Coming up with ideas for diabetic snacks can be both fun and creative, especially if you try pairing different foods together to come up with unique tastes. As with all snacks for diabetics, though, make sure the pairing is between a carbohydrate and a protein. That combination will give you a longer lasting benefit than if you paired a carb with a carb.

Snacks for diabetics are no different than snacks for non-diabetics: They are snacks — not meals. So keep the portions small. And remember, too, that diabetic snacks make up part of your daily calorie count.

Here are some suggestions for diabetic snacks that might put a smile on your face.

Peanut Butter Snacks

Peanut butter is a fun food that almost everyone likes. To make some interesting and tasty diabetic snacks, you could put peanut butter on:

• A Ritz whole wheat cracker topped with a banana
• A graham cracker topped with a banana
• Rice cakes
• A whole wheat mini-bagel

Popcorn Snacks

Popcorn is more than a diabetic snack. It’s an excellent way to get a good amount of whole grain. Why? Because popcorn is whole grain. Three cups of popcorn equals one slice of whole wheat bread, five whole wheat crackers or a little more than one whole wheat mini-bagel. Don’t pop the popcorn with oil, either, but with hot air. Then mix the popcorn with:

• A couple of tablespoons of Parmesan cheese
• Cajun spices or chili powder
• A couple of tablespoons of pumpkin seeds or chopped nuts

Dipping Snacks

Dipping foods make great diabetic snacks. You can buy the dip or, even better, make it yourself in order to control the quality of ingredients that go into it. Try pairing with these combinations:

• Tomato or tomatillo salsa with baked corn ships
• Hummus with whole wheat pita bread
• Low fat bean dip with baked potato chips
• Low fat tuna dip with low fat potato chips
• Low fat cottage cheese dip with celery or some other vegetable

Egg Snacks

Eggs are a great source of protein. But be careful not to overindulge because the yolks are high in cholesterol. When eaten in moderation, though, they make good diabetic snacks. You could eat them as:

• Hard boiled eggs
• Stuffed eggs
• Smoked eggs

Homemade Baked Snacks

Baking your own diabetic snacks at home is an excellent way to make sure they contain high-quality ingredients. Of all the home-baked snacks for diabetics, one of the best is bran muffins. You can make small ones and fill them with one or more of the following:

• Ground flax
• Chopped nuts
• Cinnamon
• Dried fruits

Diabetic snacks don’t have to be boring. If you use a little imagination and creativity, you can make snacks for diabetics that are worth smiling about!

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• Zero trans fats are still fats
• Carbohydrates still produce sugar
• You should treat your body well by eating good foods — not fast foods

Zero Trans Fats Are Still Fats

In January 2005, the medical Journal Lancet published a study showing that people who ate fast foods more than a couple of times a week not only became fatter, but also developed insulin resistance by the time they reached early middle age. Since then, many fast food companies such as McDonalds and Burger King have switched from using trans fats to oils that contain no trans fats. This change might seem like a good development for diet controlled diabetes because it was the trans fats that led to the insulin resistance.

But for diabetes diet control, fat is fat no matter if it is hydrogenated, saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Why? Because as a diabetic, you have to watch your fat intake. And fast foods, even if they contain no trans fats, are still high in fat. For example, suppose your daily goal for your diet controlled diabetes is to limit your fat intake to 60 grams. Eating certain McDonalds burgers — forget about the fries — might not leave you much room for eating something healthier during the rest of the day:

Carbohydrates Still Produce Sugar

For diabetes diet control, you always have to be aware of how many carbohydrates you consume each day. Your body converts carbohydrates from white breads and other ingredients such as potatoes into sugar fairly quickly, and fast foods are loaded with such carbohydrates. The last thing you need is to get socked with sugar overload from sneaking in a fast food burger. If, for your diet controlled diabetes, you’re counting carbohydrates, a McDonalds’ Double Cheeseburger has 34 grams. If you’re using the exchange system, the Double Cheeseburger consists of 2 carbohydrates, 4 medium fat meat and 1 fat. A Big Mac is even higher. And even a light Frappuccino from Starbucks, made with nonfat milk, contains between 16-32 grams of carbohydrates.

You Should Treat Your Body Well by Eating Good Foods — Not Fast Foods

One of the most important things to consider for diet controlled diabetes is the quality of the food you eat. Fast foods tend to be made from the lowest quality ingredients. That’s one reason why those foods are so cheap. There’s an adage that says, “If you like yourself, you’ll treat yourself well.” As a prediabetic or a type 2 diabetic, you should really take that adage to heart in your diabetes diet control. Make sure your meals consist of the appropriate combination of high-quality ingredients from all the food groups.

