23 Healthy Snacks To Balance Your Blood Sugar Levels

When it comes to snacking, there are tons of options available to help you combat the midmorning hunger or power through the afternoon. However, not all snack items are created equal.

Some are highly processed or refined such as sugary candy, chips or pretzels, which could be satisfying, but don’t really give you the energy that you need. And in other cases, you may be living with diabetes and so you’ll want to keep your blood sugar levels low due to that.

In those circumstances, you need to come up with other healthy alternatives for snacking and in that case, we’ve got you covered. Below we have suggested several prepackaged snacks that you can easily grab while getting out the door. In the event that you can’t make your own snacks – which we would encourage you to do in the first place whenever possible – fall back on this list to ensure you get the proper nutrients you need while keeping your blood sugar levels at a reasonable amount.

Roasted/Salted Pistachios

The Wonderful brand is our first pick for these as they provide one of the highest-protein snacks in the form of nuts. Each of these servings provides six grams of plant protein which is fantastic. Beyond this, they also provide a lot of fiber and healthy fats too.

This is of course on top of the nuts being inside of the shells still. You won’t be getting a workout from cracking them open, but due to the time it takes to crack them open, you become more mindful of how many you’ve eaten. In a sense, the empty shells provide a visual cue of how many you’ve had and could get you to cut back on calories.

Crisps

Crisps provide the look and feel of chips but without the unhealthy aspects. Going with Whisps Parmesan Cheese Crisps is a good option as they only have one gram of carbs and a whopping 13 grams of protein. On top of that, they’re gluten-free and made up of only one ingredient: cheese.

Bone Broth

While you’d think it’s unusual to be drinking broth now, it’s actually not as weird as you think.

The broth has come a long way and a notable one is bone broth. Many companies have done leaps and bounds to make fantastic broths and one company, in particular, is Kettle & Fire.

Their classic chicken bone broth is the perfect snack if you want something cozy and sippable.

Their bone broth is organic and uses the bones of free-range chickens. There are also over 16 veggies, herbs and spices mixed in making it a broth that contains more protein than regular broths. A single serving also delivers 255 milligrams of potassium which is known to protect the heart and kidneys of those with type 2 diabetes.

Prunes

Another aspect of diabetes is the fact many also have poor bone quality and are more at risk of fractures. Thankfully, researchers found that eating five to six prunes per day could help in preventing bone loss.

Now you could just be buying more fresh prunes, but you could also look at getting Sunsweet Amazin Prunes which could be a smarter option. These ones in particular contain three grams of fiber per serving and don’t have as much sugar in them compared to other dried fruits.

Probiotic Fruit Bars

With protein bars lingering around, it makes sense that probiotic bars will also be around as well. They provide a ton of nutrients and are a quick and easy snack to have on the go. One that caught our attention was the That’s it and Probiotic fruit bars. These are particular of note for those with type 2 diabetes as probiotics are linked to improved metabolic control.
  

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Reece’s Pieces are a delight but the issue with them is they are highly processed. Fortunately, there are several companies that are aware this combination is nice and have looked for healthier options.

One of those companies is the one called Unreal. They’ve created dark chocolate peanut butter cups which have 36 percent less sugar than other nut-butter cups you can find. This is on top of a lot of fiber and protein.

Tortilla Chips

Chips with salsa are an absolute delight to have but some of the notable leading brands don’t always have the best options. Our suggestion is to try out Real Food From the Ground Up’s butternut squash tortilla chips.

These are much healthier versions that have antioxidant-rich ingredients like butternut squash, chia seeds, and shiitake mushrooms, and provide three grams of fiber per serving with no extra sugar.

Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is one of the more healthier alternatives to traditional yogurt, however, Greek yogurt often goes a step further. Consider Two Good Greek Style Yoghurt which has 80 percent less sugar than the average yogurt. Each of the cups of these only offers 2 grams of sugar while containing a ton of live probiotics – like most other yogurts. This ensures you get the most out of them.

Chickpeas

You don’t need to crack open a can or grind them into hummus to enjoy these anymore.

Thanks to Hippeas Vegan White Cheddar Organic Chickpea Snacks, you can enjoy chickpeas in a whole other fashion while still getting a ton of health benefits.

Crackers

Crackers are way better than chips because all of them are inherently less salty. However, we wouldn’t just recommend any brand of crackers. What would be better is Bob’s Red Mill Jalapeño Oat Crackers, or any cracker from that brand. They provide a lot of healthier benefits than your typical cracker company.
  

