What do orange juice, green tea, black tea, and plain water have in common? If you answered that they are important parts of a diet for diabetes, then you are correct! Can you believe it? Who would have thought that merely watching what you drink could make a difference in your blood sugar levels? When you include organic drinks in your diet for diabetes, it can offer tremendous benefits. As most of us know, one of the signals for diabetic testing is increased thirst (along with increased appetite, frequent urination, constant tiredness and several other factors). Consequently, once you know you have diabetes, it is important to include healthy drinks as part of your diet for diabetes.

To Drink or Not to Drink

In the world of liquid pleasures, imagination is the limit. However, for the diabetic (as well as others who choose to make good nutrition a way of life), it is important to avoid drinks that are high in carbohydrates, sugars and alcohol. We have all heard that we should drink at least 64 ounces (eight cups) of water per day. And this is even more important in a diet for diabetes. Since water has no calories, sugar or unnecessary ingredients, it is clearly the best of all organic drinks. It is important to note that it is okay to add a bit of taste such as the flavor packets, a dash of citrus or even a splash of flavored syrup – just be sure that your flavoring is sugar-free.

If you are a fan of fruit juice, it is crucial that you do not drink too much of it. Contrary to popular opinion, juice is not as healthy as you may think. This is because it is high in carbohydrates (albeit natural) and low in fiber, which means it ranks rather high on the glycemic index. Consequently, if you are craving a fruity taste, then opt for eating a ripe apple or orange rather than adding excessive fruit juice as part of your diet for diabetes.

One recent surprise in the world of organic drinks is that green tea, black tea and oolong tea (a combination of black and green) are excellent additions to a diet for diabetes. In 2006, retrospective cohort studies were done in 25 cities across Japan. The test subjects consisted of 17,414 people (6,727 men and 10,686 women) between the ages of 40 and 65. During the five-year study, it was noted that those who drank at least six cups of tea a week were 33 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. In addition, women who drank the tea had a lower risk than men for developing diabetes.

Recently, a study was performed at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG). It involved a three-month study performed on diabetic mice and found that including green tea in a diet for diabetes not only lowered blood sugar, but also inhibited diabetic cataracts. So, how much green tea should you consume? Based on studies, a 143-pound person will need to drink 4.5 8-ounce cups of tea each day.

To drink or not to drink… it’s up to you. But taking the time to eat right and make healthy drink choices can make a big difference. Bottoms up!

Milk will not help you to lower your blood sugar. But it is a useful food in balancing blood sugar levels, and if used right, can help you avoid extremes.

Milk is a good source of many nutrients that diabetics are often low on. Two servings of milk products daily can help to insure that you get adequate amounts of a variety of vitamins and minerals which are essential for good health.

Milk is counted as a carbohydrate. It also contains some protein. Fat content depends on what type of milk or milk product you choose.

The carbohydrates in milk are absorbed a little more slowly than sugar carbs, and for some people, can help maintain higher blood sugar levels for longer. This can be a problem if your blood sugar is still volatile and uncontrolled – milk products can delay the lowering of your values back to normal after a meal. But if you are prone to hypoglycemia, milk can be a valuable food in avoiding dangerous lows. It all depends on how you use it.

You can use milk in other forms as well. Many cheeses have insignificant amounts of carbohydrate, so you may be able to use them when you cannot use milk. The benefits of cheeses are different than milk though, because fats and protein absorb differently than carbohydrate, and where milk is primarily carbohydrate, cheese is primarily protein and fat.

Yogurt may also be used, which is counted in the same way fresh milk is. The major benefit is that it contains acidophilous, which in addition to the benefits from acidophilous directly (read the page on the topic), may help some people who are mildly lactose intolerant to be able to use milk without problems. What I love about yogurt is, you can either buy a smoothie (Dannon sugarfree ones are very good), or make a quick smoothie that can contain all the elements of a meal, and can be consumed very quickly.

