Healthier Snacking Ideas

During my journey with type 2 diabetes, I have picked up some healthier snacking tips and tricks. First, let me say this - you can have many things in moderation and it still is ok. Many times we go over on serving size and that is where the troubles come in.

Type 2 diabetes healthy snack ideas

Here are a few new ideas to try.

Drink more water

When I know that I want a snack, I drink some water first. This helps me to feel fuller therefore, I don't snack as much or have half a serving. I know that many may need to snack more often to keep their numbers at a certain level so this may not work for everyone. This is something that works for me.

Measure out portion sizes

Say you want some popcorn while you watch your movie. Do not take the whole bag. By the end of the movie, that bag will be gone and you will feel down about it. You don't want that. A great tip is to measure out the serving size and put it into small snack-size bags. This will help you to stay in control of your portions without having to feel bad about what you just ate.

Try celery and peanut butter

Another trick that works for me and is also very delicious is celery and peanut butter. What I do is look at the serving size for the peanut butter because this is what could throw everything off. Say your serving size is 2 tbsp per 180-200 calories. You can measure that out and put a small dab down the celery stalk. This still allows you to taste the peanut butter and not overdo it on the calories and carbs. This will usually hold me over until mealtime, or if I have it at night, this will last me time morning. You can enjoy it for a mid-morning, mid-evening, and even a midnight snack without throwing you off so much.

Crisp up some veggies

This is another snack that I enjoy, that I thought only I would, but came to find out that my family enjoys it as well. I slice up cabbage almost like slices of bread and drizzle a little olive oil and garlic powder season and bake until it reaches the amount of crispiness that you like. Sometimes if it is not so crisp on the inside, I use a fork to spin the middle out so that the heat can cook that more. It works well with shredded cabbage as well and it is a hit not just with myself but even the kids. It is something about the crunch and it's very low in carbohydrates.

Bake sweet potatoes

Also, another snack that is good but you have to be careful, is sweet potato chips. You buy your own sweet potatoes and bake yourself. You can slice them and freeze what you don't eat because I do not recommend you eat the whole potato. Bake the ones you will have for your snack. You should pay attention to your numbers to know how sweet potatoes affect you. I can have a few chips and be fine. You should not add any sugar to your chips. Spread on a cookie sheet pan and bake until they are at the right amount of crisp for you. Your family may enjoy these as well so keep some frozen chips in the freezer just in case.

Remember that I drink water before snacking to help me snack less. Again, this may not work for everyone. Do you have some tips that you would like to share? I am always looking for great ideas.