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What Can Diabetics Drink Besides Water


Dont Drink Sports Drinks Unless Youre An Endurance Athlete

Does Green Tea Lower Blood Pressure? What Can Diabetics Drink Besides Water? (Find Answer Here)

Exercise is great for managing type 2 diabetes, but skip sports drinks, which are high in carbohydrates. One 8 oz serving of Powerade, for example, packs about 19 g of carbs, notes the USDA, and thats not even the whole bottle.

Dietitians only recommend sports drinks for endurance athletes, who may exercise strenuously enough to need salt and nutrient replacement. Sports drinks are usually not necessary unless someone has been very active for over an hour, Zanini says.

Water is sufficient to keep you hydrated for moderate exercise. You can also plan on a healthy postworkout snack that provides you with some carbs and protein, such as an apple with a bit of peanut butter or a hard-boiled egg and an orange. These options will give you the protein and carbs you need to kick-start your exercise recovery without spiking your blood sugar.

Good To Eat: Greek Yogurt

If youve been missing ice cream, try eating one cup of Greek yogurt instead. Greek yogurt is loaded with protein to help keep you full, as well as calcium and vitamin D. Look for Greek yogurt without added sugar and kick it up a notch with fresh berries and cinnamon. Or top your favorite healthy fajitas with plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.


Drinks And Gestational Diabetes

Staying well hydrated is very important during pregnancy and even more so if you have diabetes whilst pregnant. Drinking water doesnt directly lower blood sugar levels, but it does flush excess sugar out of your system and so staying hydrated will help control and stabilise blood sugar levels.

Ideally you should be drinking around 2-3 litres at least, a day. You will need to drink even more during warmer weather or if you are exercising.

We recommend drinking a glass of water with AND in between every meal and snack during the day.

Tea, coffee and fizzy drinks containing caffeine should not be included as part of your recommended daily fluid intake as they are diuretics. Diuretics make you urinate more frequently, causing you to lose water. If you dont like the taste of water then you could try carbonated water with lemon and lime added to it, or some sugar free squash. Be careful when choosing drinking squash which has no added sugar, it means exactly that, no ADDED sugar, but will still contain natural sugars. Check labels for the lowest total carbs for the best choices.

Drinks suitable for a GD diet
  • Water, carbonated or still. Beware of flavoured waters that may contain sugar.
  • Tea & coffee, decaffeinated or remember to include within your recommended daily intake
  • Diet/Zero/No added sugar carbonated drinks
  • No added sugar diluting squash
  • Raspberry leaf tea
  • As a treat Highlights, Options or Choc Shot hot chocolate with added whipped cream!
Caffeine in drinks

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What To Drink When You Have Diabetes

Your body is made up of nearly two-thirds water, so it makes sense to drink enough every day to stay hydrated and healthy.

Water, tea, coffee, milk, fruit juices and smoothies all count.

We also get fluid from the food we eat, especially from fruit and veg.

Does it matter what we drink? Yes, particularly when it comes to fruit juices and sugary drinks you can be having more calories and sugar than you mean to because youre drinking them and not noticing.

How Much Fluid To Drink Each Day

What Can Diabetics Drink Besides Water

Whether you have diabetes or not, the absolute best fluid to drink to stay hydrated is water, as it doesn’t raise blood sugar. For most people, including those with diabetes, between 64 ounces and 80 ounces of water a day is enough. This number is based on average estimated fluid needs of 90 ounces per day for women and 125 ounces per day for men. That requirement counts fluids that you get from food as well as those you drink.


Ask your healthcare provider if this is the right amount of fluid for you, as many factors can increase or decrease your fluid needsincluding caffeine intake, weight, and kidney function. Additionally, when it is very hot or you are exercising, you may need more fluid.

If you find yourself so thirsty that you are regularly drinking more water than recommended, or you feel your thirst is unquenchable, bring this to your healthcare provider’s attention, as these can be signs you aren’t managing your diabetes as well as you could. Also note if you frequently have other symptoms of dehydration, such as dark urine, infrequent urination , dry mouth, and feeling dizzy.

