Most people with diabetes may be able to tolerate 15g of carbohydrates for a snack. Having more carbohydrates between meals often will mean that your blood glucose is high before the next meal.
If you typically have low blood glucose before meals or experience hypos during the day, you should have a carbohydrate snack of 15g between meals.
If you don’t have hypos nor drop blood glucose quickly between meals then you should stick to low carbohydrate snacks (less than 5g carbohydrates).
You may also need a carbohydrate snack if you have a very long gap between meals.
Use the food label to determine the amount of carbohydrates per portion. Choose natural foods as snacks as often as possible.
Snacks options containing 15g carbs
- 1 small apple (6,5cm diameter)
- 100g low-fat fruit yoghurt
- 4 Salticrax crackers
- 40g peanuts and raisins
- 2 cups popcorn
- 1 large carrot (7,5cm long) and 2 tablespoons hummus
- ½ avocado
- 1 slice low-GI bread with butter or margarine or cheese
Snacks containing less than 5g of carbs
- ½ cup berries
- 100g double cream plain yoghurt
- 1 Salticrax cracker
- 40g peanuts
- 2/3 cup popcorn
- 1 stalk celery and 1 tablespoon hummus
- Sugar-free jelly
- Boiled egg
- Biltong
- Cheese, cottage cheese, Laughing cow cheese wedge
- Olives
- ¼ avocado
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