Water certainly remains the staple drink for all living
beings, and is particularly important as being the basis of all life forms. Being
a diabetic person, water seems to be the safest choice as anything else with a hint
of flavour is considered to contain high amount of sugar or other form of
sweetening agents.
So does that mean Diabetics cannot really drink anything
other than water for their entire life? Not really. Just like a diabetic diet, being
aware about what you are consuming is the key to gain maximum benefit out of it
and minimize the harmful effects. Knowing the amount of carbohydrates you
ingest and how they may affect your blood sugar is crucial.
Drinks to Avoid
All sugary drinks like soda, fruit punch, fruit drinks,
energy drinks, sports drinks, sweet tea, and other sugary drinks are totally
out of bounds. When you say NO to these you avoid loading several hundred
calories in just one single serving.
Avoid drinks in plastic bottles completely. Apart from
harming the environment, they also release harmful chemicals into the drink
stored in them.
Healthier Drinks
Your diabetic food is best completed with a healthy drink
and the following swaps will help you relish them sans the sugar and carb
content.
- Skimmed Milk
The best source of energy, milk is a complete diet for a
diabetic patient when taken in small quantity of around 200ml considering the
carbohydrate content. Milk products are also a great option along with milk.
Distribute your dairy products serving throughout the day two or three times.
- Unsweetened Tea
While green tea is proven to have numerous health benefits,
even regular tea without milk has been identified for having a range of health
benefits, including improving insulin sensitivity and helping maintain healthy
blood pressure.
- Unsweetened Coffee
A study in 2012 revealed that
drinking unsweetened coffee lowers risk of developing type 2 diabetes. However
the opinion about this staple drink is mixed as one finding says it can
contribute to spike in blood sugar levels. But other studies suggest that
coffee drinkers are at lower risk for developing type 2 diabetes. (A compound
in coffee called chlorogenic acid seems to slow absorption of glucose into the
bloodstream).
- Apple Cider Vinegar
This hot drink during the day
can really help you relax during winters and is also a great drink to manage
healthy blood sugar levels. It also detoxifies your entire body system of
harmful toxins.
- Water
You obviously cannot avoid
this and having it plain it certainly the best thing you can do. But wait, what
are we here for then? Add a few lemon slices or mint to make a refreshing drink
and stay well hydrated to avoid blood sugar spikes.
- Fruit Juice/Squash
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. But ensure you always have real,
unsweetened juice.
It is important above all to ensure blood glucose monitoring
and maintaining a healthy diabetic
diet along with well-planned exercise regime.
