The Top 6 Diabetes-Friendly Snacks for Bedtime
Smart sleepers have a pre-bed routine in place to prepare their bodies and minds for sleep. You might take a bath, pet your cat, read a book, or do all of the aforementioned activities. However, if you have diabetes, you might question if you ought to include a snack in this regimen.
Avocado Toast with Burrata
As you might expect, some diabetics might benefit from a snack, while others might not. How do you know, then? What snacks are the healthiest for you? Check out what the experts in nutrition have to say.
Why it's a Good Idea to Eat Before Bed
Elysia Cartlidge, RD, a registered dietitian in Ontario, Canada, and the founder of Haute & Healthy Living, says that having a snack before bed may be beneficial for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes because it can help prevent low blood sugar throughout the night and/or high blood sugar in the morning. Naturally, having low or high blood sugar levels can harm the body over the long term as well as in the short term, so it's best to avoid them.
Your evening snack might also improve your sleep. A small, well-balanced snack can help prevent you from getting up in the middle of the night because you're hungry, which could result in restless sleep and other negative effects. Lack of sleep can affect how your appetite hormones are produced, which makes you more likely to overeat when you are up, according to Cartlidge. Problems controlling blood sugar and weight may result from this.
Additionally, a lack of sleep raises your stress hormone levels, which might raise your blood sugar levels. When your blood sugar levels are high, "the kidneys overcompensate by forcing you to urinate more frequently, and repeated trips to the bathroom during the night can lead to even more disrupted sleep," adds Cartlidge. This creates a vicious cycle. You can even have difficulties falling asleep due to the headaches, increased thirst, and fatigue that high blood sugar can bring on.
How to Assess the Need for a Nighttime Snack
Diabetes patients do not always require a snack before bed. How do you know, then? Follow the advice on your blood sugar levels. Cartlidge advises keeping track of your blood sugar levels throughout the day, including right before bed, between 2 and 3 a.m., and when you wake up. When you have those readings, you can discuss with your doctor if you require an evening snack.
But there is a circumstance that has to be considered. The dawn phenomenon is the name given to the condition where, as you wake up in the morning, your blood sugar levels rise. In order to prevent blood sugar levels from rising before bed, Cartlidge advises avoiding eating a carbohydrate-rich snacks. This is because you'll have high blood sugar levels in the morning. The impacts of the dawn phenomena can worsen if that keeps happening.
6 Diabetes-Friendly Bedtime Snacks
There are a few things to think about if you and your doctor determine that a snack before bed is a good choice. Start by considering when you should eat your snack, which, according to Amanda Sauceda, M.S., RD, a registered dietitian in Long Beach, California, should be about 30 minutes before getting into bed for digestion reasons. Of course, depending on your blood sugar level, you might need to modify this.
Make sure you aren't consuming a "naked" carb, or a carbohydrate all by itself, as Sauceda refers to them. Ideally, you want to combine that carb with protein and healthy fat. Make sure the carb is a complex carb, which means it has fiber. By balancing blood sugar, this vitamin combination, according to Sauceda, will prevent a significant blood sugar surge.
Related Article: If you have diabetes, these are the quickest ways to stabilize your blood sugar.
Lastly, keep in mind that this is just a snack and not a meal. Pay close attention to your daily caloric intake and portion sizes. According to Cartlidge, consuming an excessively big snack may result in increased blood sugar and long-term weight gain.
The following six snacks have the endorsement of our dietitians:
Toast with avocado and whole wheat
Enjoy avocado toast? If so, this snack is for you because, according to Sauceda, avocados are a fruit that is naturally high in fiber and full of heart- and blood-healthy fats. And even better if you spread it on whole-wheat bread after mashing it (or your favorite high-fiber bread). A 2022 study published in Nutrients found that whole grains have a beneficial impact on blood sugar.
Bread made with whole grains and natural peanut butter
Here is an additional whole-grain snack suggestion that may be eaten either toasted or untoasted. Just make sure you're eating 100% whole-grain bread with at least 2 grams of fiber per slice, advises Cartlidge, and check for "whole grain" to be the first ingredient on the list. Limit your intake of bread to one slice and spread on some natural peanut butter without salt or sugar. When combined with whole-grain bread, peanut butter's high levels of protein and healthy fats can help slow the breakdown of carbohydrates and prevent evening hunger, says Cartlidge. Magnesium, one of the several minerals included in peanut butter, aids with blood sugar regulation.
Energy Snacks
Make energy bites with a nut-butter foundation the next time. According to Sauceda, nuts are rich in protein, fat, and fiber and have been associated in multiple studies with improved blood sugar control and a reduction in fasting blood sugar. Use a scoop of protein powder or nuts with higher protein content, like peanuts or almonds, to increase the amount of protein in your energy pieces. For some plant-based omega-3s, add some chia seeds or crushed flax. They also have anti-inflammatory properties, and reducing inflammation is being researched as a potential treatment for diabetes and metabolic syndrome, according to the author.
Yogurt with Berries in Greek
Cartlidge recommends Greek yogurt, noting that it can have up to twice the protein but only half the carbohydrates of conventional yogurt, making it a smart choice for diabetics. Yogurt also has a number of health advantages, including improved heart and intestinal health. Just be careful to stay with plain yogurt, as flavored varieties are sometimes heavy in added sugar and can cause a blood sugar surge. No problem if you need to switch to Greek yogurt or a plant-based option. Add berries like blueberries or blackberries to the yogurt to sweeten it. They won't create as much of a surge in blood sugar because they are lower on the glycemic index than other varieties of fruit, according to Cartlidge. Berries include a lot of fiber, According to a 2021 study published in the International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research, they also contain a lot of anthocyanins, antioxidants that may prevent some digestive enzymes from working, so slowing down digestion.
Related: Foods High in Antioxidants
Hummus with fruit or vegetables
Legumes like chickpeas, which are a plant-based protein and the basis for hummus, provide a special advantage for diabetics. According to a 2018 study that was published in Nutrients, "research suggests eating legumes like chickpeas could aid with improving insulin sensitivity," Sauceda claims. To acquire more fiber, serve it with veggies (such as carrots and celery).
Cheese with Whole-Grain Crackers
Recall that whole grains include healthy quantities of fiber, which reduces the likelihood of severe blood sugar rises. But why the cheese? It does have some protein, some fat, and very little to no carbohydrates, but what's more significant, according to Cartlidge, is that "the protein and fat can also help you feel full for longer, thereby minimizing cravings for less-healthy foods." A word of advice for vegans and those who are lactose intolerant: Although it will have a slightly lower protein content—between 1 and 2 grams per slice of vegan cheese compared to 4 grams per slice of traditional cheese—you can substitute plant-based cheese, says Cartlidge.
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