I’m finding that my BG is more unstable this summer. I’ve attributed it to the heat, hormones, the end of my honeymoon, wierd sleep patterns, and caffeine, etc. I have found it easier to grab a diet coke at lunch or a glass of wine at dinner to make up for the lack of carbs. It’s a bad habit and but it fills the void. What do you drink? How does it affect your BG?
I drink 1-2 cups of coffee per day. Years ago, this had no effect on my BG. Now, I have to bolus about 0.3 units for a small cup in order to not spike. I know I should cut back, but I really like my coffee. I'm usually a bit sleep-deprived because of diabetes (checking BGs in the middle of the night, dealing with a high or low), I justify my coffee consumption as medically necessary.
Alcohol for me can be a really dangerous thing. I'm not a big person and don't have a high tolerance for alcohol. One glass of wine and I'm pretty tipsy. I do love wine and beer and will allow myself to have some on the weekend. Like most, alcohol can make my BGs crash in spectacular fashion, so I have a few rules when it comes to alcohol.
1) I generally drink only at home when I'm with my spouse. If I am out in public, I'll only drink if I'm with my spouse or a friend who knows how to manage me if I go low. I never, ever drink if I know I'm going to be alone. For example, if I'm traveling for work and staying alone in a hotel room, I don't drink because I don't want to have a bad low when no one is around.
2) I NEVER drink the night before a big meeting or something important. I will no doubt be chasing a low in the middle of the night or the next morning and that's not a great way to start your day.
3) I always drink alcohol with food.
4) I never drink hard liquor; just beer and wine.
My feeling with stuff like this is everything in moderation. I'm not going to totally give up all that is fun and "normal" because of diabetes, but I've long accepted the fact that I have to do things a bit differently in order to stay healthy and safe.
These things are all fairly neutral for me. I drink diet soda occasionally with no bg effect. I drink a cappuccino every morning and sometimes one in the afternoon. I used to bolus for the milk, but since I've switched to Almond milk I don't have to and the capps don't affect my bg at all. I enjoy a glass of wine - sometimes two with dinner to no bg effect; if I have a beer of course I bolus for the carbs. The only time alcohol has a bg effect for me is when I'm at a gathering and drink more. Then I have to watch my blood sugar to make sure I don't have lows before bed. I don't think of any of these things as "bad habits" if not done to excess, but part of my enjoyment of life.
I have guzzled diet soda ever since it first became available in the late 60's. Probably 3 cans a day. It does not affect my bg.
Many say that alcohol lowers their bg, but I guess I don't drink it often enough to say if that's true for me. About once a month I'll have a nice glass of pinot grigio, and if at a celebratory event, champagne - yummers!
There are dozens of websites which talk about aspartame (nutrasweet) toxicity and how it can damage nearly every part of your body. But, then, you can't believe everything you read on the web.
I don't drink diet soda anything, I never liked the tast of diet sodas. Once I became the big "D" I swicthed over to Coke Zero and I love it, it has no affect on my BG. I also love drinking iced unsweet tea with lemon and that's about it besides water that I drink. I used to LOVE frozen margaritas but haven't had one in a year since dignosed. :(
Isn't coke zero a diet soda? (I don't know, I don't like coke!)
I drink 1-2 cups of coffee every day, and fortunately, it doesn't seem to affect my BG. I've never been a big soda drinker, but I do have a diet soda now and then. The other day, I tried Hanson diet root beer and am freaking out because it was so good! The flavors are all natural, but obviously the sweetener is artificial. Still, it was pretty damn good!
My BG has been unstable too, this summer- it's my first summer with D, so I don't know what to expect from seasonal changes. Also, I've been under a lot of stress and have some hormonal issues. I find myself drinking a glass or two of wine more frequently than I used to, as it is relaxing and seems to stabilize my BG. I don't get low from drinking- maybe this is because I never drink to the point of getting drunk, or maybe it's related to size- because I'm not skinny.
I drink wayyy more caffine than is healthy.
For espresso/mocha drinkers, I've become a bit addicted to this combo - (We have an espresso maker automated with steamer... best purchase ever!)
