Keep healthy snacks handy! Scheduled snacking is a smart strategy for maintaining stable blood glucose and achieving your weight goal. Snacks help you stay motivated by avoiding hunger, which is what often leads us to abandoning our program.
Top 10 Glycemic Impact Snacks
1. Yogurt: Buy low-fat or nonfat, no-sugar added yogurt. Organic with “live cultures” are healthiest.
2. Nuts: An ideal combination of unsaturated fat, protein and carbs, nuts are portable and nutritious. Buy dry-roasted (no oil added) unsalted nuts or peanuts in the shell, average size is a “handful,” about 200 calories, depending on the variety.
3. Hummus: 2 tablespoons Hummus with cut-up crunchy veggies.
4. Cheese: Low-fat varieties: read the label, the first ingredient should be skim milk. Nonfat or 1-percent cottage cheese is a great snack; mix with salad herbs or black pepper for added flavor.
5. Peanut Butter and Celery: 1 sliced apple and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
6. Fruit: Whole fruit including berries, melon, apples, oranges and grapefruit have the most fiber and fewest grams of carbohydrate per serving. Eat along with some nonfat yogurt or low-fat cheese, or a handful of nuts.
7. Popcorn: Air-popped popcorn sprayed with olive oil and tossed with a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese.
8. Cottage Cheese: ½ cup cottage cheese and ½ sliced banana
9. Goat Cheese: 1 tablespoon soft goat cheese (low or nonfat)
10. Fruit and Nuts: 1 cup grapes with 6 plain almonds
