So, if you are living with diabetes, perhaps you deserve a gold medal for tracking your meals with the diligence of an Olympic athlete. However, aside from foods, what you drink matters too when it comes to monitoring protein, carbohydrates, fat, and glucose. A tiny cup of soda you drink in the afternoon can lead to a significant spike in blood sugar. That’s why Linkingo publishes today’s article to list out the best drinks for type 2 diabetes.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends zero-calories or low calories drinks that have no added sugar. Simply put, they have absolutely no risk of raising your blood sugar levels. That way, you are not only able to avoid unpleasant hyperglycemia symptoms but also reverse the condition and maintain a healthy weight.
However, it doesn’t mean you will stick with water for the rest of your life. As long as you choose it right, there are still plenty of options for you to enjoy.
Let’s find out what those options are, shall we?
A Thing About Water.
Of course, we all know that for both diabetics and non-diabetics, water is still the MVP. Since it doesn’t contain any calories or carbohydrates, it is perfectly neutral. Also, it neither decreases nor raises your blood sugar levels.
But if it is neutral, why do all those doctors advise us to drink more water when we have diabetes? Well, drinking water is the simplest way to keep yourself hydrated. The higher your blood glucose level is, the more you are at risk of dehydration. That’s because as your blood sugar level rises, the kidneys will attempt to excrete excess glucose through urination. Drinking more water will assist your kidneys in flushing extra blood sugar.
Furthermore, water helps dilute your blood, which also lowers blood sugar levels. Studies indicate that you can delay the onset of hyperglycemia and diabetes in general when you increase your water intake.
It is advisable to take in the following quantities of water on average each day:
- Women: 1.6 litres – around eight 200mL glasses per day.
- Men: 2 liters – around ten 200mL glasses per day.
Water is indeed the safest option. However, you still have to be aware that some bottled water might include a relatively high amount of sugar, while some contain sweeteners. It is best to double-check the labels before drinking if you don’t want to wreck your healing plan.
If water is too plain for you, you might want to add a slice of fruit (orange, lemon, or lime, for example). Some people prepare these slices of fruits and store them in the refrigerator for instant use.
“What If I’m After Something Tastier?”
However, as mentioned above, it doesn’t mean you have to stick with water forever. If you want to shake things up, below is the list of the best drinks for type 2 diabetes that you can enjoy without risking your health.
What Drinks Are Good For Type 2 Diabetes?
1. Hot Tea Or Iced Tea.
It has long been proven that tea has positive effects on your health in general. It includes a reduction in blood pressure and lowering harmful cholesterol levels. The latter is very important for type 2 diabetes patients. As blood sugar levels rise, so do dangerous cholesterol levels. It’s the direct cause of heart disease and stroke that have taken away the lives of many diabetics.
Both black tea and green tea can reduce the amount of bad cholesterol in your blood. However, experts proved that this benefit is from catechins, an antioxidant found in tea leaves. The more fermented the tea leaves, the lower the catechin content and the higher the caffeine content. Hence, since green tea is served from unfermented leaves, it is more beneficial for type 2 diabetes patients than black tea.
Whether you choose black, green, or herbal tea, though, you should avoid adding sugar. To make the flavor more decadent, you can make your cup of tea by using chilled fragrant tea such as rooibos. Adding some slices of lemons also creates a more refreshing taste.
2. Coffee Is Good For Diabetics.
Recent studies conclude that regularly high coffee consumption (over four weeks) can boost insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes patients. For non-diabetics, drinking coffee might save you from the risk of developing the disease. What’s more, the risk is even lower for those who drink 2 or 3 cups a day.
It is thanks to polyphenols – a natural antioxidant in coffee. These properties are present in both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee. Hence, if coffee often makes you feel jittery, you can always grab yourself a cup of decaf.
Aside from type 2 diabetes, polyphenols also help prevent inflammation, cardiovascular disease, strokes, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Just like tea, as a diabetes patient, it is best to drink your coffee unsweetened. Once in a while, though, you can choose some zero-calorie sweeteners like erythritol, xylitol, or yacon syrup to add more flavor. Since the first two are sugar alcohol, you still have to consult your doctor or physician before using them.