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What Can People With Diabetes Drink Besides Water

Choosing the right beverages can make a major difference in managing blood sugar. While consuming lightly sweetened beverages in moderation is okay, unsweetened options are usually a better choice for people living with diabetes.

  • Unsweetened tea
  • Homemade lemonade
  • Coffee
  • Unsweetened tea: Besides teaâs numerous health benefits, it can be beneficial for people living with diabetes. Unsweetened tea is a sugar-free drink option that has antioxidant properties and can help keep your body hydrated. Unsweetened green tea, black tea, and herbal tea are all diabetes-friendly options!


    Milk: Milk in moderation can be a great choice for people living with diabetes. It contains a blood sugar balancing combination of fat, carbohydrate, and protein, and is considered a low glycemic food.

    Homemade lemonade: Squeeze a wedge of lemon in your water and enjoy some fresh lemonade! Add some mint if youâre feeling up for it!

    Unsweetened Coffee: Add a splash of milk or cinnamon for a blood-sugar friendly option. Generally speaking, I recommend drinking coffee over energy drinks for a caffeine boost. Or, tea if youâre not up for coffee.

    Skip When You Have Diabetes: White Bread

    White bread is different than whole grain or whole wheat bread because it has been stripped of its nutrients. Without natural fibers, eating a slice of white bread is almost like eating straight sugar. Always opt for whole grains or try wrapping your lunch sandwich in lettuce. These easy buffalo chicken lettuce wraps are an editor-favorite.

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    The Top 5 Drinks A Person With Diabetes Should Avoid

    For people with diabetes, keeping blood glucose at safe levels is paramount. With much of a newly diagnosed persons focus often on shifting from eating unhealthy food to more healthy choices, beverages can be easily overlooked. Among the top drinks a person with diabetes should avoid, a common denominator exists: sugar. Soda and sweet tea might seem like obvious culprits, but other drinks can pack a sugary punch as well.

    A single serving of many sugary drinks can contain the same amount of sugar as a plate of food. So, someone with diabetes could get 45 to 60 grams of sugar from a 20-ounce bottle of sweet tea but wouldnt get other nutrients otherwise gained from a balanced meal.

    Ideally, people with diabetes shouldnt get sugars from beverages, said Priscilla Benavides, a registered dietitian and health educator with the Texas A& M Coastal Bend Health Education Center. This is because you can easily get more than a meals worth of sugar from one drink and not even know it.

    Benavides says sugar-laden beverages can raise blood sugar above the recommended target range because our bodies absorb liquids more quickly than most foods. She adds that excess sugar creates a problem for a person with diabetes because sweet drinks are a fast-acting source of glucose that can lead to hyperglycemia when consumed. Hyperglycemia is the medical term for high blood sugar and can cause serious complications, such as coma or death, if left untreated.

    Top Energy Drinks For Diabetes

    Diabetic Diet Drinks | #2 What You Can Drink Besides Water When You Have Diabetes
  • Proper Wild
  • Sound Organic Sparking Tea
  • La Colombe Double Shot Draft Latte
  • Proper Wild: This energy drink is 100 % plant based and does not contain artificial sweeteners. 1 energy shot contains 5g sugar, 6g total carbohydrate, and 180mg of caffeine.


    Sound Organic Sparkling Tea: This unique energy drink contains green and black tea with botanicals without added sugar or artificial sweeteners. Depending on the flavor, caffeine ranges from 0-70 mg per bottle.

    La Colombe Double Shot Draft Latte: With 120mg of naturally occurring caffeine and only 3g added sugar, this latte-in-a-can type product is a great energy pick me up for people with diabetes. And, because itâs made with milk, each can also has 5g protein.