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Nuts

Nuts provide lots of potassium, folic acid, vitamin E and magnesium. It’s the magnesium in the nuts that is important. Magnesium helps your pancreas produce insulin and affects how the insulin works in your body to allow your cells to absorb the sugar in your blood and to control your blood sugar level. Men should consume 400 milligrams of magnesium a day and women should get 300 milligrams. Don’t eat coconuts or macadamia nuts, though. Coconut is loaded with saturated fat and macadamia nuts are high in both fat and calories. But don’t let this diabetic information give you license to gorge on nuts, because they’re also a high-fat food. Remember: A few nuts go a long way.

Cinnamon

The benefit derived from eating cinnamon shows that information about diabetes is certainly not cut and dry. Several years ago, studies indicated that, like insulin, cinnamon helped your body absorb sugar, thereby lowering your blood sugar level. But more recent studies are mixed. One indicates that eating cinnamon provides no benefits and another shows that eating cinnamon does, indeed, lower blood sugar levels. So what do to with this diabetes information? Do whatever you think is best—and consult your physician if you’re unsure. If you decide to use cinnamon, you probably shouldn’t take it in high-fat, sugary foods like pastries. Instead, sprinkle a little bit over fruits such as apples, blueberries, bananas and strawberries — or any other food you think might go well with it. All you need to use is half a teaspoon a day.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar might taste sour, but its effects are sweet — as this piece of diabetes information proves: Taking just two tablespoons of cider vinegar each night before going to bed can lower your blood sugar up to 6 percent in two days. Even better, taking apple cider vinegar before a meal reduces the sugar spike you often get after eating. Actually, other kinds of vinegars can give you the same results, too. And here’s still another piece of information about diabetes and vinegar: Taking vinegar before meals or bed can help you lose weight. So why not give vinegar a try?

Flax Seed

One final bit of diabetes information about natural foods: Eating flaxseed provides magnesium in addition to protein and fiber. Don’t use the whole seeds, though. Grind them or buy them already ground. You can sprinkle the ground flax seed on your cereal or include in muffins or cookies (low in sugar, of course). The more information about diabetes and food you can find, the more you can control the disease naturally.

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Ingredients Diabetics Should Avoid Cooking With

Many food ingredients can be very detrimental to the health of a patient with diabetes. Ingredients that are extremely high in fats – especially saturated fats, increase a diabetic’s probability that they will develop heart disease or other related complications. In addition to avoiding high risk foods, establishing reasonable portions of food for meals supplements cooking with healthy ingredients in creating an effective diabetic cooking regiment. Take advantage of the following diabetic cooking tips:

• Make sure carbohydrate rich foods such as grains, oats, and starchy vegetables are the cornerstone of your cooking diet.
• Introduce a large quantity and variety of fruits and vegetables to meals.
• Low-fat dairy products should replace dairy products that have a high fat content.
• Prepare seafood that is low in cholesterol, like fish.
• Cut out altogether high fat and high calorie cooking ingredients.
• Avoid cooking oils that are high in saturated fats.

Healthy Results

In spite of the many cooking habits and ingredients that may be harmful to patients with diabetes, many habits may yield healthy results. Healthy diabetic cooking habits may offset the chances of developing high risk complications associated with diabetes such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol while naturally maintaining desired blood sugar levels. Take advantage of the numerous healthy diabetic cooking habits in order to live a happier and healthier life.

Please keep in mind that this article on Diabetic Cooking is intended solely as an informational document; consult a licensed physician before making any decisions regarding the management of individual cases of diabetes.

Source: ‘Making healthy Food Choices’
American Diabetes Association

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The Diabetes “Food Pyramid”

Similarly to the regular food pyramid, the Diabetes Food Pyramid regulates the ingestion quantity of certain foods for diabetics that are detrimental to maintaining a healthy balance of blood sugar and insulin. Ultimately, the purpose of the pyramid is to guide diabetics in selecting the appropriate ratios of food from various food groups in their diets.

The Food Groups

The Pyramid asserts that largest proportion of food necessary in a diabetic diet is grains and starches; this food group includes breads, oats, pastas, cereals, and starchy vegetables. The next largest proportion of food in a diabetic diet consists of fruits and vegetables. Low fat diary products contain significant amounts of protein as well as vitamins however; their consumption should not exceed two to three servings per day. Meat and meat substitution consumption should be limited to four to six ounces a day. The smallest proportion of food for diabetics is fats, sweets, and alcohol. This food group contains very little nutritious value and should be either restricted to very small servings or cut out entirely.

