Monday, March 12, 2012

Drinks For Diabetes

We often talk about the effect of different foods on blood and cholesterol. But we tend to forget what we drink. The best and most natural drink is water. But many people don't drink water on its own, they put something else in it such as tea or coffee or sugar or a fruit juice. These additions can have a significant effect on the body.

When you are thirsty, your body is telling you that it wants water, not food. It is very easy to increase your blood glucose levels or body fat without apparently 'eating' anything, if you drink a drink that contains carbs. 

Obvious examples are sodas or fruit juices.
Water: Water does not contain any calories or sugars, and is the ideal beverage for you if you are diabetic. People with Diabetes drink much water because the blood is too high in the body, so the urine output must be increased to discharge sugar with urine. Because diabetics discharge too much urine and lose too much water in the body, so they need to drink more.

Alcohol is also something to beware of. Alcohol contains 7 kcals per gram. However, it does provide calories and is used preferentially by the body. This means that if there are sufficient calories from the alcohol, glucose from carbs in the blood is more likely to raise insulin levels and to be stored as body fat. 

Green tea: One cup of green tea often lowers blood sugar levels. Regular black tea is also effective. Green tea supplements also have a positive effect on blood sugar levels. Consumption of green tea may also ameliorate kidney disease in diabetes patients who have high blood pressure. Do not drink too much tea before sleeping.

Vegetable Juice: Vegetables contain vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and other nutrients that can keep healthy and prevent disease. You can enjoy a variety of vegetable juices, including carrot juice, celery juice and tomato juice.

Decaf coffee: A cup of plain decaf coffee may have a positive effect on your blood glucose levels. Coffee contains more calories than tea and it often goes against diet control if you eat something else. And remember not to add sugar into your coffee.

Milk contains a variety of nutrients, especially a great amount of protein which benefits people with diabetes. High blood-fat patients had better drink defatted milk.

 

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