Hello, I am Ty Mason of thediabetescouncil.com, researcher, writer and I have type 2 diabetes.
Today I want to talk about drinks and diabetes.
After you watch the video today, I invite you check out the description box for my new
ebook.
This is one of the most comprehensive diabetes meal planning book you can find.
It contains diabetes friendly meals/recipes, recipes for different goals such as 800-1800
calories per day meal plan, diabetes meal planning tips and tricks.
There are also tons of diabetes friendly recipes for everyone!
Most of the time we are very concerned about the food we eat as those with diabetes.
But how often do we really think about what we drink?
Many times a well planned meal can be ruined by the wrong choice of drink.
So today I want to give you some tips on what is best for you to drink as a person with
diabetes.
Many drinks contain lots of sugars and carbohydrates.
Paying attention to food labels and nutritional facts can provide important information.
Labels should state the serving size and carbohydrate content of any drink.
People with diabetes have different bodily needs, so there are no exact dietary rules.
However, some tips can help.
Water You can’t go too far wrong with pure water.
It provides the hydration your body needs and is, of course, zero carbohydrate and zero
calories.
It is also very ok to infuse that water with herbs, fruits or other natural flavorings.
Milk Moderate carbohydrate content which may need
to be accounted for, particularly in people with type 1 diabetes, if drinking close to
or more than 100ml.
Milk tends to be a good source of energy and people that wish to watch their weight will
need to take into account the calorie content of milk.
Skimmed tends to have around half the calories of whole milk.
Fruit juice Fruit juice is usually regarded as a healthy
option but it should be noted that fruit juices have a relatively high carbohydrate content.
The calorie content of fruit juice is similar to that of skimmed milk.
Despite being quite high in carbohydrate content, fruit juice needn’t be totally avoided and
can be a good option before taking a sustained period of exercise as the activity may help
to balance out the rise in blood sugar levels from the juice.
To ensure you get good nutritional value from fruit juice, ensure you have real, unsweetened
fruit juice.
Fruit Smoothies These “make it yourself” drinks are fantastic!
If you have watched many of my videos, you know I love to keep fresh and frozen fruit
year round.
A fruit smoothie is an amazing thirst quencher and is rather nutritious.
You can find plenty of recipes on the internet for good quality smoothies.
Diet soft drinks
Diet soft drinks tend to be popular with people with diabetes as they are low in carbohydrate
and low in calories.
Diet soft drinks tend to use artificial sweeteners and other artificial agents to provide sweetness,
flavor and color.
Whilst soft drinks are recognized as safe for consumption, research has raised some
questions over potential health issues and some people may prefer to limit or avoid their
exposure to soft drinks as a precaution.
You can check out my video on Soft drinks and diabetes.
I personally feel they are fine to drink but in that video give you some research to make
your own choice.
Tea Research into the effects of non-milky tea
has identified a range of health benefits, including improving insulin sensitivity and
helping maintain healthy blood pressure.
Lovers of milk in tea will be disappointed to know that the health benefits generally
aren’t realized when milk is added to tea.
Iced tea is an amazing thirst quencher and adding some sucralose and fruit makes it even
better.
Try putting the juice of a peach in an ice cold glass of tea.
You can thank me later.
Coffee
There are probably few foods or drinks that get such a mixture of good and bad headlines
as coffee.
Confusingly, coffee has been linked with both increased and decreased risks of developing
type 2 diabetes.
Studies looking into moderate coffee consumption (2-3 cups a day) have shown some health benefits,
including a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, whilst high coffee consumption (5 or more
cups a day) has been linked with a higher risk.
Note that milky coffees such as lattes can be high in calories, with larger lattes sometimes
varying between 100 and 300 calories.
Alcoholic drinks
When having alcohol, there are a few things to consider:
How the drink will affect blood sugar levels The calorie content of the drink
Whether alcohol will interact with any medication you take
Alcoholic drinks can be responsible for raising and lowering blood glucose levels so it’s
useful to understand how different alcoholic drinks can affect your sugar levels.
For those keeping an eye on their weight, it’s important to note that alcohol is significant
source of calories.
For example, a single pint of regular beer has 200 calories, which is as many calories
as a large slice of pizza.
Some medications interact with alcohol.
It is advisable to check the patient information leaflet enclosed with your medication and
consult your doctor if you have further questions.
The ADA recommends no more than 1 drink per day for women and no more than 2 drinks per
day for men.
One must also be advised that alcohol can drop blood sugar quickly!
So be sure to eat when drinking.
Yes, there are other drinks, but this covers the many of the drinks we come across.
I do not recommend energy drinks or many “home remedies” like drinking vinegar or stump
water.
Keep to the main sources of hydration.
Don’t forget to get my new ebook and please, subscribe to our channel for many more videos
like this one in the future.
Thanks for watching.
I am Ty Mason.