Take Control of Your Lifestyle

Constant and careful monitoring of your blood sugar is unfortunately not usually enough to ensure that your diabetes remains free of other health complications. An effective diabetic lifestyle necessitates the management of a healthy food diet. A proper diet naturally regulates blood sugar content and reduces the risk of heart disease. Take control of your lifestyle – including your diet, in order to increase your quality of life with diabetes!

Please keep in mind that this article on Food for Diabetics is intended solely as an informational document; consult a licensed physician before making any decisions regarding the management of individual cases of diabetes.

Source: “Using the Diabetes Food Pyramid”
The American Diabetes Association

http://www.diabetes.org/nutrition-and-recipes/nutrition/foodpyramid.jsp

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Today, there is no one diet for people with diabetes. Diabetes dietary guidelines from the American Diabetes Association simply recommend that carbohydrate and fat intake should be based on nutritional assessment and treatment goals for each individual, with 10 percent to 20 percent of calories from protein and less than 10 percent from saturated fats.

The good news is that the diet guidelines for diabetics are really the same kind of healthy eating that is best for everyone. In particular, diabetes diet guidelines focus on:

• Eating whole foods that are high in fiber and are nutrient-dense. This includes virtually all plant foods, most dairy products, lean meat and poultry, and fish.
• Keeping highly processed foods to a minimum. These are often full of refined flour and sugar.
• Eating about the same amount of food at the same time each day. This keeps blood sugar levels stable.

Diabetic diet guidelines also address the fact that people with diabetes are at higher risk for heart problems. Diabetes diet guidelines recommended limiting fat to less than 30 percent of total daily calories and watching cholesterol by choosing smaller portions of lean meats, poultry and fish, and low or non-fat dairy products.

Diabetic Diet Guidelines and Sweets

Do diabetes dietary guidelines mean you have to give up sugar, fat and carbohydrates forever? No! The trick is to understand how the body breaks down different types of foods at different rates.

Different foods have different effects on blood glucose, Carbohydrates (whether from a potato or the sugar in your coffee) can be digested in as little as three minutes. By contrast, protein from a lunchtime hamburger can takes three to six hours, and fat can take eight or more hours. But people with diabetes don’t always have to forgo desserts and sweets. They just have to be sure to eat only moderate amounts no more than once or twice a week.

“What If I Need To Lose Weight?”

Of course, diabetes dietary guidelines also address diabetics who need to lose some weight. These dietary changes typically involve both calorie and carbohydrate control as well as appropriate exercise. In particular, weight control is important for people who have type 2 diabetes. Here, extra body fat makes it hard for type 2 diabetics to make and use their own insulin. If you are overweight, losing just 10 to 20 pounds may improve your blood sugar control so much that you can stop taking or reduce your medication.

A registered dietitian, preferably one who is also a certified diabetes educator (CDE) or is experienced in diabetes care, is an essential resource for learning more about individualized diabetic diet guidelines. To find a dietitian near you, call the American Dietetic Association’s National Center for Nutrition and Dietetics at 1-800-366-1655 or visit their Web site at www.eatright.org/find.html. You can log on to www.eatright.org and use the ZIP code search to find a dietitian in your area.

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Unfortunately, many diabetic seniors don’t follow a healthy diet because they experience:

• Reduced appetites
• Declining metabolisms
• Limited mobility
• The side effects of medication

The Challenges of Diabetic Cooking for Seniors

As you can see, there are many challenges of diabetic cooking for seniors:

Problem: As a general rule, seniors tend to eat less, so they run the risk of becoming malnourished.

Solution: One of the best diabetic senior cooking tips is to choose nutrient-dense foods (i.e., foods with lots of nutritional “bang for their buck,” such as peanut butter, soup beans, lean poultry and low-fat yogurt).  Eating whole, natural, fresh foods are the best way to get nutrient-rich substances in the diet.

Problem: Diabetic seniors don’t always get enough fiber in their diet, which can help control the release of glucose from foods while helping with digestive movement.

Solution: Senior diabetic cooking should include plenty of soluble fiber, which is found in fruits, vegetables and some seeds, to slow down or reduce the absorption of glucose from the intestines. Legumes, such as cooked kidney beans, are among the highest soluble fiber foods. Insoluble fibers, found in bran, whole grains and nuts, act as intestinal scrubbers by cleaning out the lower gastrointestinal tract.

Problem: Senior diabetics often don’t eat regularly throughout the day. Sometimes they simply don’t feel up to cooking.

