During pregnancy your appetite may change and you may find yourself hungry in between meals, but confused over what a suitable snack may be.

In order to maintain blood glucose levels within the target range, it is recommended that you opt for snacks which contain less than 10-15g of carbohydrates or are carbohydrate-free. This leaflet will give you some snack ideas.

If you have gained a lot of weight during your pregnancy, the dietitian may encourage you to choose lower calorie snack options, such as vegetable sticks, salad, low-fat cream cheese, seeds, and plain popcorn or rice cakes.

If your team are concerned that you have not gained as much weight as expected during your pregnancy, it may be helpful to have higher calorie snacks containing ‘healthier’ fats such as an avocado or nuts, or high protein snacks containing egg, ham, cheese, or chicken.

Snacks containing 10-15g of carbohydrates or under:

  • 5 cocktail sausages
  • 1 mini wholemeal pitta bread
  • 1 scotch egg
  • 1 packet of crisps, eg Quavers®, Wotsits® or Pom-Bear®
  • 1-2 small poppadum
  • 4 chicken nuggets
  • 2 fish fingers
  • 2-3 tablespoon of pretzels
  • 1 cup (small packet) of plain popcorn
  • 2 wholegrain crackers, oat cakes or rice cakes, or 1-2 crisp breads with low-fat cheese spread and cucumber or peanut butter
  • low-fat houmous or guacamole with 1-2 small crackers or bread sticks
  • 25g kale/root vegetable crisps
  • 200ml of milk
  • 30g of 70% dark chocolate
  • 1 portion of fruit, i.e:
    • o 2 satsumas;
    • 1 kiwi (2 small);
    • handful of strawberries and raspberries;
    • 1 small apple or banana;
    • 1 slice of melon; or 1 medium orange
    • 1 mini box (14g) of raisins
  • 2 Garibaldi biscuits
  • 2 rice cakes
  • 2 small oat cakes
  • 2 pieces of sushi
  • 100g plain yoghurt with 1 tablespoon of berries or  1 tablespoon of granola.

Low to no carbohydrate snacks

The snacks listed below can be combined with the above, eg having cheese with your crackers, or why not try an apple with some peanut butter?

  • small handful of seeds
  • one hard-boiled egg/omelette/scrambled eggs with spinach or courgette
  • chicken drumsticks
  • slices of cold meat, eg ham/chicken
  • slices of smoked salmon/tin of fish, eg pilchards in tomato sauce
  • quorn or tofu pieces
  • one cheese stick or triangle
  • a few cherry tomatoes
  • vegetable sticks of cucumber, celery or carrot with cream cheese, sour cream, houmous or peanut butter
  •  a bowl of salad (you could add meat, fish, egg, beans or cheese) • handful of nuts
  • half an avocado
  • a few olives
  • handful of roasted chickpeas (channa)
  • small handful of edamame beans
  • dip, eg taramasalata, tzatziki, salsa, houmous and guacamole
  • spreads such as cream cheese, cheese spreads, marmite, etc.
  • 1 pot of sugar-free jelly
  • small tub of cottage cheese
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter
  • mozzarella and sundried tomatoes
  • grilled halloumi
  • red peppers with cream cheese.

Also don’t forget to stay hydrated, as thirst is often mistaken for hunger. Try and sip on water at regular intervals throughout the day.

Important information

This leaflet should be used in conjunction with the advice you receive during your pregnancy from your diabetes specialist dietitian.