The lion's share of advice about diabetes nutrition focuses on what you should eat. In the United States, however, where most people consume a huge share of their calories through drinks, some advice about beverages that are good for diabetics is crucial. The key takeaway for looking for suitable beverages is to avoid sugar-sweetened sodas and fruit drinks, especially those with any form of fructose. In addition, although both Harvard's Joslin Diabetes Center and the American Diabetes Association offer guidelines for how diabetics can safely consume alcohol, its calorie and carb content make it one to avoid as well. The healthiest beverage options for diabetics include water, milk, sugar-free beverages and coffee.
Water
Water the best drink for everyone to consume. It's essential to your health as a diabetic, too, because dehydration poses special health challenges. Dehydration is what happens when your body loses more water than you take in. Sometimes, your thirst signals don't kick in soon enough, however. As it progresses, dehydration can lead to dry mouth, reduced sweating and decreased urination. In severe forms of dehydration, you can experience organ and brain damage. Diabetes can exacerbate dehydration because it can lead to an increase in urination when your blood sugar levels are high. Severe dehydration in diabetics can lead to life-threatening conditions, including coma. Water isn't the only beverage to use to prevent dehydration, but it's the safest one for diabetics. The Institute of Medicine recommends adult men get 3.7 liters of water per day and women 2.7.
Milk
Despite its detractors, milk provides diabetics with a healthy serving of carbohydrate, protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals, says the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, or NDIC. When placed within the context of an overall healthy eating plan that provides the right amount of nutrients you need, milk is a healthy beverage for you. To make it healthier, the NDIC recommends skim and low-fat milk as your first choice.
Low-Calorie, Sugar-Free Drinks
Sodas, sugary fruit drinks, iced teas and those that have added sweeteners are highly problematic for diabetics. They predispose you to gain belly fat and can raise your blood pressure. You can create your own healthier version of these beverages. For example, you can add sugar-free powders drink mixes to plain or sparkling water. A variety of diet, flavored teas may also be available in your supermarket. Try adding wedges of your juiciest whole fruits to sparkling water as well.
Coffee
Coffee is a somewhat more controversial recommendation, admits the authors of March 2009 article in "Diabetes Forecast." In research, coffee has been found to have both beneficial and negative effects on diabetics. For example, a November 2006 study in "Diabetes Care" found that caffeinated coffee offered a striking protective effect for prediabetics, in that few of them went on to develop diabetes. However in people who already have the condition, coffee can raise blood sugar and blood pressure. The "Diabetes Forecast" article, however, said that these effects are temporary and can be overcome, adding that most people can enjoy coffee in moderation and that drinking decaf can absolve these problems.
References
- National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse; What I Need to Know about Eating and Diabetes; October 2007
- "Diabetes Forecast"; Virtue or Vice? A Closer Look at Five Controversial Foods; Tracey Neithercott; March 2009
- dLife.com; Dehydration, Diabetes, and Summer Heat; Melissa Conrad Stöppler; February 4, 2010
- Institute of Medicine: Dietary Reference Intakes: Electrolytes and Water
- "Diabetes Care"; Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Risk of Metabolic Syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes; Vasanti S. Malik et al.; November 2010
- "Diabetes Care"; Does Coffee Consumption Reduce the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Individuals With Impaired Glucose?; Besa Smith et al.; November 2006
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