For people living with diabetes, managing carbohydrates plays a crucial role in keeping blood glucose under control. When regulating carbs, it may seem like skipping snacks is the best way to go, but, in fact, the opposite is true.
It's totally fine to eat between meals, so long as you're smart about the snacks you choose. Smartly selected, snacks can help you curb hunger pangs so you don't overeat at meals and give you the energy you need to get through the day.
So, how exactly do you manage carbs? Two words, Carb Choices.
A carb choice is a unit of measurement that you can use to help you keep track of the number of carbs you consume in a day. One carb choice is equal to approximately 15 grams of carbohydrates. A Registered Dietitian (RD) or Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) can help you to identify the right number of carb choices you need for meals and snacks and how to fit them into your meal plan.
To help you manage your snacks, we've partnered with Cheerios to bring you a list of options that contain between zero and two carb choices. Use this list to conquer the art of carb counting!
For more information and better for you recipes be sure to check out smartaboutdiabetes.com.
Popcorn
Shutterstock
Serving Size: 1 cup light popcorn
Carb Choices: 0
String Cheese
Christopher Hsia/Flickr
Serving Size: 1 stick
Carb Choices: 0
Eggs
General Mills
Serving Size: 1 hard boiled egg
Carb Choices: 0
Carrots
Rubberball/Erik Isakson via Getty Images
Serving Size: 5 baby carrots
Carb Choices: 0
Pumpkin Seeds
Southern Stock via Getty Images
Veggies And Hummus
Oppenheim Bernhard via Getty Images
Serving Size: 1/3 cup hummus + 1 cup raw fresh cut veggies (green peppers, cucumber, celery, cauliflower or a combination of these options)
Carb Choices: 1
Cottage Cheese With Fresh Fruit
Lauri Patterson via Getty Images
Serving Size: ¼ cup cottage cheese + ½ cup fresh (or canned) fruit
Carb Choices: 1
Clementines
Shutterstock
Serving Size: 2 clementine oranges
Carb Choices: 1
Rice Cakes With Peanut Butter
mary_thompson/Flickr
Serving SIze: 2 rice cakes spread with 1 Tbsp of peanut butter
Carb Choices: 1
Kale Chips
Live Better America
Yogurt And Berries
Eric Naud via Getty Images
Serving Size: 6 oz light yogurt + ¾ cup berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or a combination of these
Carb Choices: 2
Cheerios Frozen Bananas
Live Better America
Serving Size: 1 frozen ripe banana coated in Fruity Cheerios or Honey Nut Cheerios cereal
Carb Choices: 2
Get the recipe here Yogurt Pops
Getty Images
Serving SIze: 1 deliciously frozen pop of fat-free yogurt on a stick
Carb Choices: 2
Get the recipe here Party Mix
Live Better America
Serving Size: 2.5 cups of this on-the-go snack combination of popcorn, fruits and raisins mixed with MultiGrain Cheerios® cereal
Carb Choices: 2
Get the recipe here Original Cheerios With Milk
Cheerios
1 cup of Original Cheerios is 1 carb choice (20g of carbohydrates). When paired with ½ cup of skim milk, it counts as 2 carb choices (26g of carbohydrate). For more low-carb food options, check out
smartaboutdiabetes.com
