Eating And Drinking When You Have Diabetes

If you are a diabetic, you need to know that you can't eat and drink the same as you did before you received your diagnosis. There is no way to eat or drink, since there is no definitive diabetes diet, so what do you do? Luckily this article can steer you in the right direction about how you should proceed with drinks and foods as a diabetic. Read on for some helpful tips.

First things first. You need to really understand what different foods do to your blood glucose levels. Don't go out of your way to sabotage yourself, though. Simply eat as you would normally eat and test your glucose levels before and after you eat. When you start to see how different foods affect those levels, you're going to better understand why you need to watch what you eat and just how bad certain things might be for you, even if you didn't expect that.

The next thing to do is to clearly cut out anything that is clearly packed with sugar. This means you want to avoid cakes and donuts, but you also want to cut down on pasta and bread. Carbohydrates are generally full of substances that break down in your blood as sugar, so these are the dangerous foods for you as a diabetic. However, the brain runs on glucose. You have to eat some carbohydrates, but you can get those in fruits and vegetables. These carbs should always be paired with a protein to make sure that they don't cause your blood glucose levels to spike.

You also want to make sure that you watch your drinks. Alcohol should be kept to a bare minimum, if you don't avoid it completely. Alcohol breaks down in your body like sugar, which is why it is terrible for a diabetic. But alcohol isn't the only troublemaker. Take the orange juice out of your refrigerator and look at the number of grams of sugar it has! You have to be extremely careful with juice, as it usually hides a ton of sugar.

Learn to cook most of your food at home. It may not be possible for you to always eat homemade things, but try to bump up your own ability to cook mostly homemade foods. This way, you know exactly what is in your meals, and there are no hidden sugars in dressings and sauces that could cause your blood sugar levels to rise sharply. Also think about bringing your lunch with you to work, as well as snacks, so that you don't get cravings and eat something you shouldn't.

Being a diabetic can be a challenge when you have to deal with drinking and eating, which every human must do. It can seem confusing and upsetting that you have to be aware of everything you're eating and drinking. However, after reading this article hopefully you understand that there are things you can do to make these processes much easier so you can live in piece.