Hi All,
We have realized in the two and a half days since we found out our daughter has T1D that it is REALLY hard to find diabetic-friendly snacks. Does anyone out there have any suggestions for especially no-carb snacks that she can eat without having to have an insulin shot? We've learned about Jell-O and found some pepperoni sticks, but would LOVE other suggestions!!! Thank you so much to anyone who can help us!
Sarah
I know one thing that is free would be cheese, something like cheesestrings might be good.
Snacking was the hardest thing to deal with when I was diagnosed 2 months ago as well. Pure protein doesn't have carbs, and won't cause your sugar to rise because it takes so long for your body to break them down into the glucose. I found that the best snack choices were anything that was pure protein-deli meat, leftover chicken or other meats, egg whites, cheese, etc. Then I would have 1-2 servings of something with about 15 grams of carbs in order to satisfy that carb craving. You wouldn't need to give her a shot because the long acting insulin would be able to handle the increase in blood sugar without her going too high or too low. That's why most diabetes literature calls a snack 1-2 servings of carbs. I hope this helps.
Chris
Thanks to both of you, Mark and Chris! I REALLY appreciate the help!! We are REALLY new to this, and this website has already been a blessing. Thanks for sharing.
My daughter was dx'd 4 months ago. Snacks were tough at first because she required A LOT of Humalog at the time, so there really weren't many "free foods" for her and she continued to crave carbs for about a month. Now she doesn't even generally do a morning or bedtime snack. She did string cheese, burned out on jello quickly, beef jerky, and peanut butter. They kept telling us in the hospital that peanut butter was free......but it's not. Most have 6-8 carbs/serving. Popcorn also works.....having 5 carbs per cup. I do mine the "old school" way on the stove. Celery sticks w/peanut butter and cauliflower with light Ranch dressing were also good. Carrots are like 8 carbs for 15 small ones.
The problem with most of the deli meats and cheeses is that they really are loaded with sodium. In the short term to get her through it's not so much a problem.
Good luck........I'm so glad I found this website, too. I'm learning the "common sense" information and feel like I have someplace to go.
What I like to do is buy little cups of plain yogurt and sweeten it with sugar free blueberry syrup that I can buy at my grocery store. It is a great snack but doesn't affect my blood sugar! I also like snacking on pickles, carrots, bell peppers, and tomatos.
Diet (sugar free) Jello, Cheese, SOME peanuts, Salads, Beef Jerky (look at the back carbs), Any Vegetable.
Get different flavors of Jello, Different types of cheese, Different kinds of Nuts, some salad stuff (with a light dressing), and if need be some Jerky. And switch them up. Keep your daughter on her toes.
Hope this helps
-Jared
Pickles.. My daughter lived on Pickles and cheese the first few months for snacks. Eventually they will just take a shot for a carb snack. You defiantly have to monitor there carbs not just for BS but for weight gain.
Beef Jerky, Pickles, Pepperoni turkey slices ( they are better microwaved to make little crisps...30seconds works great) string cheese, sugar free jello, lettuce wraps, low-sodium lunchmeat, porkrinds, tomatoes ( little orange ones are the best!) and some almonds...no honey roasted!
I would love to know if anyone found good snacks to take camping? (that don't need refrigeration)
my FAV snacks are hard boiled eggs. grosses my bf out (he doesn't like eggs) but I'll randomly boil some at like 9pm on a saturday night and eat them while we watch a movie.
Cheese strings are also great, and those babybels' (though SO expensive). I like goat cheese on crackers; it doesn't avoid the shot, but the Ritz crackers are only like 2g each so it's not a lotta insulin in the end at least.
There's also celery with cheesewhiz (carbs = 3g per 2 tablespoons, so you might be able to get away with no insulin depending on her ratio) or just regular cheese melted.
I'm not a fan of anything that says "sugar-free" like jell-o or candy. I find I get a stomachache when I eat the "sugar-free" versions. For cookies, jell-o and candy, I just eat the regular stuff and take a shot.
