Healthy Snacks Help Keep Diabetes in Check High blood sugar levels are bad news for your

body. So you have to choose carefu lly when it comes to choosing snacks. You want to keep hunger and hypoglycemia a t bay without increasing your blood sugar. High-fiber, slowly digested, healthy snacks will curb your hunger while producing a steady release of blood sugar to help control diabetes. Just remember to balance those snacks with your meals so you're not adding excessive calories to your day (which would mean more blood su gar than your system needs). Here are 7 smart and delicious snack ideas to quell the munchies while keeping blood sugar steady. -walnuts -whole grain crackers -avocado -Sweet Potato Fries Are a Sweet Diabetes Treat -apple -pear -plain yogurt-The calcium and vitamin D combo in yogurt may help prevent insulin resistance, which is a great thing if you're worried about chronically high blo od sugar. And the calcium in dairy foods like yogurt may hinder the absorption o f fat from the small intestine and stymie the birth of new fat cells -- good new s for your waistline if you need to trim some belly fat. For a snack to best man age diabetes, choose low-fat or fat-free unsweetened yogurt. -Low-fat popcorn cooks up in a snap. And it's packed with slowly digested wholegrain fiber as well as disease-thwarting antioxidants, making it perfect for peo ple concerned about blood sugar and diabetes. And because popcorn is so light an d fluffy, you fill up on fewer calories than you would with more energy-dense sn acks like potato chips. Air-popped popcorn is great, but you also can drizzle it with olive oil for a healthier alternative to butter. worst food for blood sugar are : -white rice -potatoes -ketchup -white pasta -bagels/dognuts -Artificial Sweeteners -Many people think artificial sweeteners are harmless additives and a good choic e if you have diabetes. Not so, Hyman says. "Artificial sweeteners slow metaboli sm and increase fat deposition, and can increase the risk of diabetes by 67%. -Keep fruit juice on hand to counteract hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), but make water your go-to beverage as part of your everyday diabetes diet. -Because of all the added sugar, "some energy bars may as well be labeled candy bars," Mills says. Indeed, a single bar can carry a glycemic load over 49 (anyth ing over 20 is considered "high"). That's more than a king-size Snickers bar! Ba rs made from refined flours and sugars are the worst culprits, since these have the harshest impact on blood sugar. -sweet yogurt

best food for diabetes are -spinach and other leafy veg -Nuts of all sorts -- walnuts, pecans, take your choice! -- are great for contro lling blood sugar. Despite their diminutive size, nuts are power packages of pro tein, unsaturated (healthy) fat, and fiber. Those three factors have a positive impact on blood sugar levels. In a recent study, participants who ate 2 1/2 ounc

es of nuts daily had an 8% decrease in their A1c levels. Keep in mind that nuts also pack plenty of calories. Your best bet is to substitute nuts for high-carbo hydrate foods, such as croutons or pretzels. Sprinkle them on yogurt and salads, or nibble them for a snack. -Sardines and other small, fatty fish are high in essential omega-3 fatty acids that our bodies can only get from the food we eat. Sardines and other omega-3-ri ch fish help in a couple of ways: They're a great source of fat and protein to s low absorption of blood sugars, and they help protect your cardiovascular system , which irregular blood sugar fluctuations that can come with diabetes can damag e. The healthy fat in sardines is good for your brain, too, and may help fend of f Alzheimer's disease and dementia. -dip into hummus -chia seeds -cinnamon-If you have diabetes, be sure there's cinnamon in your spice rack. Stu dies have shown that as little as a teaspoon of cinnamon a day may significantly decrease fasting blood glucose levels and increase insulin sensitivity. There a re lots of ways to add more cinnamon to your diet. Sprinkle some in your coffee, stir it into your morning oatmeal, or add it to rubs for chicken or fish. -Love Your Lentils -Quinoa,Quinoa is a super grain for many reasons: It s one of the few non-animal p roteins that's considered a "complete protein" in that it has all of the essenti al amino acids your body needs to build protein molecules. Plus, quinoa is a who le grain with germ, endosperm, and bran intact, bringing a host of nutrients and healthy fat to the mix. Even better, all those benefits come with very little i mpact on your blood sugar level. A half-cup of cooked quinoa ranks just under 10 (that's low!) on the glycemic load scale. It's easy to add quinoa to meals. Try using it in place of white rice as a side. -Whole-Grain Pasta -Drizzle on Extra-Virgin Olive Oil When you savor the peppery zing of extra-virgin olive oil, you re tasting powerful antioxidants. The phytonutrients that bring the bite also have an anti-inflamma tory effect on your body. That helps protect and repair the cardiovascular syste m, which constant fluctuations in blood sugar can damage. Olive oil is also incr edibly versatile. It's appropriate for anything from salads to sauts. Best of all , it slows absorption of the carbohydrates it's paired with for a healthier glyc emic load overall.