Solution: Another key to senior diabetic cooking is to make meals more like snacks, and eat them regularly. Keep snacks readily available and munch on them throughout the day. Have your favorite vegetable ready in bite-size pieces (baby carrots, sliced apples with peanut butter, string cheese, nuts, low-fat mozzarella with whole wheat crackers, cottage cheese and pineapple chunks, ice cream, etc.).

Problem: Seniors’ senses of taste and smell diminish, sometimes causing a loss of appetite and interest in food. Other seniors use unhealthy amounts of salt when seasoning their food to compensate for the lack of taste.

Solution: Diabetic cooking for seniors should include the use of fresh herbs and tasty spices. Splash on the olive oil and vinegars, and try sprinkling in garlic, onions and spices, including cinnamon, cloves, ginger and turmeric (which also aid digestion) instead of salt.

Problem: Senior diabetics often fall into the habit of using “convenience foods” — packaged and processed foods that are easier to prepare but are often loaded with saturated fat and salt. This can increase the risks of heart disease, cancer and high blood pressure.

Solution: Of all the diabetic senior cooking tips, this is probably the most important (and, actually, easy to implement): Choose and use “whole” foods. These are, quite simply, unprocessed foods — fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grain breads, low-fat cheese and milk, and lean cuts of meat, fish and poultry. Try to cut out prepared, pre-mixed foods like stovetop dinners. At the store, reach for the least-processed version of any food.

Regular Testing is Crucial

Finally, remember that regular blood glucose testing is a crucial step in enjoying a good quality of life and reducing diabetes complications. With regular testing at home, diabetic seniors can make smart choices about managing their diabetes. For example, you can decide when and how much medicine to take, when to exercise and when to eat meals or snacks.

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Yet understanding what and how much to eat can be challenging. That’s where a Registered Dietitian can help. He or she can help design a meal plan that fits your health goals and lifestyle, as well as what you like to eat.

In the meantime, take a minute to learn four key components of diabetic diet management:

1) Understanding how your body uses food. At the heart of diabetes diet management  is understanding the effects of different foods on your blood sugar. Carbohydrates (whether it’s a piece of bread or a scoop of sugar, typically take from five minutes to three hours to digest. Protein takes three to six hours to digest, and fat can take eight hours or more. That’s why a milk shake, which is higher in fat, raises blood sugar levels more slowly than a carbohydrate-laden baked potato. Starches (pastas, rice, bread, cake, potatoes, corn, etc.), fruit and milk are high in carbohydrates. Once in your body, they break down into your cells’ preferred form of energy (glucose) fairly quickly. Diabetes diet management helps you schedule your carbohydrate intake so that your cells can get the glucose that they need — when they need it.

2) Eating the right foods (at the right time). Food is one of the main factors that impacts blood glucose levels — and one you can control with the right diabetic diet management. The first step is to create a varied and balanced diet that includes a  variety of nutrient-dense foods and beverages among the basic food groups. Choose fiber-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains often. Eat 2 cups of fruit and 2 1/2 cups of vegetables daily and make at least half the grains you eat whole grains. Decrease saturated fats and trans fatty acids by choosing lean meats and poultry, and low-fat or non-fat dairy products. The next step is to keep your blood sugar at a consistent level by eating the same amount of food with the same proportion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats at the same time every day.

3) How exercise impacts diabetes diet management. Regular exercise is another important part of diabetic diet management. It helps insulin work better while reducing blood glucose levels. Ideally, adults should get 30 minutes of physical activity five or more days per week. And your exercise doesn’t have to be hours spent at the gym. Many everyday activities count as moderate exercise, including:

• Gardening for 30 to 45 minutes
• Stair walking for 15 minutes
• Washing and waxing the car for 60 minutes

4) The importance of regular monitoring. Of course, monitoring goes hand in hand with diabetic diet control. By monitoring your blood glucose levels throughout the day, you can then make smart decisions about meals, exercise and medication.

The American Diabetes Association website (www.diabetes.org) offers plenty of diabetic diet management resources, including:

• Recipe of the day
• Tip of the day
• Guide to eating out
• ADA cookbooks
• Exercise and weight loss brochures
• Information for kids and teens

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Hopefully, as you read the following, you’ll be able to dispel some common myths about diabetes food restrictions.

Myth: Carbohydrates are bad for people with diabetes.

Reality: It’s easy to see why some believe carbohydrates are among restricted food for diabetics. Consuming too many carbohydrate-containing foods can raise your blood glucose way above normal. But eating too few can hurt your body by denying it the energy it needs.

