Type 1 Diabetes - 5 Summertime Treats that Are Good For Your Body

Type 1 Diabetics know better than most people that healthy, delicious treats can be hard to come by. Here are some simple snacks that will delight your taste buds… as well as your blood sugar level monitor:

You may have had this refreshing summertime favorite when you were a kid; after all, it is a childhood staple for many people. To make Ants on a Log, slice a few celery stalks in half and cut them to about four inches long. Spread the inner part of the celery stalk with sugar-free peanut butter. Place raisins (ants) in a row, sticking to the peanut butter about one centimeter apart. Whether you are 10 or 100, you’ll appreciate the crunchy texture and sweet surprise that each bite brings.

Tasty ice is a make-it-yourself lighter fare than ice cream or sherbet, but packs in three times the sweetness without the calories or sugar. To make it, prepare a two liter container with a sugar-free Crystal Light juice blend of your choice. Pour the juice into ice cube trays (for bite-sized treats) or plastic bowls (for shaved ice) and freeze. Once frozen solid, you can either remove the ice cubes from the tray to eat them, or you can grab a sturdy spoon and scrape the flavored ice from the bowls (the ice gets easier to scrape as it melts).

Pita bread and hummus make a classic, small meal or large, filling snack. Hummus is made of pureed chickpeas, which are loaded with fiber and vitamins. (Fiber, of course, will keep you feeling fuller longer and will help to regulate your digestive tract.) Hummus is available in most grocery stores in a variety of flavors, including garlic, plain, vegetable, and sundried tomato. Plus, pita bread comes in a healthy whole-wheat style, which all Diabetics should choose over the enriched flour style. For a delicious twist, toss a pita into the microwave for 15 seconds to get it slightly warm before using it to scoop hummus.

Honey glazed tofu is a super-quick and delicious treat that will leave you feeling like you’ve dined on candy! Cut firm tofu into quarter-inch cubes. Toss the cubes into a hot frying pan with one tablespoon of oil and two tablespoons of honey. Stirring quickly, fry tofu for about five minutes (or until nicely browned.) Squeeze an orange over the tofu for an added punch. This treat is light, but satisfies even the strongest sweet-tooth!

We know that summer can be the busiest of all seasons and that it can be tough to prepare healthy meals at home. Our top pick for healthy meals-on-the-go is the McDonald’s Southwestern Chicken Salad. This salad not only has chicken (protein) and vegetables (vitamins), but it also has berries (more vitamins and antioxidants) and a small portion of tortilla-style croutons (carbohydrates). The chicken comes either fried or grilled, so be sure to specify that you want the grilled chicken if you’re going for a healthy option. Also, the salad is accompanied by Paul Newman’s dressing, but we found that the salad is so tasty that the dressing isn’t even needed. (Plus, skipping the dressing will save you a few dozen calories and keep the sugar levels low!)