Made Good Chocolate Banana Granola Minis
These bite-sized nuggets are allergy-friendly with no nuts, gluten, or dairy. The granola base is made from whole grain, gluten-free oats, and they get extra nutrition from veggie extracts. Though whole veggies are always preferred, it doesnt hurt to get them in this form. The chocolate banana variety has five grams of added sugar per serving other varieties go up to six grams. Since these nibbles are bite-sized, you could always serve less than recommended just a couple bites might be a nice finishing touch in a bento box.
Where to find them: 4-packs available at
Rules For Healthy Snacking
The little white crystals aren’t the only thing you should avoid when choosing healthy sugar-free snacks. There are a few other ground rules to keep in mind.
- Focus on a mix of protein, healthy fats, and fiber. Combined, these three can help you feel fuller for longer.
- Focus on whole foods, such as whole grains, fruits, and veggies.
- Portion your snacks just enough to tide you over to the next meal without filling you up.
Best Snacks For A No Sugar Diet
“Black beans make a delicious and healthy alternative to the usual garbanzo beans in hummus,” says htiz. “If you have any roasted veggies on hand those also make a great addition blended in to the hummus!”
Popcorn has a ton going for it. It’s low calorie and has lots of fiber. But if you’re buying packaged pre-popped popcorn, watch out for added sugars and partially hydrogenated oils. Easily the healthiest popcorn is the kind you make at home, where you can control the salt and butter.
This fresh salsa does it with roasted Hatch chile peppers. You’ll combine them with diced tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. “A well-rounded, tasty salsa,” says bd.weld. “Hatch chiles have a bit more kick than Anaheim peppers.”
For the toast, choose a whole-grain bread with no added sugars or sweeteners. “Absolutely delicious and a wonderful source of fiber and fatty acids,” says princessmontecito. “Feel free to get creative with the ingredients! Substitute cilantro with mint or parsley, or chia seeds with sesame or poppy seeds.”
Chopped dried dates, toasted sesame seeds, chopped walnuts, almonds, shredded coconut, and simple seasonings create a sensational sugar-free, no-bake snack bar. “Date rolls with a hint of spice and sesame seeds are great for a grab-and-go snack!” says Kim . “They taste even better the next day!”
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How To Eat Less Sugar
Sugar may be unhealthy for you in excess, but some people find it so delicious that the consequences dont seem to matter. The good news is that many people struggle to keep their sugar consumption in checkwhich means theres plenty of advice from experts on reducing the amount of sugar you eat.
- Sweetening your treats, breakfasts, and baked goods with fruit instead of sugar
- Using spices and flavor extracts to add interest, instead of sugar, to foods
- Adding only some of the sugar recipes recommend
- Diligently checking labels for added sugars
You can also target areas of your lifestyle you think have nothing to do with your diet. Getting plenty of sleep may help you control your sugar intake, as studies suggest a lack of sleep may stimulate cravings for rich foods.
When in doubt, you can take some decision burden off yourself by following the U.S. governments recommended dietary guidelines.
Tip! Think about other areas of your life where you exercise restraint and control. Lets use money as an example. Most people find it easy not to spend money they dont have. Its just not there.
Channel this discipline by budgeting your sugar intake. You can even make it tangible with fake currency.
Siete Grain Free Lime Tortilla Chips
Flavored tortilla chips don’t have to be a calorie bomb, especially when they are made with simple ingredients. These lime-flavored chips from Siete are made with gluten-free cassava and coconut flours, avocado oil, plus chia seeds, sea salt, and lime oil. Enjoy with your favorite salsa or homemade guac.
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How To Shop For Lower Sugar Treats For Your Kids
If you want to shop for other lower sugar treats, keep these pointers in mind.
- Scan labels for whole food ingredients. As you see in the above examples, real foods, like fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains are the star ingredients.
- Limit treats made with artificial sweeteners. This is just common sense. These ingredients are considered safe by the FDA, but they tend to lurk in heavily processed foods that lack real nutritional benefits. Plus, they dont bring any health perks to growing children.
- Do some sugar math. A food label lists sugar in grams instead of more common household measurements. Four grams is about equal to one teaspoon. All of the treats here were capped at six grams, or 1 ½ teaspoons of added sugar. Thats a reasonable amount for something sweet.
Back To School: 9 Lower
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The American Heart Association says kids ages two to eighteen should cap added sugar at 6 teaspoons, yet a recent study found that 99% of toddlers between 19 and 23 months exceeded the limits, consuming an average of more than seven teaspoons per day. According to government surveys, everyone from age two on up is exceeding sugar limits, with an average intake above 17 teaspoons per day. Thats more than double the upper limit. This much sugar can up your childs risk for long-term health conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and liver problems, and it makes it more difficult to stay within a healthy weight range.
