Diabetes, while it may be prevented, is still a serious disease affecting millions of people in the United States each year. Although the source of diabetes varies depending on the sort you have, they all share a similar feature in that they can cause sugar to build up in your blood. Excess sugar in your circulation can create a variety of severe health issues.
However, there are certain strategies to keep track of your diabetes. You may also reduce your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by changing your lifestyle habits and monitoring what you drink and eat. We spoke with Molly Hembree, MS, RD, LD, about which beverages are best for people with diabetes.
1 — Water
It’s critical to make sure you get the required daily water intake. “Water will always be the greatest beverage recommendation, and diabetes is no exception,” said Hembree.
Water, according to Hembree, is the most important thing to keep you hydrated and the ideal beverage for diabetics who want to boost their fluid intake.
2 — Unsweetened tea
Iced tea is wonderful on a hot summer’s day, when nothing else will cut the heat. There’s a catch to drinking a cold glass of tea: you can’t add anything to it. You must drink the tea unsweetened, which is just as refreshing.
“To make tea, brew with water and no sugar. If you want to reduce the calories, use a tiny amount of stevia instead,” adds Hembree.
Another advantage of tea, according to Hembree, is that it typically contains less caffeine than energy drinks or coffee. So you can have a cup throughout the day without being concerned about staying up all night.
3 — Black decaf coffeeÂ
You can drink decaf coffee without any additions to the beverage, much like tea with a low level of caffeine.
Coffee has been studied for its potential impact on blood sugar stabilization, which is fantastic news for people with diabetes. Although we don’t know enough yet to make that conclusion, coffee without the sugar or caffeine appears to be a safe bet for people with diabetes.
4 — Light juice
Some juices do not have a high sugar content, therefore there are alternatives to drinking juice, even if you have diabetes!
“Choose a juice with less than 50 calories per glass, which means it contains no more than 13 grams of sugar in each serving,” says Hembree. “consumers should choose a diluted 100% juice that does not contain extra sugar,” she says.
Add a source of healthy fat, protein, or high-fiber food to your juice for extra blood sugar control.
5 — Fruit smoothie
Do you want a drink that’s both refreshing and sweet but without being overly sugary? Smoothies are ideal for this.
Smoothies are a fantastic way to combine vegetables, low-fat dairy/non-dairy milk, fruit, and even proteins like nuts/nut butter or protein powder.
Furthermore, Hembree maintains that if the fruit smoothies contain approximately 30 grams of carbohydrates and 200-300 calories, they make for a great snack for someone with diabetes.