Whenever we are on a diabetic diet, we always start restricting our intake from the food section. What if I told you that making small changes in what you drink will be more effective for your health than a starving diet? lets hear my advice on water and diabetes:
The industry forces you to buy drinks that are high in sugar: Coca Cola, iced tea, fruit juice, alcohol, flavored coffee… It’s time for you to take control over what you drink, because only then, you will decrease the effects of diabetes.
As I made a thorough research on what low-calorie drinks are, these are my results:
If you are really crazy over adding some flavor to your drinks, like me, I definitely suggest making your own flavored water. For example, you can add lemon, lime, or even strawberry to flavor your water! You can also make herbal tea and add cinnamon or spices while you brew it. With these kind of choices, you will take control of what you drink. Say goodbye to processed drinks that are mainly sugar!
Sugary drinks are your ultimate enemies. Regular soda, fruit juices, energy drinks, sweet tea (yes even half-half), and fruit punch are the main enemies that you should never see again. They are so high in sugar that a sip will raise your blood sugar levels, and I am not even taking all those calories they have into account. I know, it might feel like you have been tricked by the industry, but I made more research to see what effect several amounts have on our body:
Water, Water, and Water…Again!
Okay, I admit, sometimes, you will get bored of drinking simple water all the time. That’s totally normal as your body was used to more sugar with a sip of any drink. It can be confusing for your body too. So, at some point, you have to trick your mind and find ways to make water and other low-calorie drinks more enjoyable.
First things first, add other ingredients to your water. Try lemon, strawberries, cucumber, mint, or even orange! You will be your own mixologist with these great infused water combinations. Moreover, you can try different teas. Every tea has a different flavor; why not try black, green, or herbal teas? My all-time favorite is making cold black tea with some lemon infused to it. I am refreshed with this drink whether it is summer or winter.
If you really, really love processed drinks, you can prefer their ‘diet’ version. These versions are much low on calories since the original sugar is replaced with artificial sweeteners. So, you will enjoy the taste just the same, but take in much less calories within each sip. Besides these processed drinks, there are low-calorie versions of iced tea, lemonade, and fruit juice. They will be 5 to 10 calories per 8-ounce serving. That means you will take in 5 grams of sugar less in each serving! Good deal, isn’t it?
Other Preferences
When I was on a diet, I had a hard time to only drink water and flavored teas. You might come to the point where you want to stop dieting. No! You still have lots of other healthy options for drinks. For example, you can prefer low-fat milk and fresh fruit juice. These drinks include no added sugar, although their natural amount of sugar is high. They can be in your diet’s ‘safe zone’ to some limit. You have to be very careful with the amount you consume, because if you drink too much milk or fresh fruit juice, the amount of calories you get might eventually equal to what you receive in processed drinks. Yet, the great benefit of milk and fruit juice is that they are high in vitamins and minerals. So, they are relatively healthy.
For milk, be careful when you choose the type at the grocery store, because you should prefer the low-fat or skim milk to have a healthy dietary plan. One cup of skim milk is 80 calories; it includes 12 grams of sugar. Yet, it is also high in calcium and vitamin D. If you don’t like or can’t drink milk, soy milk or almond milk is definitely a go!
For juices, be sure that you buy natural fruit juice. They are usually labeled as ‘fresh’, but they can also be made at home. The problem with fresh fruit juice is that you need 5 to 7 fruits for one glass only. This will equal to 15 grams of sugar and 50 calories in 4 ounces. So, you should be careful while drinking it. If you love to drink juice during the day but don’t want the natural sugar of the fruit, you might want to try vegetable juice, like tomato. It would be a great alternative.
That’s it guys! With these suggestions, you will keep your health on top! Nothing will be able to stop you once you make these easy but effective changes. Don’t worry, I will keep you updated on even more ways to stay on top of your dietary plan.
The industry forces you to buy drinks that are high in sugar: Coca Cola, iced tea, fruit juice, alcohol, flavored coffee… It’s time for you to take control over what you drink, because only then, you will decrease the effects of diabetes.
