1. Snacking Delights the Diabetic Body
Diabetics, even if overweight, need to snack throughout the day as often as they like and again before bed to help keep their blood glucose levels close to normal. Each snack can vary in size and in content, and delightful, nutritious snacking includes keeping a supply of favorite snacks handy at all times. You can slip a bag with snacks into your briefcase or purse, in your bedroom nightstand, in your office desk, and, of course, in your car. A variety of choices makes snacking more enjoyable.
2. Choose What Grows Naturally
Over the past decades scientists, doctors and nutritionists have discovered more and more information on what really works best to balance the glucose levels of a diabetic. Where years ago many believed you could only control the blood glucose levels but not cure diabetes, today many nutritionists and specialists find that by controlling what one eats you can actually cure diabetes. As a result, you can find many diabetic snack experts who emphasize eating carbohydrates and some who say you just might be healthier if you avoid too many carbohydrates. Since even the experts disagree on what provides the healthiest snacks for a diabetic it seems wise to go in the direction of the latest research rather than the research and decisions of years ago. That means to focus on what grows naturally and avoid manufactured items.
3. Quick Tips to Select Fun Snacks
Here are some easy little rules to help you select satisfying and fun snacks. (1) Avoid anything white. The process of making it white usually strips the best nutrition from it and upsets the alkaline/acid balance. (2) Select items that grow naturally, such as carrot or celery sticks. Prepare these ahead of time and keep in little baggies. Other natural items include any fruit and vegetable in abundance. (3) Go light on the carbs and popcorn. (4) Eat avocados. (5) Chew everything well and you'll enjoy your snack more.
4. Tipping the Acid/Alkaline Scale in a Healthy Direction
Many doctors and nutritionists believe when the human blood becomes either too alkaline or too acidic the body starts developing negative symptoms or disease. Ideally we need to aim at a slightly alkaline (7.35 to 7.45) blood pH. Most American diets consist of highly acidic foods such as animal and fish protein, dairy products, fats and oils, aspirin, coffee, cola drinks and beer. The blood ends up quite acidic and can't absorb minerals and nutrients. The body needs to balance the blood toward the optimum alkaline balance with alkaline foods such as cantaloupe, seedless grapes, kiwifruit, sweet pears, raisins, pineapple fruit and vegetable juices, dates, figs, mangoes, melons, seaweeds, parsley, apples, broccoli, peaches and almonds. These are snacks a body needs to balance out the scale.
5. Snack Culprits to Avoid
Sometimes popular and widely used herbs have a negative reaction when taken with insulin or an oral hypoglycemic drug. American ginseng tea when taken alone by people not on medication does tend to reduce one's glucose level. However, taken with insulin or a hypoglycemic drug, ginseng tea creates a negative interaction. Many natural supplements contain ginseng so read labels carefully. Coffee, cola drinks and chocolate are highly acidic and do not meet the criteria of a good diabetic diet snack. Needless to say, candy also doesn't belong in your snack bag.
