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What Should Diabetics Drink?

18th December, 2012 - Posted by health news - No Comments

When speaking about diabetics, usually food is a big deal. However, do not miss the fact that the fluids we intake can also affect our blood glucose and weight. The highly recommended beverages are those with zero or low calorie like water, natural and unsweetened juices, and other very low-calorie drink mixes.

1. Water.

Water is, no doubt, the number one health drink perfect for all people with or without diabetes. To give it a light and refreshing flavor, you can squeeze some fresh lime or lemon juice to your glass of water. Drink as many glasses of water daily. Do not settle with eight glasses of water a day.

2. Milk.

If you are tired of drinking water, you can also try low-fat milk. It is a good source of vitamins and minerals. Just take note, control the portion size when you drink low-fat milk, otherwise the carbohydrates and calories in milk will add up when you consume too much. Choose 1% fat milk or skim milk and be sure to count it in your every-day meal plan. One cup of skim milk will give you 12 grams of carbohydrates and 80 calories.

3. Juice.

It does not mean that when you are diabetic, you cannot enjoy other nice drinks like juices. You absolutely can. However, you need to make sure that it is 100% natural juice with no sugar added. You have plenty of choices: coconut juice, 100% pomegranate juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, and a lot more. In fact, you can drink all kinds of juice as long as it is 100% natural, fresh, and unsweetened. Juices give you a high level of carbohydrates in only a small portion, so be sure to count it in your day-to-day meal plan. Normally, four to six ounces or less than one cup has 15 grams of carbohydrates and 50 calories. Another good option is low-sodium vegetable juice one cup contains 10 grams of carbohydrates and about 50 calories.

Beverages You Should Avoid:

Of course, you should avoid drinking sugary fluids like soda, sweet tea, energy drinks, fruit drinks, and other drinks with high concentration of sugar. Just a single serving of these types of beverages can increase your calorie and blood glucose level. In fact, a 12-ounce can of soda contains about 40 grams of carbohydrate and 150 calories. That is equivalent to 10 teaspoons of sugar. One cup of fruit drink can give you up to 100 calories and about 30 grams of carbohydrates.