Low Carbohydrate Snack List

Introduction

This diet sheet provides a list of snacks suitable for children or young people who require low carbohydrate snacks.

This may be advised by your diabetes team:

• To optimise glucose levels while on fixed doses of insulin. It is important to limit snacks to a maximum of 5g of carbohydrate in between mealtime insulin doses.
• OR if you are trying to reduce your carbohydrate intake in between meals.

Carbohydrates break down into glucose by the digestive system. This glucose then passes into the bloodstream where it can be taken to the cells for energy. Glucose requires insulin to move into the cells. Insulin acts like a key and “unlocks” the gate for the glucose to move from the blood into the cells. Without insulin, blood glucose levels remain too high. But foods with little to no carbohydrates in them may be eaten with limited changes to blood glucose levels.

Foods that are mostly protein, fat or fibre do not typically result in a change in blood glucose. Most vegetables (not including potato / sweet potato / parsnip / squash) also contain very little carbohydrates and absorb slower due to fibre. Therefore meats, cheeses, and most vegetables can be eaten freely without concern for carbohydrate content.

Helpful tips

• Different brands may have different amounts of carbohydrates within the same product category therefore please check the labels on the back of the packaging. Aim for <5g of carbohydrates per portion being consumed.
• Try to have filling meals that includes a carbohydrate, protein, fat and vegetable portion to reduce how hungry you are for snacks in between meals.
• Pre-cook meat/tofu in spices at home to reduce fat/salt content found in many of the pre-cooked alternatives.
• Prepare snacks at home to keep costs down e.g. buying large block of cheddar and chopping into portions to decant into a small snack container for on the go.
• Try adding sugar free flavourings into yoghurts/milk to give a different flavour and keep the carbohydrate content low.

Please note this snack list is not exhaustive and other options are available.

Savoury snacks

* High fat (>17.5g/100g) / High salt (>1.5g/100g) options have been starred.

† N.B. whole nuts should not be given to children under 5 due to choking risk.

Sweet snacks

Checking nutritional labels for foods not listed:

• Always check total carbohydrate (not just the sugars, or ‘of which sugars’!)
• If it is not obvious what the portion size is find out the carbohydrate content per 1g of the food and multiply by the portion size. N.B. the grams of carbohydrates per 1g of food should always be smaller than 1g of weight!

Example:

Total carbohydrates per 100g = 3.5g. Weighed portion 60g

3.5g ÷ 100g = 0.035g 0.035g x 60g = 2.1g

Carbohydrates per portion therefore 2.1g