If you think that snacking is bad for your health, you may not realize the fantastic health tool that snacking can be. Snacks aren't all bad. In fact, snacking can be a very good thing to do to maintain a healthy lifestyle and good nutrition. You see, snacks allow us to get a little bit of energy when we start to wear out or lose our focus on our work. Snacking can help us to take away hunger and therefore prevent us from overeating when we eat a proper meal. We tend to eat too much when we are very hungry as we begin a meal. Snacks can help us to avoid extreme hunger that contributes to the problem.

Diabetics have even more reasons to find snacking useful. Snacks are the anecdote to low blood sugar, because as the snack food is digested, our bodies release more sugar into our bloodstream. It is often a smart idea to carry carbohydrate or sugar containing snacks in case of hypoglycemic episodes (low blood sugar). If you begin to feel the symptoms of low blood sugar, such as shaking, weakness, or confusion, or if your routine blood glucose test shows that your blood sugar is lower than is healthy, you will probably need to immediately eat a snack just to provide your body with some sugar rush, to enable your body to function normally with the optimum blood sugar level.

Always consult your doctor and dietitian about your diabetes care, but for many individuals, good snacks to have on hand will include crackers, fruit juices, or pieces of candy. Any food that contains some type of flour or sugar will suffice. Eat one serving, and then wait a few minutes to re-check your blood sugar to see if it has improved. If your blood sugar does not rise to a healthy level within your goal blood sugar range, another snack might be required. Your doctor will give you specific instructions on how to use snacks when your blood sugar level is too low.

Snacks can be very handy during hypoglycemic emergencies, but they also have a place in the everyday diabetic diet. Many diabetics plan on regular mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and evening snacks to maintain an even blood sugar level. They are usually planned as part of the daily diabetic diet, and cannot be skipped. These thrice-daily snacks help to avoid the low energy and sugar levels that can naturally occur in the time period between meals. Snacks can be as important to maintaining good blood sugar as taking your prescribed medication! (But don't skip your medication either!)

Always prepare some healthy snacks in your storage or bag when you are travelling to your advantage to maintain good blood sugar levels throughout the day and as a back-up when your blood sugar falls to a low level.