3. Which Juice Is Good For Diabetes? – Cranberry Juice.
While most people assume that juices are healthy, they can be harmful to diabetes patients. In particular, 4 ounces of 100% fruit juice can contain up to 15 grams of natural sugar, which is a lot.
When you are craving some fruity refreshment without having to sabotage your diet, you can try making a low-sugar cranberry juice cocktail at home.
Research from the United States Department of Agriculture showed that drinking 2 glasses of cranberry juice a day could lower blood sugar levels. Notably, it could reverse symptoms of type 2 diabetes and prevent heart disease. It is because cranberries contain polyphenols that protect cells from inflammation and damage.
Additionally, cranberry juice is low in carbs and calories. Per 8-ounce serving, it contains only 2 grams of carbs and 10 calories. They even provide 100% of your daily requirement for vitamin C.
4. Tomato Juice Good For Diabetes Type 2
We are all familiar with the effect of tomatoes on weight loss and controlling blood pressure. As a rich source of antioxidants, it helps flush out toxins and save the body from inflammation and free-radical damages. However, have you known that tomatoes can stabilize your blood sugar too?
What’s more, tomatoes are proven to reduce heart risk in diabetes patients. A study shows that drinking tomato juice for three weeks had a blood-thinning effect in people with the disease. According to the study, the juice lowers platelet aggregation, which is the blood’s natural ability to clot.
Some other health benefits of tomato juice include:
- Regularize digestion and bowel movement due to its fiber content.
- Keep cholesterol levels under control and support a healthy heart, thanks to beta-carotene. vitamin C, and vitamin E.
- Promote eyes’ health as it contains beta-carotene and vitamin C.
Please note that to enjoy all the health benefits of tomato juice, you should make yours at home from fresh tomatoes. Bottled tomato juice might contain artificial sweeteners and reservations, which can bring unwanted effects to diabetes patients.
5. Best Drinks For Type 2 Diabetes – Milk.
Milk is a rich source of calcium and protein. As diabetes sometimes makes people more susceptible to bone fractures, a diet high in calcium can help protect their bones. One way to provide calcium is to drink milk.
However, adding calcium-rich milk to your diet might require a bit of planning. If you choose to drink cow milk, even skim, or low-fat options, they still must be counted toward your carb total for a particular meal or snack. Check the nutritional facts on your milk’s label carefully before purchasing. They include the amount of:
- Fat.
- Sugar.
- Carbohydrates.
- Cholesterol.
Diabetics should choose the option with the least amount of sugar per serving. Usually, this means avoiding sweetened milk altogether.
Aside from cow milk, some other options are low in carbs and high in taste. You can try out fat-free grass milk, almond milk, organic soymilk, and low-fat goat milk. Whichever you choose, make sure to avoid those who have added sweeteners and flavorings.
Drinks To Avoid For Diabetes Type 2
1. Regular Soda.
There is no need to explain how damaging soda is for diabetics. Just look at a whopping 40 grams of carbohydrates and 150 calories per serving, and you will know the answer right away.
For a long time, this sugary drink is famous for being the culprit behind weight gain and tooth decay. Hence, you should leave it on the store shelf and drink your sugar-free fruit-infused water or tea.
2. Energy Drinks.
It is tempting to have some energy drinks in the afternoon. It gives you a temporary energy boost, but the price is high: Energy drinks contain a lot of sugar, caffeine, and additives. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, all of those can lead straight to rhythm disturbances, increase heart rate and blood pressure, and disrupt sleep
Moreover, the amount of sugar in each serving is dangerous for people with diabetes. Just one 8.4 oz serving Red Bull contains over 26 g of sugar and 75 mg of caffeine.
There are other ways for diabetic patients to fight against fatigue without relying on liquid energy. One of them is focusing on getting quality sleep and regular exercise. These are also habits you have to establish if you want to heal type 2 diabetes naturally.
3. Sweetened Fruit Juices.
As mentioned above, fruit juices can contain a lot of natural sugar. In general, this amount of sugar is acceptable for a healthy person. For people with diabetes, though, it is not very friendly. In addition, it also adds a high amount of carbohydrates to your whole diet. These sabotage your effort to stabilize blood sugar levels and increase the risk of weight gain.