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Low Sugar Beans And Legumes
Legumes are high in protein so they are a good part of any healthy diet. They contain some natural sugar but they have no flour or gluten to worry about. Legumes can help you to control your blood sugar and decrease your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Because of the low sugar and high fiber content, they can help to keep you full for longer so you have a higher chance of snacking less.
The beans you can eat on a low sugar diet are:
- black beans
- great northern beans
Low Sugar Snacks For Kids
In todays sweets-filled world, limiting your kids sugar intake can feel like an uphill battle! Get a leg up with this list of 50 simple snack ideas with low-to-no sugar. Keep it on hand to always have something healthy ready to feed your little ones.
Thanks for checking out our low-sugar snack ideas! Most of the pictures & ideas for these snacks come from our meal plans. With proper kitchen tools, kids can help make these snacks! Right now we have over 866 snack recipes for healthy meal ideas.
In the list below, youll see that we added the grams of sugar next to each food. But keep in mind that some sugars occur naturally. So the 2 grams of sugar in your kids snow pea snack doesnt count toward their suggested 25-gram daily limit. Only added sugars count toward the recommended limit, and many labels now differentiate between added sugars and naturally-occuring ones.
Our calculations represent an average serving, and some may depend on the brand you buy. For example, our bread has 1 gram of sugar per slice, but if you purchase a brand with 3 grams of sugar, obviously your total will be a bit different.
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Added Versus Natural Sugar
Added sugar is probably what comes to mind when you hear the word sugar. Its found in products like soda, energy drinks, and candy, and it hides in some pasta sauces, salad dressings and breads.
The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting added sugars to no more than 10% of your daily calories, or about 12 teaspoons on a 2,000-calorie diet. In other words, some added sugar is perfectly okay, and trying to cut it out entirely is extremely difficult and can cause some major eating anxiety.
On the other hand, eating too much added sugar can cause cavities, an increased risk of heart disease and obesity, which can lead to additional health problems like Type 2 Diabetes and high blood pressure.
Natural sugars, on the other hand, are inherently found in certain foods. Any food that contains carbohydrates, such as fruit, dairy products, vegetables, and whole grains, has natural sugar. While a bottle of soda and a banana both have sugar in them, the natural sugar in the banana is paired with other nutrients and provides more of a nutritional bang for your buck.
Join the FREE 5-Days of Fueling Challenge to learn how to use snacks to fuel your workouts!
Since only 10% of your calories should come from added sugar, but most people need 50-60% of their calories from carbs, natural sugar sources should make up 40-50% of your daily calories.
What Foods Should I Limit On A Sugar
Foods that you can eat but in limit in consumption are monk fruit, stevia, and dark chocolate. You should be careful with your high glycemic fruit consumption, meaning you should limit your consumption of fruits like mangoes and grapes. Finally, dairy products should be limited as well, specifically yogurt, cheese, and milk. Eggs and butter, however, do not need to be worried about when it comes to sugar!
Meet your secret weapon in losing weight and keeping it off-Further Food Collagen! Collagen is more satiating than other protein powders and can help curb sugar cravings. Learn more HERE!
Learn more! How to follow a sugar-free diet:
After working in integrative and functional medicine as a chiropractor and nutritionist for over 15 years, Dr. Chris Oswald joined Further Food as Chief Science Officer in charge of new product development. On top of his list of new products to creat…
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Elan Granola Shot Paleo Mix
Maple syrup is toward the bottom of the list of ingredients in this granola, which contains just 2 grams of sugar per 1/3 cup. The other ingredients are cashews, sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, unsweetened coconut, macadamia nuts, flaxseed, and organic virgin coconut oil.
One serving provides mostly heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, along with 5 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. The snack also satisfies between 15% and 90% of your daily need for seven important nutrients, including the antioxidants vitamin E and selenium. Eat the granola as is, or mix it with plain grass-fed yogurt or unsweetened almond milk.
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Keto Peanut Butter With Macadamia Nuts And Mct Oil
Peanut butter is sweet, creamy, and full of health benefits. It has proteins and healthy monounsaturated fats that the American Heart Association says can boost heart health. However, it is also often full of sugar. Left Coast Performance has created a peanut butter with many of the benefits without much of the sweet stuff. It has no added sugar and less than one gram of total sugar. People say it reminds them of the peanut butter than grew up eating. Its smooth and sweet but not overwhelmingly so. Spread it on top of an apple to add some sweetness to your snack.
