don’t love-love hummus, you can also opt for a low-fat yogurt dip instead. It will keep your tummy full the healthy way.
2. Greek Yogurt Topped With Raisins
Source: Medical News Today
Make sure you go for the all-natural, zero sugar Greek yogurt okay. This snack is a yummy delight for the frustrating diabetic in you, it is bound to calm down your taste buds. Take half a cup of Greek yogurt and top it with some whole or chopped raisins. The calcium-rich yogurt makes for a beautiful partner to the antioxidant-rich raisins. In a small study in the March 2014 issue of Nutrition, researchers in Greece tracked people with diabetes who ate raisins, a food rich in antioxidants yet dense in carbs. Raisins didn’t raise blood sugar and lowered blood pressure, making them a healthy snack for people with type 2 diabetes.
3. Berry-Banana Smoothie
How do you make this smoothie? It’s very simple! Blend together half banana + half cup of frozen or fresh berries + half cup of low-fat milk or yogurt. If you want the typical smoothie consistency, either freeze the fruits and then blend or simply add ice while blending. This nutritious yet yummy delight makes for a perfect diabetic snack. You can boost this snack smoothie by adding some protein powder too.
4. Egg Salad
Source: Incredible Egg
Every day is a good day to be called an egg day, isn’t it? Wherever you go, no matter how much work you do, hard-boiled eggs are going to provide you with that necessary protein punch. To make an egg salad, mash the yellow part of eggs, you can add some low-fat mayonnaise to it. Chop the egg whites and add to this mixture. Add some chopped celery for the crunch factor. Season it with some salt, pepper, and a dash of lime juice. Eat it on its own or spread over a piece of sourdough or whole-grain bread or cracker and enjoy!
5. Barley Salad
Source: Taste
Barley is known to have a low glycemic index. This makes barley an ideal grain to indulge in for diabetics. You can include barley in your salads to give your salad a good nutritious boost. Make a salad of lettuce, tomato, purple cabbage, feta cheese, capers, green onions, couscous, and soaked barley. Barley is an extremely rich source of fiber. Just half a cup of barley has a whopping 16 grams of fiber in it. It simply makes for a perfect diabetic snack.
6. Dried Cranberries And Almonds
Source: 123RF.com
If you belong to the foodie category, who has this habit of munching on food all day long. Then this diabetic-friendly snack is for you. Almonds limit the blood sugar spike that normally follows the eating, and they keep you feeling full, according to a study published in the November 2013 issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. But make sure you stick to eating no more than two tablespoons of this mix of nut and dried fruits as both are calorie-dense in nature. However, it still holds the name of a power-packed diabetes snack from us.
7. Turkey Sandwich Open Faced
Source: Jennie-O
Some of us need a lot of energy to continue with our day’s work. And merely nibbling on a small snack won’t leave us with any energy. In such times, trying the open-faced turkey sandwich is ideal.
To make the open-faced tuna sandwich, take a slice of whole-grain bread. Add two ounces of turkey (roasted) on it. You can also put chicken if you’re not a Turkey fan. Jazz this sandwich with some addition of mustard or mayo. For freshness, add some iceberg lettuce (the crunchier, the better) along with tomatoes, finish it off with some microgreens to provide this sandwich with that extra boost of nutrients. One thing to make a note here is that the meat that you use needs to be fresh and not processed. This makes for a tummy and taste bud satisfying diabetes snack.
Diabetes is considered to be the most-friendly health condition. Therefore, make sure you are eating efficiently and right. Only then will your blood sugar levels under control. Eat to your heart’s content with these snacks curated especially for a diabetic like you.
