When it comes to enjoying life, nothing says fun with friends and family like a movie night. Whether you decide to pay the price and go see a movie in theaters or have your own movie night at home, it’s still a wonderful experience to have bonding over film with the ones you love. The only downside (to some that is) is having to pay the price of your fun time when it comes to binging on unhealthy foods. Movie nights call for popcorn, chocolate, candy, nachos, slushies, etc. Now though it may sound good to indulge in all those sugary and salty snacks, by now you know how unhealthy it can be. It’s even more of a risk for people living with diabetes, but shouldn’t they get to enjoy the movie night with fun snacks too? Absolutely.
Why It Is Important To Monitor What You Eat When Living With Diabetes
When living with diabetes, you have to be mindful of what you consume because you don’t want to offset your health and put yourself at risk. Diabetes has the ability to affect more of your body than you may think, that’s why it is important to manage your blood sugar levels.
Once you monitor your blood sugar levels, it’s important to manage your cholesterol and blood pressure as well. Being mindful of the three helps you prevent the risk of developing any other serious medical condition on top of diabetes.
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It helps you to lower your risk of getting a stroke, a heart attack or anything else that can be detrimental to your health.
For some people living with diabetes, it’s important for them to not indulge in unhealthy snacks and foods that contain high levels of sugar and sodium.
For others, they might need to eat something sweet in order to raise their glucose levels. Regardless of which type of diabetes you have, overindulging can be dangerous.
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How To Indulge While Remaining On Track
It’s okay to indulge every once in a while but overindulging is where the problem arises. Again, for some people living with diabetes, they have to eat something sweet to make sure their glucose levels are where they need to be. In those instances, try healthier options. If you think chocolate will help, then get a mini-sized dark chocolate bar instead of a regular-sized chocolate bar. A granola bar that contains bits of dark chocolate in it can work too.
For those living with diabetes who have to steer clear of high levels of sugar and salty treats, try to look for healthy options that contain good but not extreme amounts of sugar. When in the mood for something sweet, try eating fruits such as strawberries, mangos or peaches. Bananas are a good choice for a sweet treat as well. When it comes to salty foods, look for options that contain low sodium. When you cook for yourself, remove salt from your ingredients and stick to garlic, pepper, onion or seasonings without salt. Your food will still come out tasting amazing.
5 Healthy Snack Ideas To Try
Going back to movie night, even if you or someone you know is living with diabetes, there are still ways to enjoy the movie night without having to put your health at risk. Here are 5 healthy snack ideas to try for your next movie night:
- Popcorn- Yes you can still have popcorn, it’s actually a very healthy snack. Try making your own at home instead of buying premade ones. If you're at the movies, ask for no salt or butter.
- Trail Mix- This is a great way to get both salty and sweet in one of the healthiest ways.
- Protein Bars- You can either make your own or buy them from the store, just pay attention to the sugar and sodium levels if you buy them premade.
- Yogurt- Easy and simple and you can even add fruit or some of your trail mix to it.
- Almonds- These nuts are great for helping to stabilize your blood sugar.
Some other healthy snack ideas can be creating your own chips, turkey sandwiches or even hummus with pita chips.
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Benefits That Come From These Delicious Alternatives When Dealing With Symptoms
One benefit that you can reap from incorporating these alternatives into your diet is preventing symptoms from happening.
Since you’ll be eating healthier and more nutritious foods, your symptoms won’t have the ability to be triggered as fast as they would if you were eating unhealthy foods.
Another benefit is that some of these foods could possibly help you during a symptom. Eating a protein bar can help if you’re feeling fatigued from low blood sugar levels and give you a boost in energy.
So next time you want to have a movie night with your friends, try these options. Not only can they benefit you in the long run, but they’re absolutely delicious.
