Snacks! Who doesn’t love a good snack? Snacking is a great way to stabilize your blood sugar and energy levels and stave off nagging hunger. Prevent being over-hungry is also a great way to prevent nighttime cravings or bingeing. So where to start?

When Should I Eat a Snack?

It’s pretty simple – if you are hungry and there isn’t a meal on the docket for the next 1-2 hours, it’s snack time! If you are hungry, your body is asking for more energy to meet its energy needs right in the moment. If it doesn’t get a response from you (aka – food!), it’s going to slow your metabolism down in order to economize. If you do feed it, it knows it can trust you to take care of its energy needs, and it will fire on all cylinders. Plus, you get to eat a snack…it’s a win-win!

What Makes a Satisfying Snack?

You want to make sure your snack addresses both physical hunger and biochemical hunger. Physical hunger is the actual emptiness in your stomach, while biochemical hunger is a declining blood glucose (which is your body’s fuel).

To satisfy physical hunger, include a protein because it is slow digesting. This will ensure that it stays in your stomach for at least an hour or two, getting you to your next meal. Proteins you might choose for snacks include:

• cheese
• cottage cheese
• deli meat
• nuts or nut butter
• hard-boiled eggs
• Greek yogurt

To satisfy biochemical hunger, you’ll need a food that raises blood sugar a bit to provide the energy you’ll need for 1-2 more hours until your next meal. The only foods that directly break down into blood glucose are carbohydrates, since they are made of pieces of glucose. Some carbohydrates are made of individual glucose pieces or short chains of glucose. These are called simple carbohydrates, and because they are small they digest very quickly, and therefore raise blood glucose very quickly. Other carbohydrates are called complex carbohydrates, and are made of long chains of glucose. The long chains take longer to digest, and therefore raise blood glucose much more gradually. The gradual rise in glucose means a more stable blood sugar, longer-lasting energy, and a lower likelihood of your body storing “extra” blood glucose as fat. Choosing a complex carbohydrate is a great way to go.

There are also a couple of carb-containing foods that have simple carbohydrates, but contain a natural nutritional “buffer” that slows their digestion, making them act more like a complex carbohydrate. For example, fruit is high in fiber (which slows digestion) and milk and yogurt contain protein. Here are some great carbohydrate options for snacks:

• fresh, canned, or dried fruit
• Greek yogurt (bonus: also contains protein!)
• popcorn
• whole grain crackers
• whole grain chips

Managing diabetes is a struggle. It can be overwhelming and exhausting to try to keep your blood sugar under control. Here are 7 reasons I think people find it challenging to do the things they know would be good for them:

1. They are confusing. Nobody can agree. You get one recommendation from your doctor, one from an article you read online, one from a library book, and three others from your friends with diabetes. So who’s right? Sometimes no one, sometimes all of them. Diabetes recommendations (and bodies!) are so, so individual. Just because something is recommended for your friend or even the general public, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s right for you. Discuss your questions with your doctor and your dietitian. They should be able to help you weed out what’s right for you.
2. They are overwhelming. So much to do, so little time: checking blood sugars (sometimes 4-6 times a day!), taking medications, dosing insulin, watching your diet, and staying active. I get it – I’m living it temporarily and I’m already starting to wonder how people do this all the time. Managing diabetes is no joke. Sometimes I feel that as health professionals, we throw too many tasks at patients at one time. Be sure to communicate what’s realistic for you and tell your care team if you need to prioritize changes into smaller steps.
3. Presentation is key. Along the same lines, nutrition information for diabetes is often presented in a tsunami of recommendations to idealize someone’s diet and prevent every chronic condition under the sun. I have sat in on and (I hate to say it) helped teach classes that covered carbohydrates, proteins, portion control, fiber, saturated fat, unsaturated fat, heart healthy recommendations, exercise, and mental and sexual health in one mind-numbing three hour stint. How likely is it that those poor people are going to retain anything useful? In fact, I meet with patients on a weekly basis who have attended those types of classes and flat out told me, “I didn’t learn anything. There was way too much information.” My plea to my profession: BREAK IT UP, PRIORITIZE, and EMPATHIZE.

