In taking on diabetes, some of the first things your health professionals will go over are how important it is to manage your blood sugar levels. As part of this blog, you are already making adjustments in your daily life, especially when it comes to your food and liquid intake. However, some people do not realize that what they drink has just as much impact on their bodies as the food they consume.
In this short article, we will discuss what we believe are the most important beverages to avoid and look at new beverage innovations that bring flavor, fun, and wellness – into your daily routines without the typical issues sugary beverages bring.
As a diabetic or a supporter of someone with diabetes, you recognize that finding good drinks is not easy. Water is always a great solution, but diabetics can and should demand more from their drink options. Here are some comments or questions we have heard from diabetics.
- “I find it so hard to drink eight cups of plain water a day.”
- “I have been looking for a certified hydrating beverage with zero sugar”
- “What soda-pop alternatives are out there that actually taste good?”
- “I miss beverages that taste indulgent.”
- “I wish I could find healthy and FLAVORFUL carbonated drinks.”
- “Are your beverages loaded with natural ingredients and no artificial crap?”
If you can you relate to any of these questions or comments, then you are probably struggling with finding good options for yourself and those you love.
Here is a list of seven beverages to avoid.
SOFT DRINKS
39 grams of sugar for traditional 12 oz soda-pop!
No surprises here! Sugar-sweetened drinks are absorbed into your bloodstream much too quickly, causing a spike in blood glucose levels. Furthermore, these drinks will affect your carb intake. A typical 12 oz can of soda contains about 39 g of carbs, according to the USDA.
ENERGY DRINKS
29 grams of sugar in 8oz Energy Drinks
Average small cans of energy drinks are about 8 fluid ounces or 240 grams in weight. This single drink contains between 24 and 29 grams of sugar. Since 1 tablespoon amounts to 12.5 grams, each 8-ounce energy beverage contains roughly 2 to 2 1/3 tablespoons of sugar. Larger cans can be found everywhere and are likely to contain double or triple the amount of sugar.
SPORTS DRINKS
34 grams of sugar in 20 oz in leading sports drinks
Skipping the soda and reaching for popular sports drinks may seem like a healthy choice, but most sports drinks are only slightly better than soda in terms of sugar and calories. What’s worse is that they are generally consumed in larger volumes and a 32-ounce sports drink contains between 56 and 76 grams of sugar – equal to about 14 to19 teaspoons. With our typical diets, we might need the electrolytes these provide but certainly not the excessive sugar and other artificial junk.
FRUIT JUICE
20-26 grams of sugar in a 12oz cup of fruit juice
Both soda and 100% fruit juice pack around 110 calories and 20–26 grams of sugar per cup (240 ml). While 100% of fruit juices do contain vitamins and phytonutrients, which make them slightly healthier than most sugar-sweetened drinks, the main ingredients in both are sugar and water. These sugars are either a mix of the monosaccharide’s glucose and fructose or the disaccharide sucrose, which is metabolized into equal parts fructose and glucose. Either way, the juice is not the innocent healthy beverage it is made out to be.
FLAVORED COFFEE DRINKS
90 grams of sugar in 20 oz of flavored coffee drinks
Flavored drinks sold by mega-chain drive-throughs may contain up to a whopping 25 teaspoons of sugar, according to an analysis by a British campaign group Action on Sugar. That’s about as much sugar in three 12-ounce cans of Coke and more than three times the maximum adult daily intake recommended by the American Heart Association.
DIET DRINKS WITH ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS
Contains Aspartame, Sucralose, Saccharin, Acesulfame K and more
Just having no sugar or calories does not necessarily make diet soda or drinks containing artificial sweeteners a better drink for people with diabetes
In two separate studies in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Journal of the American Geriatrics Society researchers found both sugar-sweetened beverages and artificially sweetened beverages lead to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and those who drank diet soda daily nearly quadruple the waist gain than those who did not drink it, showing a long-term link between consuming diet soda and developing belly fat.
WHAT TO DRINK INSTEAD
Naturally sweetened without affecting glycemic index
Fortunately, there are products out there that can be a good substitute for the unhealthy products above without being boring like plain water. Here are some of our recommendations:
- Bobelo – The 1st self-carbonating, fully hydrating powder beverage you can simply mix in a reusable bottle with cold water and get all the full flavor and smooth bubbles that you sacrifice with other beverages. Has added ingredients to boost the immune system and healthy stress responses. Soon launching completely healthy energy drinks with no chemicals or synthetic caffeine. Uses only the finest natural ingredients and is keto, paleo, and diabetic friendly. Also, extremely easy to store or take anywhere like trips, to work, or anywhere else you go. https://youtu.be/YTCCPns3pcs
Use Promo code HEALTHYLIFE15 for 15% off at checkout! Our Bobelo store is at https://www.bobelo.com
- Sparkling Water – Products like Bubly, LaCroix, Waterloo, etc. are a good alternative to sugar-heavy beverages and better than plain water, but often lack the rich flavors that people crave and are bulky to carry and store.
- Hydration Packets – Have a lot of electrolytes and sometimes other functional ingredients but be careful as some of the brands are full of sugar and can taste very salty.
- Plain Water with a touch of natural fruit – This can be a great alternative to plain water, but if you need to avoid sugars, go very light on the amount you put in and use fruits with lower sugar content like strawberries (only about 8g of sugar in eight medium-sized strawberries), blackberries (4-5g of sugar per 100g) or lemons and limes (usually 2g or less per fruit).
