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Saturday, November 22, 2008

Snacks

One of the most common questions from newly diagnosed type 2s is "what can I eat as a snack".
What follows are just a few ideas based on my own menu and test results. Experiment, base your choices on the foods you like and develop your own choices to fill those "gotta have something" moments or to be sure you graze properly.

Nuts.
An occasional handful. My preferred mix is unsalted roasted cashews, brazils, hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts (or pecans). Peanuts are not nuts. 
 
Olives.
Eat them in any form you like. I stopped buying pitted olives because I ate too many at a time. I found that eating marinated whole olives slowed down my snacking because it takes a little longer when you have to munch around the seed. I buy them cheap in large bottles and add chopped hot chili, onion and herbs to my own liking to the bottle to flavour them.

Cheesy dips.
Check labels for carb content or make your own. Use low-carb crackers or vege strips as dippers.

Other dips.
Try guacamole, hommus and similar.

Avocado.
I slice an avocado in half, twist so that I have a free portion and a seed portion, put the seed half in the fridge for ‘Ron (later on:-), sprinkle a little salt and maybe a squirt of lime-juice on the other half and eat it direct from the shell with a teaspoon. If it’s a big one I may get four serves out of one. Another option is to spread avocado on a cracker.

Half and quarter portions of fruit.
A quarter or half portion of an apple or orange or pear or similar can fill that gap without leading to a BG spike, the leftovers become another snack later in the day.

Left-over salad from an earlier meal.
Makes another good ‘tween meal snack, dressed with a lttle balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil.

Crackers.
Check the carb content. I use a version that is 6gms carb per cracker and spread peanut butter or real butter with the secret Aussie wonder food on them. Consider fish (sardines, tuna etc) or cold cuts on crackers.

Celery and PB
I cut off a chunk and spread PB in the channel.

Pork Crackling/Crisps
There are several brands available now but they can be expensive. I am experimenting with making my own by buying the cheapest lump of pork with skin I can find. I skin it to make crackling snacks and slow cook the meat to be pulled pork or similar which can also be a snack on a cracker.

Boiled Eggs
Cook up a batch and store them in the fridge.

(up-dated 7th March 2019)
Cheers Alan
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter



5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Alan, thanks for writing your informative blog. Just one question: Do you find the olives make you thirsty with their high sodium content or do you have a particular brand?

Jeremy
loansense.com.au/blog

Alan said...

I don't have a particular brand, often I buy Coles generic brand with seeds. I chop a couple of birds-eye chilis and add them to the liquid to add a bit of zing to them. The high sodium content is generally left in the brine they are packaged in and I haven't noticed any associated thirst. I usually nibble on about ten as a snack.

Daniel said...

"Peanuts are not nuts"

so - does that mean they can't be used as a snack? - they have a low GI like proper nuts

ShadeeLadee said...

Ditto on the olives. I love the garlic-stuffed large olives - the garlic clove is delish. Also, I bought a jar of Wickles (a type of pickle) and kept the brine to which I add my own raw, peeled pickling cukes. Also real good.

Anonymous said...

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:)