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    Water Is The Best Choice For Hydration

    Water is always the best choice for hydration. Nothing else can offer the same perfectly well-balanced fluid that is also carbohydrate-free. Sports drinks such as Gatorade®, even the low or no-sugar options, are made for people undergoing intense athletic training that dont just need to rehydrate with fluid, but rebalance electrolytes. They may not be the best option for a more sedentary lifestyle. Diet soft drinks are a better option than regular soft drinks due to their no-sugar value but they actually do not offer much rehydration due to their caffeine levels that may have the affect of removing more fluid from the body than adding to it.

    Skip When You Have Diabetes: Processed Foods

    When grocery shopping for light and yummy diabetic-friendly recipes, stick to the perimeter of the store where all the fresh produce, lean proteins and low-fat dairy are. Once you start walking down the aisles full of processed crackers, chips and cookies, youre in store for more calories, carbs and sugar.


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    Is Almond Milk Good For People With Diabetes

    Unsweetened almond milk can be a great plant-based milk option for people living with diabetes. However, several different varieties of almond milk are flavored and sweetened. If you choose to drink almond milk , choose an option with no added sugar, typically labeled as âunsweetened.â Most plant based milks labeled as âOriginalâ or âplainâ are actually sweetened.

    Tips To Drink More Water

    What can diabetics drink besides water THAIPOLICEPLUS.COM
    • Carry a water bottle with you and refill it throughout the day.
    • Freeze some freezer safe water bottles. Take one with you for ice-cold water all day long.
    • Choose water over sugary drinks.
    • Opt for water when eating out. Youll save money and reduce calories.
    • Serve water during meals.
    • Add a wedge of lime or lemon to your water. This can help improve the taste and help you drink more water than you usually do.
    • Make sure your kids are getting enough water too. Learn more about drinking water in schools and early care and education settings pdf icon.

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    Best Milk For Diabetes

  • Low-fat milk
  • Skim milk
  • Whole milk: Whole milk can be a great choice for a snack as it contains protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Although whole milk has the highest fat content out of the three types of milk, it also has the highest omega-3 fatty acids content, which are beneficial for brain and heart health.

    Low-fat milk: Low fat milk contains 1% milk fat.


    Skim milk: Skim milk contains less than 0.5 % milk fat.

    And, for a dairy beverage with probiotics, plain kefir or lightly sweetened kefir is an excellent protein-rich choice.

    /7safe Beverages For Diabetic Patients

    If you have diabetes then you know how crucial it is to be aware of everything you eat or drink. People with diabetes need to follow a healthy diet which includes not only food but drinks as well. This is because drinks can affect your blood sugar levels, more so than you can imagine. Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose is high. Glucose is an energy source for your body that you gain from foods rich in carbohydrates. When your body is unable to use insulin well, the glucose stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells. This results in health issues. Although diabetes has no cure, one needs to take steps to control your blood sugar. As blood sugar levels are greatly impacted by what you eat and drink. It often happens that people with diabetes don’t know what to drink that doesn’t spike their sugar levels. Here is a list of drinks that you can have if you have diabetes:

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    And Two Drinks That Are Great For Hypos

  • Fizzy sugary drinks provide little else apart from a lot of sugar, so only use these to treat hypos. Otherwise, choose sugar-free alternatives
  • Energy drinks the only time when these drinks can be helpful in diabetes is when you need to get your blood glucose up quickly after a hypo. Energy drinks are high in sugar and calories.
  • What To Drink Besides Water

    Diabetic Diet Drinks | #1 What You Can Drink Besides Water When You Have Diabetes

    Plain coffee and tea are good options and can be part of a healthy diet. Remember that if they contain caffeine, they may cause you to urinate more quickly and not lead to hydration. And if you are adding cream or sugar you will also need to take that into account when counting carbohydrates for your meal. Some people also love adding cucumber or lemon slices to water to give a little extra flavor. Try filling a large water bottle with your favorite slices, lots of ice, and keep it with you all day long to help encourage you to meet your fluid needs.


