Keeping your blood sugar stable is vital for diabetics – but also helpful for improving a wide range of other health issues. My personal interest in this particular topic started when I figured out how closely related insulin levels are to acne breakouts.
If you’re trying to keep your blood sugar stable you want to eat low GI foods. Of course, with all the low carb diets going around this is not as difficult as it used to be. But one big challenge for me and everyone else who’s trying to eat low Gi has been a super important topic: snacking!
So to solve this problem, I’ve made myself a nice list of low GI snack ideas that you can go back to whenever you feel the need for a little munching.
Related: 10 sugar-free desserts without artificial sweeteners. So yummy!
Disclosure: Some of the links below are so-called provision links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I can earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
What is low GI?
In case you are new to this abbreviation, let’s quickly have a look at what GI stands for: GI is short for a glycemic index. After thinking about how to explain glycemic index the easiest way, this is what I came up with:
This index basically gives every food item a rating, telling you how much the carbohydrates in said food item affect your blood sugar levels. Or, to say it differently, the glycemic index tells you how quickly a food item will make your blood sugar rise on a scale from 0 to 100. So if the food is ranked zero this means it does not make your blood sugar rise at all, and if it’s ranked 100 it means this is pure glucose.
When we talk about low GI, we mean carbohydrates that have a GI value of 55 or less. This basically means that your blood glucose levels will rise slower because those carbs are ingested slower. And this, again, means that your insulin levels don’t spike up as much as they would with other foods.
You can find some more information about the glycemic index here.
What foods are low GI?
It can be easy to make the mistake and think that you need to avoid all carbs to eat a low GI diet but this is fortunately not true. Eating low GI doesn’t mean you can’t eat any fruit or vegetables.
There are actually lots of fruit and vegetables that have carbs yet they are also low GI because of the type of carbohydrate they contain. You can, for example, eat tomatoes, cherries, and peaches without worry, as well as most non-starchy vegetables.
But we are after a more specific question here, aren’t we? We want low glycemic snacks! So let’s look at some low GI foods that can fulfil your snacking cravings!
1. Popcorn
Who doesn’t get excited about some popcorn?
I’ve loved popcorn as a snack even more ever since I realized it counts as a checkmark when following the “How not to die”-diet. It is proper, whole-grain food, after all. (If you are interested in that way of eating, you can read more about Dr. Gregers Daily Dozen here!)
Is popcorn low GI?
Now, when you are buying sugary popcorn at the movies, your popcorn won’t be low GI, unfortunately. But if you make it at home, air-popped, it just falls into the range of low GI foods, with a GI of 55. That’s right at the upper range of low GI, but it counts!
You can make air-popped popcorn on a stove, but that’s quite hands-on, as you’ll have to keep shaking the pot to avoid burning the kernels. The easier version is to simply use a hot air popcorn maker like this one*.
2. Roasted Chickpeas
Another great way to satisfy your cravings for a crunchy snack are roasted chickpeas. As more and more people are looking for healthier snacking alternatives, you don’t even have to roast them yourself anymore – you can simply order them online*!
Just make sure that there’s no added sugar or other added carbs that would turn this tasty low GI snack into a high GI food!
3. Yogurt
One tasty, gut-healthy snack that’s so easy to forget about is yogurt. Luckily, it doesn’t even matter if you choose dairy or soy-yogurt – both options make an excellent low GI snack. It does have to be unsweetened though.
Simply top your yogurt off with some low glycemic fruits or nuts (you’ll find quite a few options below) and enjoy!