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Quinn Dark Chocoltey Peanut Filled Pretzels
A hearty 12 nugget portion has just three grams of added sugar, which is on the low side for a treat like this. Another bonus: The gluten free pretzels are made with whole grains, like sorghum and brown rice flour. Since these goodies provide some fat from the nutty filling along with the carbs from the whole grain pretzel coating, theyll provide a steady stream of energy for active days. However, since they contain peanuts, make sure your childs school or after school activity approves.
Where to find them: Whole Foods, local supermarkets, in bulk at , or use Quinn’s store locator to find them in your area
Top 10 Best Sugar Free Snacks For Diabetics In 2021 Comparison Table
- ZERO SUGAR – Compared to 21g of Sugar in the world’s leading brand. Perfect for sugar-restricted, keto, low carb or LCHF diet.
- NO ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS OR SUGAR ALCOHOLS – Main sweetener is Allulose, an exciting new, nature-based sweetener. And NO erythritol!
- GUILT-FREE SPLURGING – Great on pancakes and waffles, ice cream, low carb toast, yogurt, fruit, smoothies and even a big ole spoonful to get your fix.
- CLEAN EATING FAVORITE – With 24% Fewer Carbs Than the Leading Keto Brand and a Whopping 9X the Fiber of the world’s leading brand.
- REAL FOOD INGREDIENTS – Like sustainable palm oil to preserve our planet, and our unique cocoa blend. Always Lovingly Made in the USA.
- Contains 12 – 1.4oz KIND Bars
- Nutritionally dense snack bars lead with heart healthy almonds as the #1 ingredient
- Almonds, caramel, and sea salt combine for uncompromisingly, delicious kosher snacks
- Take these nutrition bars anywhere on-the-go
- Each snack bar contains 5 grams of sugar, 6 grams of protein, and is high in fiber* *Contains 15g of fat per bar
- Item Package Weight: 2.064 kilograms
- Voortman Sugar Free Fudge Striped Shortbread Cookies
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Think High Protein Chunky Peanut Butter Bars
Sometimes, you need a more filling snack than light gelatins or candies. Some experts actually recommend eating six small meals per day rather than three large ones. We recommend adding think! High Protein Chunky Peanut Butter Bars to your rotation. The sugar-free snack will not only satisfy sweet cravings but also tide you over until your next meal. It boasts 20 grams of protein, something that can help you stay fuller longer and avoid cravings. Whats more, protein helps increase strength. The only drawback is that the bars are high in fat at 10 grams, so its best to stick to one per day.
The Difference Between Snacks And Treats
But first let’s separate the “snack” from the treat”: To me, snacks are mini boosters in between meals. They are something nourishing I eat when I am hungry.
A treat, on the other hand, is something pleasurable and not necessarily nutritious that I enjoy for the sake of it.
As you are all people interested in a healthy diet , you’ll all know that when you eat unprocessed food and balanced meals, your blood sugar stabilises and you won’t crave snacks that often anyway.
But what about the kids?
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Quick & Easy Activated Nuts
At 28, we always love boosting our recipes with a little extra nutritional value whenever and wherever possible. So with this activated nuts recipe, youll have some crunchy, slightly-salty goodness to chew on, as well as being naturally more digestible than regular nuts, thanks to the overnight soaking process.
Skinny Dipped Dark Chocolate Cocoa Almonds
You might want to stock up on a case of these mini snack packs, which are the perfect size for tucking into lunchboxes and backpacks. The small serving has just two grams of added sugar, but its rich, chocolatey, and crunchy, making it a good swap for ordinary fun-size candies. Almonds happen to be a good plant-based source of calcium and while the serving is small, every bit counts for growing bodies. To pack even more nutrition, make a trail mix with plain roasted almonds, and add dried, unsweetened fruit, like raisins or plums.
Editor’s note: These are currently out of stock. To be notified when they’re available, click the Amazon link below.
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Cheesy Garlic Bread Muffins
With oozy cheese and garlic bread stuffing, you cant go wrong with these Cheesy Garlic Bread Muffins. These ones are designed to use up your pantry and fridge staples, and anything you might have already in the kitchen, so have a look and see if you can make them right away!
Delicious Filling Snacks For Your No Added Sugar Diet
Snack time can be daunting for folks following a no-sugar diet. Even seemingly healthy packaged snacks can contain hidden added sugars. So always read those labels. But to ensure your snacks really are sugar-free, make them yourself at home. Here are some favorite snacks to get you started. These top-rated recipes feature whole foods with absolutely no added sugar, sugar substitutes, or other sweeteners.
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