Skim Milk + 1 Shot Espresso + 1 Packet Truvia (trying to cut back on Splenda/Aspartame) +
1 Spoon Full of Navitas Natural Cacao Powder (http://www.amazon.com/Navitas-Naturals-Powder-16-Ounce-Pouches/dp/B001E5E0Y2/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1343766220&sr=1-1&keywords=navitas+naturals+cacao+powder)
Big fan of the taste, has very little impact on my BG. (Sometimes take a .5 unit for the milk)
Daniel Watson
Founder/Editor - www.howsyoursugar.com
Yes, it is. The name is also an advertising gimmick since "Diet anything" has become almost a bad word or phrase.
By the way, does anyone remember the advertising jingle from about 1,000 years ago when Diet Coke came out on the market, "Introducing Diet Coke! You're gonna love it, just for the taste of it!" I don't know what was so great about the taste, but the commercial looked like something off of Broadway. The dancers and their legs weren't too bad, either.
It probably is but I know there's a difference in the taste, or at least it is to me, diet coke seems to have an after taste and I don’t get that with the coke zero.
How I miss my Crystal Geyser Juice squeeze! Fruit and soda water, no sugar or artificial sweetener all natural and delicious. Of course now it's too many carbs for me, or at least too many for me to waste on a beverage! For lunch I just drink iced herbal tea.
I'm excited to try an almond milk cap, this mocha, and diet root beer might just get me through my next dessert craving. I'm glad to see other ideas. I need to make sure I'm staying hydrated. It's easy in this heat to fall behind on drinking water when I'd rather have a diet coke on ice or a glass of wine. Missing those margaritas too!! On a weak moment I had bought some no carb monster drinks but those spiked me big time. Probably just as well to avoid them....
A suggestion: I use a hand foamer rather than the steamer built into my espresso machine. I prefer the texture in general and it's perfect for iced capps! (for hot ones I just microwave the milk for a minute). I was worried as to whether I could foam the almond milk, but it works fine.
Oh boy, diet root beer... try it with a good shot of whipped cream, or a shot of heavy cream if you don't have whipped. Rootbeer float.. yummmmmmmmm
I drink coffee all day. My recipe for the summer is a shot of expresso, heavy cream, unsweetened cocoa, about 1/8 tsp. carrageenan and erythritol (thanks Gerri!). I have a little Sharper Image drink blender that I whiz it in with ice. The carrageenan emulsifies, so the ice doesn't separate from the liquid.
But almost 0 carbs Gareth!
With the carageenan to emulsify everything, you could use almond milk or whatever. I use cream 'cause it's LC. Let me know what you think!
I drink them all. Diet soda being my least favorite, but there is something about a fountain soda that I love every now and again. I wish I could have more glasses of wine,but I to struggle with lows. If I plan to drink more than one fun beverage, I eat a meal that has more fat in it than usual, and eat a snack before I go to bed. My doctor also told me to decrease my basals and to never bolus for alcohol. Coffee I think spikes me in the morning, but it does not seem to mess with my BG's in the afternoon...which is weird.
Coffee I take about 1 1/2 cups a day with sweetener and cream. Im not really a soda drinker but will make a few exceptions when dining out. Both beverages has no significant effect on my bg. Wine, on the other hand, as per my experiences has tremendous effect on me. Appx. a cup of table wine increase my bg significantly after the first 2 hours...then significantly dip after. A bit scary to me. Im very fond of tea (chamomile) and there are no effects on my bg :)
I recently had to cut way back on caffeine (ideally eliminate it, but I'm not there yet) due to another condition. I don't know if it's the vastly reduced caffeine, the medication I'm taking (a beta blocker), or a coincidence, but my blood sugars have been generally FANTASTIC over the past few weeks (as long as I don't eat high-carb crap). The past month I've been having 1-2 caffeinated beverages per week, but otherwise have been all decaf (including small decaf coffees, but mostly herbal teas have replaced coffee).
I am actually having a small regular coffee this morning and will be interested to see if my blood sugars are higher. I do not plan on going back to drinking 4-5 cups of coffee a day ever, due to this other condition (I don't relish the thought of it sending me to the hospital!), but it may be the odd time I do have caffeine I should start doing a small bolus for it.