   
   
   

4. Portion does not mean portion. This is a big one. Diabetes educators and dietitians have adopted a term called “diabetes portion” or “carbohydrate portion.” This amount of a food has about 15 grams of carbohydrate and is intended to make carb counting easier. After learning the portions, someone can simply choose 3-4 per meal, 5-7 per meal, or however many their dietitian recommends, rather than track and count grams of carbohydrate. The unfortunate reality is that the word “portion” sends the message that that amount of carbohydrate is all they can have at once. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve worked with who say dejectedly, “So-and-so told me I could only ever have 1/3 cup rice at a time and that’s just never going to happen.” This misconception is suuuuuuper defeating for people who want to manage their diabetes, because they think they have to starve to do it. My solution? Change “carbohydrate portions” to “carbohydrate choices” or something less confusing so people know they can still eat!
5. It’s not black and white. Eating for diabetes is not a list of “good foods” and “bad foods,” which can be confusing. Carbs are not bad and they give us energy, but people with diabetes simply can’t process too many carbs at one time. It’s not total avoidance, it’s moderation. Sometimes that’s hard to grasp.
6. The media. Ohhhhhh the media…so useful in some ways, so full of garbage information in others.
7. It’s a moving target. Recommendations for managing blood sugar are based on a conglomeration of research in the field. You know what that means? New research = new recommendations. Every few years, the recommendations change a bit based on new information. That’s why it’s important, even if you’ve had nutrition education before, to meet with your doctor regularly and a dietitian at least once a year to keep up on what’s new.

For a little practice, here is the carbohydrate breakdown for the four meals and two snacks I’ve had so far. Remember that my goal is 45-60 grams carb (3-4 carb portions) per meal and 15 grams carb (1 carb portion) per snack:

Monday Dinner

3 oz meatloaf = 15 g carb (1 carb portion)

1 small dinner roll = 15 g carb (1 carb choice)

1/2 c. mashed potatoes = 15 g carb (1 carb choice)

1/3 c. cooked carrots = 7 g carb

1 c. green salad = 0 g carb

1 Tbsp light blue cheese dressing = 0 g carb

Total carbs = 52 grams carb  (3.5 carb portions)

Tuesday Breakfast

whole wheat English muffin = 30 g carb (2 carb portions)

1 Tbsp fresh ground peanut butter = 2.5 g carb

1/2 medium banana = 15 g carb (1 carb portion)

green tea (with my awesome Mr. Tea infuser!) with Stevia = 0 g carb

Total carbs = 47.5 grams (3 carb portions)

Tuesday Morning Snack

3/4 oz pretzels = 15 grams carb (1 carb portion)

Tuesday Lunch

                       2 slices whole wheat bread = 30 g carb (2 carb portions) 3 oz. turkey deli meat = 0 g carb

1 slice cheddar cheese = 0 g carb

2 leaves lettuce = 0 g carb

2 slices tomatoes = 0 g carb

1 Tbsp light mayo = 0 g carb

1 tsp Dijon mustard = 0 g carb

1 medium apple = 28 g carb (2 carb portions)

                                                                                         Total carbs = 58 grams (4 carb portions)

Tuesday Afternoon Snack

6 oz. light yogurt = 16 grams carb (1 carb portion)

Tuesday Dinner

1 c. chili w/lean ground beef = 22 g carb (1.5 carb portions)

1 oz. cornbread = 15 g carb (1 carb portion)

1 c. green salad = 0 g carb

1 Tbsp light ranch dressing = 0 g carb

1 Tbsp fat free sour cream = 0 g carb

1 Tbsp Smart Balance spread = 0 g carb

And I had plenty of carbs left so I topped it off with a square of Ghirardelli dark chocolate (7 g carb)!

Total Carbs = 44 grams carb (3 carb portions)

So far, so good! The food has been tasty and filling, and I haven’t felt restricted. I’m loving the flexibility of this meal plan!

Comment if you have any questions about how the carb counting works (or about anything else)!