As I made a thorough research on what low-calorie drinks are, these are my results:
- Water or sparkling water
- Unsweetened tea
- Unsweetened Coffee (definitely without flavor or cream!)
- Diet soda
If you are really crazy over adding some flavor to your drinks, like me, I definitely suggest making your own flavored water. For example, you can add lemon, lime, or even strawberry to flavor your water! You can also make herbal tea and add cinnamon or spices while you brew it. With these kind of choices, you will take control of what you drink. Say goodbye to processed drinks that are mainly sugar!
Water and diabetes advice:
Sugary drinks are your ultimate enemies. Regular soda, fruit juices, energy drinks, sweet tea (yes even half-half), and fruit punch are the main enemies that you should never see again. They are so high in sugar that a sip will raise your blood sugar levels, and I am not even taking all those calories they have into account. I know, it might feel like you have been tricked by the industry, but I made more research to see what effect several amounts have on our body:
- A 12-ounce regular soda has about 150 calories and 40 grams of sugar. This equals to 10 teaspoons of sugar. Yikes!
- A cup of fruit punch and other sugary fruit juices have about 100 calories and 30 grams of sugar. Why would anybody want to poison his or her body with that much of sugar?
Water, Water, and Water…Again!
Okay, I admit, sometimes, you will get bored of drinking simple water all the time. That’s totally normal as your body was used to more sugar with a sip of any drink. It can be confusing for your body too. So, at some point, you have to trick your mind and find ways to make water and other low-calorie drinks more enjoyable.
First things first, add other ingredients to your water. Try lemon, strawberries, cucumber, mint, or even orange! You will be your own mixologist with these great infused water combinations. Moreover, you can try different teas. Every tea has a different flavor; why not try black, green, or herbal teas? My all-time favorite is making cold black tea with some lemon infused to it. I am refreshed with this drink whether it is summer or winter.
If you really, really love processed drinks, you can prefer their ‘diet’ version. These versions are much low on calories since the original sugar is replaced with artificial sweeteners. So, you will enjoy the taste just the same, but take in much less calories within each sip. Besides these processed drinks, there are low-calorie versions of iced tea, lemonade, and fruit juice. They will be 5 to 10 calories per 8-ounce serving. That means you will take in 5 grams of sugar less in each serving! Good deal, isn’t it?
Other Preferences
When I was on a diet, I had a hard time to only drink water and flavored teas. You might come to the point where you want to stop dieting. No! You still have lots of other healthy options for drinks. For example, you can prefer low-fat milk and fresh fruit juice. These drinks include no added sugar, although their natural amount of sugar is high. They can be in your diet’s ‘safe zone’ to some limit. You have to be very careful with the amount you consume, because if you drink too much milk or fresh fruit juice, the amount of calories you get might eventually equal to what you receive in processed drinks. Yet, the great benefit of milk and fruit juice is that they are high in vitamins and minerals. So, they are relatively healthy.
For milk, be careful when you choose the type at the grocery store, because you should prefer the low-fat or skim milk to have a healthy dietary plan. One cup of skim milk is 80 calories; it includes 12 grams of sugar. Yet, it is also high in calcium and vitamin D. If you don’t like or can’t drink milk, soy milk or almond milk is definitely a go!
For juices, be sure that you buy natural fruit juice. They are usually labeled as ‘fresh’, but they can also be made at home. The problem with fresh fruit juice is that you need 5 to 7 fruits for one glass only. This will equal to 15 grams of sugar and 50 calories in 4 ounces. So, you should be careful while drinking it. If you love to drink juice during the day but don’t want the natural sugar of the fruit, you might want to try vegetable juice, like tomato. It would be a great alternative.
That’s it guys! With these suggestions, you will keep your health on top! Nothing will be able to stop you once you make these easy but effective changes. Don’t worry, I will keep you updated on even more ways to stay on top of your dietary plan.
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