Also, please note that fruit-flavored drinks or punches may contain just as much sugar as a full-calorie soda. Once in a while, to satisfy your fruit juice craving, you can make yourself a cup of juice that is 100% pure and does not contain any sugar. Please limit your portion size to 4 ounces (0.14l), which will reduce the amount of natural sugar intake to only 3.6 teaspoons.
4. Diet Soda.
Although diet soda sounds safe, a study has found that artificial sweeteners (those in diet soda) might mess with the bacteria in your gut. It worsens insulin resistance, which cannot be suitable for diabetes patients.
Furthermore, another study linked diet soda with the risk of metabolic syndrome. This syndrome refers to a cluster of conditions, including:
- High blood pressure.
- High levels of bad cholesterol.
- An increase in triglycerides.
- Weight gain.
- High blood sugar levels.
Although more studies are needed to confirm the adverse effects of diet soda, we highly recommend diabetes patients take this beverage with caution.
5. Alcoholic Beverages.
If your diabetes comes with high blood pressure or nerve damage, alcoholic drinks might worsen the condition.
What’s more, if you are on insulin, drinking alcohol can cause your blood sugar to drop several hours after digestion, leading to hypoglycemia. Therefore, you should talk to your doctor or healthcare provider to determine whether it is safe for you to drink alcoholic beverages.
One of our readers, Serena, confided that choosing the right drink was hard for her when she first tried to adopt a type 2 diabetes diet. She used to be a huge fan of juice. “It is tasty and has many benefits for my skin”, she said, “drinking it makes me feel much healthier and beautiful. I often carry a tumbler of juice to work and drink it instead of water.”
But of course, when Serena got diagnosed with diabetes, she had to get rid of his favorite drink. To her, that was highly challenging. The doctor even recommended she stay away from fruit juice in general for the amount of natural sugar. All she had was plain water and nothing more. Perhaps it doesn’t sound like a big deal, but having to cut off your favorite food or drink is a tricky part of treating diabetes. Many couldn’t fight the temptation and ended up living with it for the rest of their lives.
However, she didn’t have to suffer for long.
When Serena Discovered The 5 Secret Super Drinks That Could Heal Diabetes Naturally, Everything Changed For Her.
Yes, aside from those we mentioned above, there are five super drinks that most people don’t know yet that are very powerful in tackling diabetes symptoms. They will help you to suppress the feeling of hunger while stabilizing blood sugar levels and promoting weight loss. You might be glad to know that these magical drinks come from natural ingredients that you can always find in your kitchen. Most importantly, they are delicious and refreshing! You can even treat your visitors, and they will have to ask you for the recipes!
Serena was very satisfied as she finally found her new favorite drink – the one that won’t wreck her blood sugar levels. After three weeks of drinking these, her blood sugar level significantly dropped. Some of her colleagues are begging for her recipes because they noticed that she didn’t only get healthier, but her skin was also improving.
So, Are You Curious What These Secret Drinks Are? They All Hide In …
… The Diabetes Freedom System.
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This complete system is everything a person needs to heal from type 2 diabetes naturally. It doesn’t only reveal the full recipes for magical drinks that will help you lower blood sugar. Still, it also lists out the superfoods and creates a complete diet plan for you and you only. The diet plan focuses on reducing blood sugar levels, treating diabetes symptoms, and helps you eliminate excess fat. After three weeks of following the system, you will see yourself improve both inside and outside.
If you are interested in Diabetes Freedom, you should check our comprehensive review here. Linkingo team has tested the actual program before concluding that it is 100% safe and effective. Therefore, our review will contain everything you need to know about Diabetes Freedom!
Best Drinks For Type 2 Diabetes – A Conclusion.
Hope that our post give you all information of the best drinks and the worst drinks for diabetes patients.
You can choose the one that’s most suitable for your taste and avoid the unhealthy drinks. If you attempt to go for diet soda or alcoholic beverages, make sure to consult your doctor or physician about the safe amount to consume .
It comes to the end of our guide on best drinks for type 2 diabetes. Your support is our encouragement, so if you find this article helpful, please like and share! Don’t hesitate to leave a comment below if you have other suggestions.
We look forward to seeing you again.
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