21 low GI snacks for stable blood sugar

Lately we're convincing myself that we need to adopt a low glycemic diet. Not keto, not low-carb, but low GI. This collection of low-GI snacks for stable blood sugar is just the first step. And, yes, we've been watching a lot of the Diary of a CEO podcasts. Have you noticed that the CEO, whoever it is, seems to be all over the place? Sometimes it’s politics, then dating, then being broke as a mouse, then Armageddon and then finally, we’ve got some episodes on sugar, health, brain and something. Bingo! That’s the ones we're more interested in.

So there was one guest, maybe over a year ago, his name is Dr. Lustig (which btw in German lustig means funny – so we already like him). So he convinced us that we need to cut back on simple carbs and high glycemic foods. Because why? Well, because we don’t want to spike our blood sugar, but more importantly, we want to reduce insulin resistance and to keep our insulin levels under control. Because last time we did blood work our levels weren’t great. Everyone in our family over the age of 35 is diabetic or pre-diabetic and if we don’t do something, we might join them in that.

So here’s the first step we're taking. We've been sharing recipes for many years now and we decided to create kinda like a collection of our favorite things to eat that won’t cause a sugar crash. These are some of our favorite healthy and low glycemic snacks that can keep your blood sugar stable and are going to be suitable for diabetics, pre-diabetics and anyone else. Some of these require some prep, others you can make ahead and then some don’t require any work from you.

5-10 Minute Low-Glycemic Snacks

Avocado Chicken SaladSpicy Cashew DressingTzatzikiGuacamoleHummusAvocado Cucumber Sesame Salad

• Avocado Chicken Salad. All you need to do here is mash the avocado, add some chopped vegetables, herbs and cooked or leftover chicken and enjoy!
• Spicy Cashew Sauce with peppers or cucumbers. You can prepare the most notable dip/sauce using cashews, herbs, garlic and pickled jalapenos. Dip with peppers, cucumbers or carrots for a filling snack.
• Cucumbers, Carrots or Peppers with Tzatziki and Olives. You can make tzatziki in 5 minutes and you can use raw vegetables instead of fries to transport it into your mouth.
• Cucumbers, Peppers, Carrots Or Cauliflower with Guacamole. Same for guacamole, when you change the vehicle, you change the glycemic response.
• Hummus and Vegetables. Same! You can have chickpeas and beans on a low glycemic diet, as long as you don’t go SUPER crazy and don’t eat them with a loaf of bread, they will not affect your blood sugar.
• Avocado Cucumber Salad. We know it’s a salad, but we usually have a small amount of it as a snack.

Curried Chickpea Lettuce WrapsYogurt With Berries and NutsApple Slices with Nut Butter

• Curried Chickpea Lettuce Wraps.
• Yogurt With Berries and Nuts. This is like an almost no-prep snack and probably our favorite thing to have when we need something sweet. We can handle sheep’s yogurt, so that’s what we have most often.
• Nut Butter and Apple or Pear Slices. When you don’t have sugar, this will seem like candy.

• Nori Veg Wraps. So this is something we've been making since last year, whenever we need something like sushi. We chop up cabbage, carrots, scallions and even lettuce thinly, then add in some avocado, tamari sauce and a little bit of wasabi. Mix it all together, wrap in a nori sheet, cut in the middle and – it’s a sushi for non-Japanese. Our Japanese friend will slap us in the face with it. But we like it and we think you should try it if you’re looking for low GI snacks and want something like sushi. It’s SO healthy and good! Here’s the recipe (make it to taste) and we’re continuing with the other snacks below.

Make Ahead Low-Glycemic Snacks

Cottage Cheese CheesecakeEggs and Sausage MuffinsSpinach and Feta MuffinsPeanut ClustersRoasted Pepper DipChia PuddingTurkey MeatballsHard-Boiled Eggs

• Cottage Cheese Cheesecake (this is the dessert we made for our sister when she was pregnant and had gestational diabetes; it seemed to work!)
• Eggs and Sausage Muffin Cups
• Spinach Feta Muffins (these are SO good!)
• Chocolate Peanut Clusters – use dark chocolate and roasted peanuts or any other nuts to make these satisfying bites!
• Roasted Red Pepper Dip With Feta – use similarly to the other dips
• Chia Pudding
• Simple Turkey Meatballs (have one or two if you need a more satiating snack, almost a full meal)
• Hard-Boiled Eggs.

No Prep Healthy Low GI Snacks

OlivesNutsSeedsBerries

• Olives
• Nuts and Seeds
• Berries – Strawberries, Blackberries and Raspberries

If you haven’t yet, you can watch the episode with Dr. Lustig here. It’s only like, what, 2 hours? Who’s counting, pssshhh we have two hours. But he explains it so much better than us. We rewatch it in portions every now and then and we always learn something new.

We hope you enjoy the snacks you try!

• Yield: 4
• Prep: 5 minutes
• Total: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup lettuce, shredded
• 1 cup cabbage, shredded
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 avocado
• 1 tbsp parsley or cilantro, thinly chopped
• 2 nori sheets
• 1 scallion, thinly chopped
• 1 tbsp tamari sauce
• 1 tsp wasabi (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted (optional)
• 2 nori sheets

Method

1. Add the shredded cabbage, lettuce, carrot, avocado, scallions, tamari and wasabi to a small bowl and mix. Have a taste and add more tamari/wasabi if needed. You can also sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds.
2. Place ingredients in the middle of a nori sheet and wrap rolling from one side to the other. Seal by tapping the last edges with some water. Cut in the middle and enjoy.