Though diabetics must maintain a healthy food chart, sometimes they don’t want to compromise with classic American snacks like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
But can diabetics eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? Will it be harmful to their health or acceptable?
Diabetics can eat peanut butter and jelly that isn’t rich in calories and carbs. It means diabetics must pick safe snacks from the market or prepare them at home.
Read on to learn how diabetics can eat peanut butter and jelly along with the limitations and recipes to prepare healthy snacks at home.
Can diabetics eat peanut butter and jelly?
A peanut butter and jelly sandwich contains proteins, vitamins, and healthy carbohydrates. Protein positively impacts blood sugar.
It also has a low glycemic index that doesn’t cause pancreatic malfunction and blood sugar spikes that are responsible for causing type 2 diabetes.
When it comes to jelly, it contains lots of sugar that diabetics should avoid. However, sugar-free jelly is safe for diabetics.
In short, diabetics can eat peanut butter and jelly but in moderation and should avoid the brand that is rich in salt, sugar, and fat. Otherwise, eating these snacks daily can increase the chance of gaining weight.
From other points of view, diabetics are advised to take peanut butter as it contains essential nutrients to protect the body against diabetes.
It also has niacin and folic acid, which support changing food into energy. These snacks also consist of fiber and carbohydrates that aid release energy gradually throughout the day.
Remember, normal peanut butter and jelly sandwiches can be harmful to diabetes as they contain lots of calories. And if you have a type of diabetes, using jelly beans will aid you in restoring blood sugar when it’s low.
Healthy peanut butter and jelly sandwich recipe
There are lots of types of peanut butter and jelly out there that can hurt diabetic people if picked carelessly.
Sometimes, it is also difficult to understand the product label and determine the safe option due to the huge variation.
In this case, learning a healthy peanut butter and jelly sandwich recipe can help you enjoy its delicious taste without harming your health.
A diabetic should account for carbs throughout the day and not be allowed to eat around 540 calories that are contained in a typical peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Instead, prepare your own healthy peanut butter and jelly sandwich using these ingredients:
- Whole wheat sugarless bread contains around 100 calories and 18 carbs.
- Powdered peanut butter (2 spoonfuls)-contains around 45 calories and 5 carbs.
- Sugarless jelly (2 spoonfuls)-contains 20 calories and 10 carbs.
This homemade peanut butter and jelly sandwich will contain approximately 165 calories and 33 carbs that a diabetic can comfortably consume.
Whole wheat bread also contains fiber, making the snacks healthy for diabetes.
To improve the taste, you can consume this sandwich with greek yogurt, sugar-free juice, or oats.
Final words
So, can diabetics eat peanut butter and jelly? As long as the snacks don’t have excessive calories and sugar, diabetics can enjoy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
However, diabetics should avoid low-fat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or those that have artificial sweeteners.
In this case, some reliable options are Skippy Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Kraft Peanut Butter & Jelly, and the homemade recipe we mentioned.