Blueberries

Oxidative stress actually plays a part in the development of complications from diabetes.

What’s going to help combat these things? Blueberries. But in the nature of quick snacks, we’d suggest trying out Wyman’s Fresh Frozen Wild Blueberries as they provide a nice icy treat without the additional sugar.

Hard-Boiled Eggs

Eggs are an excellent source of protein and healthy fats as you know and make for a great snack on top of that. The only issue is that they will take time to cook. In those situations, we’d recommend Eggland’s Best Hard-Cooked Peeled Eggs. They remove the struggle of boiling and peeling them and they have double the omega-3 fatty acids and 25 percent less saturated fat than your typical eggs.

Avocado Toast

An amazing brunch food that isn’t just attributed to millennials. It provides a ton of health benefits like healthy fats, fiber, and protein. The Sabra brand has gone a step farther to make Sabra Avocado Toast which is fantastic for someone who needs a convenient grab-and-go snack.

Beef Sticks

Beef alone is a natural source of zinc, a mineral that plays a key role in regulating blood sugar levels. If you’re looking to have more zinc in your diet beef sticks are a solid option but we’d recommend trying Chomps Original Beef Sticks. Why? They have good protein and zero added sugars.

On top of this, while it does contain over 10 percent of the daily value of sodium you need per day, other brands put way more sodium in theirs than you actually need.

Popcorn

Popcorn is a whole grain and is a fantastic snack for keeping blood sugar levels steady.

Thankfully you don’t need to buy kernels all the time to make it since there are plenty of popped popcorn bags for you to enjoy. We’d suggest Gold Emblem Abound Heavenly Light Popcorn since it has all-natural ingredients and is a more healthier option compared to similar brands.
  

Lentils

Similar to chickpeas, companies have gone through creative methods to make other foods more snackable and Lentils are no different. Specifically, Seapoint Farms Mighty Lil’ Lentils offer delicious Texas barbecue flavors and are loaded with fiber too.

Also worth noting is lentil-based foods are known to support healthy blood sugar levels, especially when they’re compared to potato-based items.

Tuna Bean Salad

Before you knock down the suggestion keep in mind we’ve just talked about a few beans being pretty good. Now imagine combining that with tuna and you got a nice combo. For those who need something a little bigger for their snack, we’d try out Wild Planet’s Wild Tuna White Bean Salad.

Almond Butter

Obviously, this is ideal as a spread or in combination with something else. And one particular brand that makes this easier is Justin’s Classic Almond Butter which comes in small squeeze bags that you can put into your bag. You can pair it with a piece of fruit or some whole-grain crackers and these packets will provide a good amount of protein and healthy fats.

Protein Bars

We’ve mentioned probiotic bars already so it makes sense protein bars would make this list too.

They are a staple for busy weekdays, however, the issue with these bars is they are loaded with sugar. This isn’t the case though with Quest Blueberry Cobbler Hero Bars which come with 16 grams of protein and three grams of net carbs.

How it got this low was that it has allulose, a low-calorie sweetener that even your body metabolizes differently than typical sugar.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

Traditional chocolate chip cookie mix is definitely not a good idea, however there are several brands that have created some much healthier options. Take for example Swerve Sweets.

Their chocolate chip cookie mix uses the sweetener erythritol as its base. This means that there is a total of six net carbs per serving compared to the massive amount that typical table sugar has.

Jerky

Your typical jerky can be similar to the beef sticks where there is ample protein but a load of sodium too. Instead of going with that, we’d suggest looking for Moku Plant-Based Jerky. This is jerky that’s made from mushrooms which have a number of benefits when managing diabetes.

One of which, as that study points out is they contain polysaccharides, which support a healthy gut which reduces insulin resistance.

Lupini Beans

A bean you might not be all that familiar with but one that provides a lot of benefits to those with diabetes or high blood sugar levels. Of course, there are snacking versions of these beans and one brand that’s done is Brami. The Brami Italian snacking lupini beans contain 50 percent more protein than chickpeas and 80 percent fewer calories than almonds. Paired up with zero net carbs and it’s an option you’ll love.

Dill Pickle Spears

The American Heart Association (AHA) suggests that people with diabetes limit their sodium to 1,500 milligrams per day. While that’s reasonable, it can mean for those who love pickles to cut back on them. After all, pickles usually contain over 300 milligrams of sodium.

For those who love pickles, don’t worry about giving it up though. Thanks to Grillo’s Pickles, they’ve made dill pickle spears that cut the sodium intake down to 200 per serving, making it a smart choice if you want pickles.