The key when thinking about diabetic food restrictions is to look for “quality carbohydrates.” These include fruits, vegetables, and whole grains like brown rice, whole wheat, corn, beans and nuts. These quality carbohydrates take longer to break down in the digestive system and provide sustained energy and sugar levels without spikes. By comparison, highly processed carbohydrates found in packaged and fast foods (corn syrup, white bread and white flour products) have a high glycemic index that causes spikes in sugar levels.

Myth: Diabetics cannot eat sugar.

Reality: This is one of the oldest myths surrounding diabetic food restrictions. Eating sweets once or twice a week is perfectly acceptable — as long as you are maintaining a healthy weight and as long as it is part of a balanced diet. That said, you should avoid dangerous sugar spikes or weight gain due to eating too many sugary, fat-rich foods.

Myth: I only need more fiber if I’m constipated or having digestion problems.

Reality: The reality is that the soluble fiber in fruits, vegetables and grains can regulate how quickly sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream. Insoluble fibers, found in bran, whole grains and nuts, act as intestinal scrubbers by cleaning out the lower gastrointestinal tract.

Myth: “Diabetic foods” are safe to eat.

Reality: As funny as it may sound, these products may actually belong on a list of food restrictions for diabetes. Although they seem to be lower in sugars, these foods often contain other substances — such as fructose or sugar alcohols — that can raise blood sugar. Diabetic ice cream and candy may even be higher-calorie than the foods they were designed to replace.

Myth: Diabetic food restrictions mean there can be no flexibility in my diet.

Reality: Certain foods, called “free” foods, can add flexibility to your meal plan. Found on the diabetes food exchange list, free foods include things like diet soft drinks, sugar-free gelatin, catsup, soy sauce and spices. You don’t have to count these foods if you don’t any more than three servings a day.

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Type 2 diabetes develops when your body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin — a hormone that regulates the absorption of sugar into your cells — or when your body produces some, but not enough, insulin to maintain a normal glucose level.

Know the Basics of Healthy Eating

Weight control and healthy eating are two critical factors in controlling type 2 diabetes. The good news here is that Type 2 diabetes food choices are not restricted to just a few bland options. In fact, you are encouraged to choose a variety of foods, especially those that contain carbohydrates and fiber, such as whole grains, beans, vegetables and fruit.

Choose Foods Wisely

Smart type 2 diabetes food choices include nutrient-dense foods and beverages among the basic food groups.

DO eat foods that contain protein (meat, fish, poultry, beans, nuts and cheese).

DON’T overdo it with foods that contain saturated fat (animal fat) and trans fats (partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, such as hard margarine and shortenings). Note that food for type 2 diabetes should include some unsaturated fat (oil from vegetables and fish is healthy).

DO enjoy occasional sweets, especially if you balance them with healthy choices in other food groups.

Eat Regular Meals

Skipping meals and overeating can send your blood sugar plunging — and then through the roof. In addition to choosing the right foods for type 2 diabetes, when you eat them is just as important.

DON’T overeat. This can cause dangerous spikes in your blood sugar. Eating three or more small meals a day is better than eating one or two large ones.

DO enjoy healthy snacks between meals to reduce hunger and prevent low blood sugar.

By spreading your calories and carbohydrates throughout the day, you can help control your blood sugar.

DO consider seeing a health specialist, such as a registered dietitian. They can provide additional help with type 2 diabetes food. Many health insurance plans, including Medicare, provide coverage for a dietitian if you have diabetes.

Get Regular Exercise

Besides eating the right food for type 2 diabetes, there are other things you can do to maintain healthy glucose levels. Regular exercise typically lowers blood sugar and can also help you take off extra pounds or simply maintain a healthy weight.

DO aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise most days.

DON’T jump right in. If you haven’t been active for a while, start slowly and build up gradually. For the best results, combine aerobic activity with stretching and strength training exercises.

DO try to exercise at the same time every day. This will help control your blood sugar. Try swimming or biking if you have foot problems — they’re  much easier on the feet than jogging.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Fat makes your cells more resistant to insulin. But when you lose weight, the process reverses and your cells become more receptive to insulin. For some people with type 2 diabetes, weight loss is all that’s needed to restore blood sugar to normal.

DON’T be discouraged. A modest weight loss of 10 to 20 pounds is often enough.

DO consider talking with a registered dietitian. He or she can help you develop a weight-loss plan based on your current weight, activity level, age and overall health.

DO visit The American Diabetes Association website (www.diabetes.org) for informative exercise and weight loss brochures

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