What’s the best alcoholic drink for diabetics?
Diabetes is a serious medical condition and managing it requires discipline, effort and some sacrifices. However, diabetic patients don’t have to give up all of life’s pleasures like drinking alcohol – not entirely at least! You can still enjoy an occasional drink without disrupting your glycemic balance. In this article, we’re going to discuss what alcoholic drinks are safe for diabetics.
Understanding Diabetes
Before we delve into what type of drinks are suitable for diabetics let’s learn briefly about diabetes mellitus. The sugar content in food gets converted into glucose which fuels the body with energy. When consuming carbohydrates/sugars (the easiest form of energy), the pancreas produces insulin that opens cells to allow glucose to enter them thereby lowering increasing blood sugar levels from rising too high.
People with diabetes either cannot produce enough insulin or their tissues do not respond effectively enough causing high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia). Hyperglycemia damages nerves and vessels which leads to blindness, kidney failure and other complications.
Although alcohol consumption is permitted by doctors when you’re diabetic but excessive use can cause hypoglycemia (low blood-sugar) or hyperglycemia due as Alcohol renders liver incapable of releasing stored Glucose causing panicky effect on Blood Sugar Level (#LifeHacks #DrinkResponsibly).
Types Of Alcoholic Drinks Suitable For Diabetic Individuals
Here’s a breakdown of various types of alcoholic beverages that won’t disrupt your glycemic balance:
Gin And Tonic
Gin has zero carbs while tonic water contains fewer calories than sodas/juices with little carbohydrate value as well.. Adding lime juice here would make a perfect concoction.You should be careful when selecting tonic water because some brands might contain higher carbohydrates if they add corn syrup instead of natural sweeteners (#PerfectMixology – Add Limely Pizzazz #NoCornSyrup)
Red Wine
Red wine has been known to reduce the risk of diabetes as a natural Polyphenol Compound found inside a grape skin is responsible for that. The compound also helps in increasing insulin sensitivity and therefore, regulates blood sugar levels when consumed moderately (#PolyphenolsRock! #MoreWinePlease).
Light Beer
Light beers are usually low on carbs because they contain fewer calories than non-light drinks . However these brew sippings don’t have an appetitive taste, so those craft beer lovers need another alternative (#LowerCaloriesNotDelicious ).
Whiskey On The Rocks
Whiskey contains zero carbs but ensure it isn’t mixed with sugary sodas or syrups like honey/maple syrup etc.. Ice can help you enjoy your whiskey without feeling bloated from mixers. Another thing: Alcohol is dehydrating – remember to hydrate before bed”s rest (#BottomsUp #IceItWithoutSugarSyurps).
Alcoholic Drinks That May Disrupt Diabetic Routine
Now let’s take a look at what alcoholic drinks should be avoided if coping with diabetic health conditions:
Regular Beer
Regular beer (not light beer), especially darker brews, tends to have more carbohydrates translating into higher sugar content.
Cocktails
Cocktails generally get loaded with sugars or syrups for color and flavor which might jack-up glucose levels tremendously. Some cocktails have juices/sodas/liqueurs all containing high glycaemic index carbohydrates leading overloading of Blood Sugar Levels.
How Does Alcohol Affect Diabetes?
When discussing alcohol consumption within diabetics context beverages affects every diabetic body differently due its individual metabolism process.The following points serve as indicators only (please note–always talk to your doctor about drinking alcohol periodically):
- Hypoglycemia:
Every time consuming an alcoholic beverage before meal make sure to keep some carbs/snacks at reach - Blood sugar levels:
Alcohol servings contain carbohydrates (in grams), so watching carbohydrate intake is crucial after drinking. - Exercise and activity level:
Research indicates that moderate consumption has not hampered exercises, But frequent excessive drinking can lead to hypoglycemia.
( #ModerationIsKey)
How Much Alcohol Is Safe?
It’s important to remember that overconsumption of any type of alcohol isn’t a healthy way for anyone. Hence our Drink Quiz would be incomplete without recommending moderation while everything else we’ve discussed remains comprehensive as an Attempt in Educating you.
In the U.S., The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states a maximum limit recommendation of one serving per day for womenand two servings dailyfor men. One serving equates up to12 ounces beer ,5 ounces wine or 1.5 ounces distilled spirits (#CDCGuidelines).
Conclusion
A little bit of awareness goes into finding low-carbohydrate alcohol drinks like gin-and-tonic, red wine, light-beer and whiskey with ice which are suitable without causing disruption in your diabetic health condition’s routines /refraining from excessive indulgences Not every alcoholic drink tends towards negative effect on blood-sugar levels but selecting the appropriate type along with portions whilst vigilence diabetes management regime is what stands out (#Awarenessiskey)