[quote user="Batts"]
my FAV snacks are hard boiled eggs. grosses my bf out (he doesn't like eggs) but I'll randomly boil some at like 9pm on a saturday night and eat them while we watch a movie.
Cheese strings are also great, and those babybels' (though SO expensive). I like goat cheese on crackers; it doesn't avoid the shot, but the Ritz crackers are only like 2g each so it's not a lotta insulin in the end at least.
There's also celery with cheesewhiz (carbs = 3g per 2 tablespoons, so you might be able to get away with no insulin depending on her ratio) or just regular cheese melted.
I'm not a fan of anything that says "sugar-free" like jell-o or candy. I find I get a stomachache when I eat the "sugar-free" versions. For cookies, jell-o and candy, I just eat the regular stuff and take a shot.
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I think we are snacking twins, Batts. :) Ditto on all of that!
I just made this for my son this afternoon. I took a piece of deli ham and spread cream cheese over it. Then I wrapped a dill pickle inside of it, stuck a few tooth picks in to hold it together and sliced it into bite-sized pieces. He loved it! He also eats a lot of veggies with southwest ranch dip, deviled eggs, beef sticks, string cheese and diet sodas.
Wow! I am only four days into the T1D lifestyle, and I am so amazed at the outpouring of support for my questions. I wish I could thank everyone individually, but please accept my gratitude as a group for everyone that has written in to try to help me with my baby girl! Please know that as soon as I have my feet on the ground with this, I will be glad to help in any way I can!!! Is anyone involved with T1D groups in Tulsa?? Would love to meet some people face-to-face!!! Again, THANKS A MILLION to all who have lended help and encouragement!!!!! I'm sad that we have to deal with this, but SO excited that I found this community!!
Cheese sticks, apple sauce go-go packs are exactly 15g of carbs, a bag of goldfish without about 40 pieces in it is less than 15g of carbs, and really most anything as long as you check the serving size and the carbs that go with it. For example, for about 20 pretzel sticks (I'm not sure this is just an example) the carbs are 10g. So you could give her a bag of about 25-30 pretzel sticks. :) Hope this helps!
Also, I'm reading your second comment Sarah :) On the JDRF website, I know that there is a section where you can get connected with other families who have children with diabetes who live in your same by going to special events. http://t1n-migration.10uplabs.com/p/jdrf_chapter_lookup.aspx To find your nearest chapter! :) I hope this helps. You can also go to diabetescamps.org to find summer camps for your daughter. :) I've also found that 2 cups of popcorn are less than 15g of carbs and a great snack! :D
That was the hardest thing when my son was diagnosed. Snacks are difficult at first, I remember being overwhelmed by EVERYTHING. Sugar free isnt carb free, alot of "healthy" things arent that healthy when you really look at the labels. We were lucky, my son loves veggies, and he was 3, so his food attitudes werent as established yet. Many times his snack of choice was a can of green beans (not even heated lol) He is 8 now, and a can of green beans wont cut it anymore, but we have experience on our side now, LOTS of mistakes, alot of trial and error, it does get easier. Use calorieking, it was a lifesaver then and I use it constantly still. I found shiritake noodles, my kids always loved ramen noodles, but those things are LOADED with carbs (and little else), these noodles are carb and calorie free, they have similar texture as regular noodles, and you can add almost anything to them (they have no flavor, so what you add is what they taste like) Those have been a Godsend for us (we are noodle folk! lol) They are reasonably priced, and are carried in some stores, but I buy ours online. They now come in different shapes too, so it doesnt all look like ramen. Shots are hard at first, I remember being so terrified I was hurting him, but he had fallen alseep at a diabetes meeting and they had me give him a shot, and he didnt even notice. Getting over that hurdle made everything better. Eventually the shots will just become a regular thing, and that will open up the snack field to more options. Hang in there, I promise it will get easier ;0)
I recently consulted with a nutritionist about good snacks for diabetics. My favorites have been:
a turkey slice wrapped around a mozarella cheese stick
a small apple with almond or peanut butter
a handful of almonds walnuts and cashews
plain yogurt with raspberries added in
