Healthy snacks don’t have to be boring or tasteless. The foods that are best for keeping blood sugar stable can also be delicious and packed full of nutrients that give you energy through the day and help make you feel amazing. A good snack not just for blood sugar but overall health should be from whole foods, with no-added sugar or additives that spike insulin and leave you feeling hungry and tired. Here is a snack that will promote satiety, energy, and steady blood sugar, according to experts.
RELATED: 10 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Eat Healthier.
The Humble Avocado
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Avocados are one of the most versatile foods that can be prepared in a host of different ways, and have proven benefits for blood sugar. “Insulin resistance is a major risk factor in the development of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus,” says Kathy Beerman, PhD, via nutrition.org. “Diets emphasizing unsaturated fatty acids are associated with improved insulin sensitivity and blood glucose regulation. Avocados, which are rich in healthy unsaturated fatty acids, micronutrients, and fiber, have been shown to improve post-meal blood glucose and insulin concentrations.”
Versatile and Delicious
ShutterstockAvocado can be enjoyed in so many different ways: Chopped into a salad, mashed into guacamole, made into avocado toast and topped with eggs and smoked salmon, or just simply halved and eaten with a little sea salt. “You can switch out foods such as cheese and processed meats to help you cut down on saturated fats and salt,” nutritionist and author Dagmar von Cramm tells Vogue. “Which is probably why avocado on toast has become such a popular meal. As you eat them raw, it preserves vitamins such as folate.”
Steady Energy
ShutterstockAvocados help make you feel full without any blood sugar spikes or crashes. “A randomized trial of overweight adults found that eating just half an avocado with lunch increased their satiety without negatively impacting their blood-sugar levels, which is a major benefit for people with diabetes or pre-diabetes,” says Natalie Rizzo, MS, RD via TODAY. “In other words, avocado can make you feel full without causing a spike in blood sugar.”
Healthy Fats
Shutterstock Avocados are packed with healthy fats that help stabilize blood sugar and positively impact both health and appearance. “It has a lot of fibers, monounsaturated fatty acids and phytonutrients and it has an impact on many, if not all, of the organ systems inside of our body,” says Zhaoping Li, MD, via UCLA Health. “If you can swap out your high-fat processed foods like sausages with avocado, you will be doing yourself a favor. Avocados are high in fat, but it’s good fat. This counters the public opinion that all fats are bad.”
Fiber and Blood Sugar
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Avocados contain fiber, which helps stabilize blood sugar. “High fiber diets have been lauded for lowering blood sugar, cutting cholesterol, and potentially preventing some kinds of cancer—like colon cancer,” according to Cedars-Sinai. “The recommended daily intake of fiber is 25 grams a day for women and 35 grams for men, with most of us falling short of those goals. Avocado packs about 1 gram per tablespoon, with around 10 grams in an entire fruit.”
Carb Replacement
Shutterstock Carbs can spike blood sugar, which makes avocado an excellent alternative. “Research also suggests that replacing the carbohydrates in a traditionally high-carb meal with avocado contributes to feelings of fullness,” Rizzo says. “This is because the fat in avocados is part of what helps you stay fuller longer and may actually cause you to eat less overall.”
Lots of Antioxidants
ShutterstockAvocados contain antioxidants that are hugely beneficial for health. “A lot of those natural compounds in avocados share the same characteristics as the resveratrol found in grapes and the many other phytonutrients found in other fruits and vegetables,” Dr. Li says. “It brings us back to the main point of all of our research, which is that replacing processed foods with natural foods improves our organs, improves our skin, and improves our health altogether.”
