Snack bars

[Perjanet]

I'm a keen golfing and missing my mid round snack of a cereal bar. Are there any diabetic suitable bars which can be recommended?

 

[DeusXM]

Really it depends on your blood sugar reading before and after eating - although generally, because cereal is essentially sugar (as in the actual grains just turn into sugar when you eat them, don't confuse this with added sugar), I'd say there's no such thing as a blood-sugar-friendly cereal bar. You'd probably do much better with a protein/fat based snack like nuts, small cheeses etc.

Having said that....you are golfing and therefore getting exercise, which might be enough to help you metabolise a cereal bar without any problems. That's why it's essential to test before and after - that is the ONLY way of finding whether a food is suitable or not.

 

[Bloden]

Hi Perjanet.

Some people here like Nakd bars, but you'd have to check the carbs / try them out to see if they suit you. I've never tried them...🙂

 

[Copepod]

Remember to check carbohydrate per bar, not just carbohydrate per 100g - a small bar with higher CHO content is likely to be better overall than a larger one with higher CHO per 100g.

Personally, I wouldn't bother to eat anything extra for a 5km run or 10km walk on relatively flat ground, for example, so perhaps you don't really need a mid round snack? On a 25km walk / run with 1500m of ascent in Lake District on Saturday in cold windy conditions, rain becoming snow at altitude etc, of course, I needed extra food, although I can reduce my insulin dose to reduce need for too much extra.

 

[KookyCat]

Nakd bars are worth a look, they're smoothed nuts and dates for the most part, so whilst they don't contain any refined sugar they are still pretty carbohydrate intense because of the dates, they range from 12g of carb through to 17g depending on the flavour. They don't spike my blood sugar but I tolerate dried fruit very well and some don't, I know someone who eats dried fruit to treat hypos and I'd have passed out before they made it through my stomach 😱

As DeusXM said the only way to know is to test, you might find you tolerate your cereal bar well (I wouldn't, cereal seems to make my blood sugar go bonkers). If you have a Holland and Barrett or independent health shop nearby it might be worth a look there for alternatives, they have a number of nut based bars that are lower carb. Be careful of oats they seem to be another divider food, I tolerate oats very well unless they're combined with hot milk (porridge essentially) but some folk find they don't work at all for them. I know it's a faff, but you could have fun testing different options.

 

[Perjanet]

Thanks everyone. I did try a Nakd bar but it was pretty horrible! At the moment I have a couple of Nairn oat crackers if I get hungry but they are not the same as a mars bar or sausage roll.. Has anyone tried quest bars?

copepod - I'll never be that fit and I'm a strictly indoor type when it gets cold enough to start snowing 🙂