Type 2 diabetes is a medical condition that influences the way the body processes blood sugar. Normally, the pancreas transmits insulin, which helps the body to store and use sugar from foods you eat. However, with type 2 diabetes, the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin, or it fights against insulin production. Controlling type 2 diabetes can be difficult, but with weight loss, the right diet, exercise and medical intervention, you can manage it.

Diet plays a major role in type 2 diabetes and the following healthy snack options help in treating it:

1. Walnuts
Walnuts are a healthy snack choice for those with type 2 diabetes as they have a lower effect on blood sugars compared to other snack foods. Walnuts also bring a sense of fullness, so you’ll bypass processed food snacks and experience weight loss at the same time. They provide fiber, protein and the right fats to manage hunger and blood sugars. Walnuts are also an excellent source of alpha-lipoic-acid, which aids in reducing the inflammation associated with diabetes.

Other nuts such as almonds help to decrease the blood sugar response, particularly when eaten along with other healthy foods like quinoa, buckwheat, oats, sweet potatoes and other carbohydrate-rich foods. Pistachios, likewise, are another nutty snack food that helps regulate blood sugar. They’re able to lower glucose and insulin levels, plus they help a person maintain a healthy weight and blood sugar levels.

2. Veggie crudites
In looking at the best vegetables for type 2 diabetes, you want those that are low on the glycemic index (GI) scale, are fiber rich, and high in nitrates (to lower blood pressure). A GI ranking gives you the amount of glucose the body takes in from that food. You want to eat lower GI vegetables, which is what people with type 2 diabetes need to eat. Eating lower glycemic vegetables also helps a person to avoid blood sugar spikes. Lower GI vegetables include: carrots, zucchini, broccoli, green beans, and cucumbers

3. Hummus
Hummus (chickpea spread) is another diabetic friendly snack. Both the fiber and protein in chickpeas helps to regulate the absorption of sugars from the starch content of hummus, so the blood sugar stays at an even level.

4. Guacamole toast
Guacamole is a good snack that is lower in carbohydrates and sugar, plus it helps control blood sugar spikes. Few carbohydrates, high fiber and good fat allow people with type 2 diabetes to enjoy the avocado in guacamole without increasing blood sugar levels.

5. Spinach Sala
Spinach is a low carbohydrate, water soluble, low glycemic index, calorie free vegetable that has almost no effect on blood sugar levels. In terms of type 2 diabetes, you can load up (within reason) on a nice spinach salad for a snack.

6. Hard boiled eggs
If you want a high-protein snack, a hard-boiled egg is a good choice. An egg is full of protein, which keeps you full and doesn’t influence your blood sugar levels. Your digestion slows down, as does your absorption of glucose. Both those factors are helpful with diabetes.

If you suffer with type 2 diabetes, talk to your doctor about nutrition and lifestyle changes to help keep blood sugar in check. Tools, such as AccuCheck can help to monitor your blood sugar. While in more severe cases, a diabetes insulin pump can deliver insulin to your body throughout the day. There are also many prescription medications for type 2 diabetics, such as Trulicity, which is a once a week medication that helps your body release its own insulin. While prescription Metformin helps to limit insulin resistance and enables the cells to absorb and use sugar more efficiently. Lastly, Lantus is helpful as a long-acting insulin injection. Talk to your healthcare provider about more effective ways to manage type 2 diabetes.