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    Tips For Picking Low Sugar Drinks

    Choosing diabetes-friendly low sugar drinks can be difficult without direction. Here are some tips for choosing the best drinks for diabetes:

  • Always check the nutrition label, ingredients, and compare options
  • Pay attention to the added sugar on the nutrition label
  • Companies will swap added sugars for artificial and non-nutritive sweeteners to reduce the overall sugar content and use terms such as âlow sugarâ or âsugar-freeâ
  • Pure Fruit Juice In Moderation

    Pure fruit juices are appropriate, but since fruit juice delivers the sugar from the fruit but not necessarily the fiber as well, people with diabetes should consume these types of drinks in small amounts.

    They will also need to account for any juices in a meal plan. For example, one 248-gram cup of fresh, unprocessed orange juice contains nearly 26 g of carbohydrate, of which almost 21 g is sugar.

    Portion size is a key factor to managing carbohydrate intake when drinking juice with a meal. Drinking juice alone can lead to a blood sugar spike, but consuming it with other foods, particularly protein or a healthful fat can help to prevent this.


    Eating fruit can be a good way to quench thirst, and it delivers more nutritional benefit than juice.

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    Things To Look Out For

    Many drinks contain high levels of sugars and carbohydrates. Food labels and nutritional facts can give valuable information about what they contain. Labels should state the serving size and carbohydrate content of any drink.

    People with diabetes have different needs, so there are no exact dietary rules, but the following tips may help manage blood sugar:

    • Consume a balanced diet and manage the intake of carbohydrate from food and drinks.
    • Keep carbohydrate levels consistent from day to day and spread evenly throughout.
    • Consume enough carbohydrate to enable the body and brain to function properly.
    • Check blood sugar levels regularly and speak to a doctor if there are any concerns.
    • Each person should speak to their healthcare provider about their daily nutritional needs.

    The following drinks are not good choices for people with diabetes.


    Drinks With Artificial Sweeteners

    What Can Diabetics Drink Besides Water?

    Be aware of popular hydration drinks and electrolyte drinks that claim to be healthy and say sugarless. In most cases sugarless simple means there are artificial sweeteners or bad sugar substitutes. Artificial sweeteners are made from chemicals and have been proven to be bad for the body and even cause cancer. Sugar substitutes like high-fructose corn syrup, which is another form of sugar but derived from corn, are not good for diabetics.

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    Low Sugar Electrolyte Drinks

  • G2
  • Propel Water
  • G2: A lower sugar option than regular Gatorade, G2 contains 5g carbohydrate and 3g sugar in 8floz. Gatorade offers G2 in bottle, powder, and a pod format.

    Propel water: Propel Water offers a variety of low and no sugar electrolyte drinks plus Vitamin B, C, and E. They also make a powder version for travel and convenience.

    How Much Water Should A Person With Diabetes Drink

    Staying properly hydrated is crucial for blood sugar regulation as your body eliminates excess glucose through urine. The Institute of Medicine recommends men drink 13 cups and women drink 9 cups of water per day.


    While weâve got some great options for you to check out, itâs important to remember than none of these should be replacing your water intake.

    But, with that said, we also know sometimes you just want something other than water!

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    Drink 100 Percent Fruit Juices Occasionally And In Moderation

    You can have the occasional 4 to 6 oz glass of 100 percent fruit juice as a treat, Basbaum says. Remember to count the carbs as part of your overall meal, and plan for the blood sugar spike the juice might cause.

    For example, if you like to have breakfast with fresh-squeezed orange juice, which has 26 g carbs per cup, per the USDA, calculate its nutrient makeup along with your eggs and whole-grain toast for a complete picture of the meal.

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    Electrolyte Drinks Without Sugar

    Besides Purified Water, Here are 10 Healthy Drinks for Diabetics
  • Gatorade Zero
  • Powerade Zero
  • Gatorade Zero: Containing zero sugar, and potassium and sodium as electrolytes, Gatorade Zero is a good option for an electrolyte drink without added sugar. They now come in a powder you can buy and just add to your water bottle too.

    Powerade Zero: Similar to Gatorade Zero, Powerade Zero contains important electrolytes such as sodium and potassium without added sugar.

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