DELICIOUS DIPS & SMART SNACKS

When you’re trying to keep your calorie intake down and ensure your blood sugar levels remain stable, it’s a good idea to keep snacking to a minimum.

It is between meals that your body has a chance to go into fat-burning and repair mode, burning fat and flushing out the sugar stored in your liver and pancreas. As soon as you snack, you stop that restorative process in its tracks.

But it may take you a while to adjust to the new way of eating, so we have suggested healthy snacking options to help you through.

nuts are a key ingredient of the mediterranean diet, and studies show a handful a day could help you lose weight and cut your risk of heart disease.

our bodies find nuts hard to digest and consequently many of those calories are not absorbed. They are packed with healthy essential fats, which means they can keep you full without significantly increasing blood sugars.

dips such as hummus (bought or homemade), fish pate and nut butters make a great snack with vegetable sticks, and try making your own seed crackers (see below) as a nutrient-packed treat.

Thin seeded crackers

Makes 24 small crackers 100ml water 60g spelt flour (or any wholegrain flour) black pepper, chilli, rosemary or thyme 120g seeds — equal amounts of golden linseeds (or flax seeds), chia seeds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds ¼ tsp Maldon salt 1 heaped tsp Marmite • CALORIES 50 (PER CRACKER) • PROTEIN 2G • FAT 4G • FIBRE 1G • CARBS 2G PReheAT oven to 160c. mix flour and 50ml cold water in one bowl and, in another, dissolve marmite in 50ml hot water and pour into flour. Add herbs. Stir in seeds and maldon salt. leave dough to bind for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

line a baking tray with baking paper brushed with oil. Tip mixture onto tray and spread thinly with the back of a fork, to 3mm thick. Sprinkle over extra maldon salt and bake for 20 minutes. While warm, slice into small crackers. Remove from baking paper and turn. Return to oven for 15 minutes, until golden. Turn oven off, but leave inside for a further 15-30 minutes to dry out.

Healthy mini ploughmans

FoR a lunch snack, take a matchbox-sized piece of hard cheese, an apple, pear, or handful of berries, along with a celery stick and two crackers.

Brazil nut butter

Makes 4 portions

180g Brazil nuts, soaked in water for 24 hours, drained and rinsed 2–3 garlic cloves 3 tbsp lemon juice 4 tbsp rapeseed oil 2 tbsp tahini Pinch of cayenne pepper • CALORIES 110 (PER PORTION) • PROTEIN 2G • FAT 12G • FIBRE 1G • CARBS 1G Blend ingredients to a paste. loosen with a little water if necessary and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Perfect hummus

Makes 4 portions 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed 3 tbsp lemon juice 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 4 tsp tahini 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tsp ground cumin Pinch of salt 1 tsp paprika

• CALORIES 210 (PER PORTION) • PROTEIN 9G • FAT 13G • FIBRE 5G • CARBS 17G

Blend chickpeas, lemon juice, oil, tahini, garlic, cumin, salt and 3 tbsp water until you have a puree. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkling of paprika.

Tzatziki

Makes 4 portions 2 small cucumbers 300ml full-fat Greek yoghurt Juice of 1 lemon 2-3 garlic cloves, finely grated 1 tsp paprika 1 tbsp olive oil • CALORIES 140 (PER PORTION) • PROTEIN 4G • FAT 1G • FIBRE 1G • CARBS 4G Peel and deseed cucumbers, then grate or finely dice. Combine with yoghurt, all the other ingredients and season.

Raitha

Makes 4 portions ½ cucumber 250ml full-fat Greek yoghurt ¼ tsp cumin seeds 2-3 mint leaves, finely chopped • CALORIES 80 (PER PORTION) • PROTEIN 4G • FAT 6G • FIBRE 0G • CARBS 2G Peel and deseed cucumber, then grate or finely dice. Combine with yoghurt, all the other ingredients and large pinch of salt.

Smoked fish pate

Makes 2 portions 1 fillet smoked mackerel (or trout) 3 tbsp full-fat soft cheese Squeeze of lemon juice 1-2 tsp hot horseradish sauce ½ cucumber, thickly sliced • CALORIES 270 (PER PORTION) • PROTEIN 14G • FAT 23G • FIBRE 0G • CARBS 3G Remove skin and mash fish with the cheese and lemon juice. Season with black pepper, and add horseradish sauce, to taste. Serve on thick slices of cucumber, seeded crackers or with vegetable batons.

AdApted by Louise Atkinson from the 8-Week Blood Sugar diet Recipe Book by dr Clare Bailey with dr Sarah Schenker, published by Short Books at £14.99. © Sarah Schenker and Clare Bailey 2016. to order a copy for £11.24 (offer valid to October 13), call 0844 571 0640 or visit mailbookshop. co.uk. p&p free on orders over £15.