Quick Tips: Smart Snacking When You Have Diabetes

Follow your body's hunger and fullness signals. Smart snacking can help you manage your blood sugar.

• Plan ahead. Decide ahead of time what you will eat for your snack and when you will have it. This can help you stick with your meal plan.
• Be prepared. Have easy snacks ready to go, like precut vegetables and washed, ready-to-eat fruit. Other ideas include hard-boiled eggs, nuts, whole-grain crackers, cheese sticks, and individual containers of hummus or guacamole.
• Find healthy substitutes for your favorite snacks. For example, try baked tortilla chips with salsa or bean dip instead of potato chips with a mayonnaise-based dip.
• Get more fiber. Snacks with fiber can help you feel full longer. Vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole-grain products are all good sources of fiber.
• Try something new. Cookbooks, cooking magazines, and online recipes can be a good source of inspiration for new snack ideas.
• Think about your portions. Don't eat out of the bag or box. Take a single serving, and eat from a plate or bowl. It's easy to eat more than you need or want when the bag is open in front of you.
• Take time to enjoy your food. Focus on your snack without distractions like the TV or your phone. This can help you avoid eating too much.
• Try to make healthy choices when you grocery shop. If unhealthy snacks aren't around, you won't eat them.
• Use Nutrition Facts labels to make healthy choices. The food label lists the nutrition content of a food. This includes what a serving size is for the food and how many calories it has. You can also find out how much carbohydrate, fat, protein, and fiber are in a serving.