One of the most rapidly growing health disorders among people these days is diabetes. The problem is a serious health concern and thus what diet you follow is very important here.
The fact that your body either does not produce enough insulin or resists itself from insulin leads to elevated glucose levels. This can cause various physiological changes in the body, ultimately leading to dehydration.
Additionally, exercises and workouts result in even more fluid losses forcing diabetics to keep a tab on their fluid intake.
So, the solution is to choose a sugar-free electrolyte drink for a diabetic that ensures fluid balance as well as controls your sugar levels.
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes refers to a health disorder where your blood sugar levels rise abnormally high.
With increase in blood sugar levels, the pancreas produces insulin which encourages the body to use up the excess sugars present in the blood.
Diabetes is mainly a condition where the body cannot produce enough insulin due to which the excess sugar levels cannot be controlled leading to various health issues.
Due to these excess sugar levels in the blood, the kidney has to work extra than normal to eliminate the sugars out of your body. This calls for more urine excretion, ultimately causing dehydration.
Add your regular exercise regime to it and you are losing a lot more minerals in the form of sweat. So, in all, it becomes a tough thing to manage both your hydration, workout routine, and diabetes at the same time.
Hydration and diabetes
Diabetes is mainly of the following types-
- Type 2 diabetes- It is the type where the way the body processes the blood sugar or glucose, is highly affected. It is one of the most common types of diabetes found in adults
- Type 1 diabetes- With this type, the pancreas cannot make enough insulin. This type of diabetes is seen within an adolescent age group.
- Prediabetes- This is a stage where the blood sugar levels are relatively high, but not high enough to be called diabetes. WIth lack of proper measures, the chances for it to get converted to Type 2 diabetes are fairly high..
- Gestational diabetes- This type of diabetes affects pregnant women and those with gestational diabetes are likely to develop Type 2 diabetes later if timely interventions are not taken.
Electrolyte loss and dehydration is a common condition with all the types of diabetes thus correct measures are important irrespective of the type of diabetes you have
Constant fluid loss in diabetics can lead to the following symptoms-
- Headache
- Irritability
- Muscle pain
- Fatigue
With so many factors involved, it is important to constantly stay hydrated and one can ensure this with the help of sugar-free electrolyte drinks specially made for diabetics.
Maintaining a proper fluid and mineral balance and also keeping hold of your rising blood glucose levels isn’t easy but with the right ways, the path can be a cakewalk.
Let’s take a look into the best hydrating drinks you can go for as a diabetic to prevent dehydration.
Hydration: Choose from these best diabetic drinks
- Water
Water is one of the best sources of hydration, especially for people with limited options as the diabetics. It helps control rising blood sugar levels.
According to The Institute of Medicine, the ideal amount of water required everyday is-
- For men- 13 cups (3.08 liters)
- For women – 9 cups (2.13 liters).
You can also bring flavor and variety into plain water by adding slices of lemon or orange and flavors of different herbs like mint, basil, etc.
Thus, water apart from being an all-rounder choice for hydration can be an excellent and feasible electrolyte drink for diabetics.
- Low-fat milk
Dairy products have to be included in your diet each day, considering they contain important vitamins, minerals like calcium and protein to your diet.
However, dairy products also add carbohydrates to your diet so prefer choosing unsweetened, low-fat, or fat-free, in other words, skim forms of milk to consume.
You can also try dairy-free, low-sugar options, such as a fortified nut or coconut milk but be aware of soy and rice milk due to their high carb content.
- Coffee
Drinking coffee might help lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. According to studies, 2-3 cups of coffee per day lowers the risk of diabetes.
This applies to both decaffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, so if caffeine makes you nervous, you can also sip on decaf coffee.
The same is the case with tea, especially green tea. Around 6 cups of green tea, every day lower the diabetes incidence.
Whether you choose green, black, or herbal tea, you should avoid those with added sugars as they may spike your blood sugar levels to very high.
You can also make your own sugar-free electrolyte drink. All you need to do is-
- Take a cup of plain filtered water and add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tbsp of ginger juice, a pinch of salt, and any flavor syrup, if you want.
- Mix all these ingredients well and pour over ice. You now have your refreshing sugar-free electrolyte drink which is clearly a plus for diabetics.
Bottom Line
While diabetes is a disease that needs to be taken care of very cautiously, especially in terms of your diet, these electrolyte drinks for diabetics can work wonders to control your blood sugar levels as well as maintaining proper hydration.
