I have a coworker (well a couple but one in particular) with diabetes. He thinks eating 4 small bags of popcorn a day is a great snack for him. It's cheap. The problem is he keeps burning the small bags in the microwave every day and it stinks up the whole office.

Now he is being a pissy baby and says that's all he can eat for snacks and I know there have to be some other things out there he can eat.

We upgraded to a newer microwave at the office (I have the identical one at home and I don't have problems popping regular size bags in it). The old one is sitting not 5 steps from his desk and he refuses to just plug it back in to pop the stuff.

When we suggested he pop one large bag and put the rest in a ziploc bag to eat throughout the day, he got super defensive. Like I said he eats 3-4 of the small ones each day.

If someone has some great, inexpensive diabetic snacks I would appreciate them so I can give him a list.

TIA.

How about Quakes rice snacks or soy crisps? They're popcorn-like and super yummy! And require no burning, oops, I mean microwaving!

Beverly

OMG -- as a diabetic, he might as well shoot that popcorn up into his arms because it is converting to sugar so fast. I am shocked that he thinks popcorn is a good snack. It might be good is he were going into shock and needing a quick shot f insulin - thus the importance of orange juice -- but NOT as a snack. A perfect snack for a diabetic would be an apple and some cheese or cottage cheese with fruit or whole grain crackers and peanut butter-- basically, a whole grain or fruit/veggie carb and a protein. If he is telling you this is due to diabetes, either 1, he has a cruddy doctor 2, he sure is not eating like a diabetic, or 3, he is lying just so he can smell up the office.

Peace,
Paula, insulin resistant and granddaughter to 4 decesased diabetics

I'm Type 2 diabetic and never heard that one before. Paula is right about the snacks. I usually keep small apples in the reefer at work to have as snacks. Occasionally some low fat cheese sticks.

Popcorn IS a whole grain. And 3 cups popcorn (popped by hot air, or low-fat microwave) is considered 1 bread/ starch exchange for diabetics. I know a lot of low-carb-ers think that popcorn is the devil but popcorn is a large, low-calorie snack that is a whole grain with low sugar and can be seasoned a variety of different ways. Although some of the other suggestions were good, some have added fat (like whole wheat crackers). It is one of the most suggested snacks for diabetics.

Diabetics need to keep their blood glucose at a healthy level by eating about the same amount of carbohydrate foods at about the same times each day. The 1 bread/starch exchange equals to about 15 carbs. Here are some other things that equal to that amount:
1 small apple
8 animal crackers
4 medium fresh apricots or 7 dried halves
1/2 of a banana rolled with 2 tablespoons Grape Nuts cereal
1 cup cubed cantaloupe
12 Bing cherries
3 dried dates
2 small dried figs
1/2 low-fat granola bar
15 grapes
1 small nectarine
1 cup skim milk
3 peanut butter sandwich crackers (adds 1 fat exchange)
1 small pear
3 dried pitted prunes
15 fat-free potato or tortilla chips
2 tablespoons raisins
2 rice cakes (4" diameter)

When you look at this list, who can blame the guy for wanting to eat a lot of popcorn instead of 2 rice cakes?

I had a girl in my office that couldn't microwave popcirn without burning it. I figured if you can't beat them, join them. I told her that I wanted to share a massive bag of popcorn but I absolutely hated the burned stuff so I had to make it. She was fine with that.

My sympathy is with the guy. Of course he's defensive. Who hasn't been in a work situation where you wanted salad instead of pizza and people gave you crap for it? His dietary woes are along the same lines of any one of us. Of course, I really do have burned popcorn too.

Whole grain or not, popcorn is like CRACK to a diabetic! It's extremely high glycemic, up there with white bread, and there are far better choices for this guy, like apples, or low fat cheese, or brown rice.

Here's where I got the following (there's more explanation there, along with some sample glycemic index values for some sample foods.)

Dr. Weil is in complete agreement, as well, saying to people with diabetes:

I love learning all kinds of new stuff about healthy eating! Thanks for all the information. I know it wasn't put here just for me, but I'm going to take it.

I don't have any snack ideas to add, but I did want to mention that there are a few strange people out there that actually like their popcorn burnt. If there isn't a small fire in the center of my popcorn bag, it's not done!

ewwwwww!

Sarah -

All my books list popcorn as a medium glycemic food at 55. Which is higher than an apple but the same glycemic level of lots of fruits, lower than almost all breads (but pumpernickel), and much lower than rice cakes. More importantly, I don't think sweet potatoes, winter squash and beans top my lists of snacky foods.

I don't know if HCF is wrong or my books are wrong - searching the net. There is a big difference in the glycemic index. Which is REALLY varied - from a low food to a high food.

Jessica

At the hospital we usually give our diabetic patients a snack at bedtime. It usually consists of 2% milk, half a sandwich (filling varies-could be ham, turkey or egg salad for example), pudding, yogurt, a piece of fruit, cheese and crackers or a couple of those tea cookies. Not all of those together, usually a milk and one of the others.

Those are all great snack ideas and I think I will type up a list to give him.

We weren't attacking him when he did it. He just gets defensive if you say anything but something positive to him. I've never seen a man act this way. Like I said, the old microwave is sitting 5 steps from his desk and he refuses to plug it in and pop his popcorn in it. We are all popcorn eaters in the office (with the exception of one pregnant lady) so it's not the popcorn per se but the burning of it day after day.

He's also the type of diabetic who gets gung ho and tries to control it for a week or two and then ignores it until he has another episode.

thanks again for the tips. It looks like I'm having to go on the lower carb diet this time around too so these snacks are going to be a big help for me.