When I was pregnant with my daughter Sidney, I had trouble maintaining my blood sugar levels through the night. I had high blood sugar during the day if I was not careful, but at night my blood sugar would bottom out if I did not have a snack in the middle of the night. I was too tired to want to fix anything, and did not want to have to chew and manage a sandwich, so I made up a yogurt smoothie before I went to bed, and kept it in a cooler beside my bed. I could drink it rapidly in the middle of the night when I woke from hunger, and then sleep well through the rest of the night. Milk contains components which encourage sleep as well, so it worked nicely.

Most meal replacement drinks have milk in them, because it provides a good starting place for balance. We also add milk powder to a few of our recipes to enhance nutritional content, and to help balance out the ingredients.

Milk can be an irritant to colitis, so if it flares up on you 12-24 hours after drinking milk, you may need to find another means of getting the nutrients in it.

Green tea has been heralded in the last few years as the latest miracle herb. In fact, it is not that, it is not the only herb with the benefits that it provides, and it has a nasty backlash that other options do not have.

Because several cultures use tea as a recreational drink, and indeed, part of the very fabric of their lives, it is promoted wholesale as a safe and healthy drink. No one will criticize it, because it is much more lucrative (as it always has been), to promote the drink as something people should have more of, not less. It is long associated with social status, and for centuries, tea and money were so closely entwined that tea had its own value equivalent to currency. We still have associations in society regarding tea that have nothing to do with the drink itself.

Green tea is high in antioxidants of a particular type, and as such, it is recommended for a wide variety of purposes. It also contains two chemicals which may be helpful in lowering blood sugar. Interestingly enough though, the information I found referred only to studies done on the two chemicals, NOT to studies involving tea directly. Whether green tea lowers blood sugar or not may be a highly individual thing.

Tea also contains a high amount of stimulants. Stimulants have their own set of risks, and while they can temporarily convey a sense of energy, they do not in fact speed up the metabolism – rather, you get a temporary boost, then a drop. It is also addictive, partly due to the caffeine in it, but also due to other substances. This means that over time, like coffee, the stimulant effect wears off, and you need it just to function, and no longer gain anything from it.

The list of cautions for green tea is very long. It is potentially dangerous to pregnant or breastfeeding mothers – it can cause uterine contractions, and it does carry over to the baby through breastfeeding.

Green tea interacts with a huge number of medications, in multiple categories. Sometimes it increases the affect, sometimes it decreases it. Of special note is that it should not ever be used by those who are on chemotherapy, because it can increase or decrease the effectiveness of those medications, leading to an increased risk of reoccurrence, or potential toxicity from the drugs. It also interacts with many heart medications.

Considering that a balanced diet, combined with intelligent supplementation with your choice of a wide range of other foods or supplements could do the same thing as green tea, it is not something that is worth getting addicted to, in my opinion. Red Rooibos tea, mangosteen or acai fruit, or any other high antioxidant food or supplement would be a far better bet, with fewer potential side effects. ]]> http://www.naturaldiabetics.com/green-tea/feed/ 0 http://www.naturaldiabetics.com/cranberry-and-blueberry-juice/ http://www.naturaldiabetics.com/cranberry-and-blueberry-juice/#comments Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:07:42 +0000 Laura Wheeler http://natural.infotrustllc.com/?p=111

Cranberry and blueberry are two fruits that are often recommended for kidney health. Diabetes causes deterioration to the kidneys, and kidney disease in turn aggravates diabetes. Because of the high incident of those two conditions occurring together, supplements which help with kidney health may be of great value to diabetics.

Both cranberry and blueberry contain a specific acid which makes the urinary tract a less hospitable place for harmful bacteria. They also help to encourage efficient kidney function, and to maintain bladder health.

Cranberry is considered to be the most effective supplement for this purpose, but blueberry contains additional elements which may make it more appropriate for some people. Cranberry is also more easily available as a supplement, and a juice than blueberry.

Watch the content of juices which contain these two fruits. It is very hard to find 100% cranberry juice, and when you do, it is very sour. Mix it with apple or grape juice to sweeten it – apple juice also contains elements which are kidney friendly. Avoid “cocktail” blends, as they are usually low in actual cranberry or blueberry juice, and usually very high in sugar. Read the labels to be sure you are getting what you think you are.

Cranberry is also available in a capsulized supplement, but it takes a LOT of the capsules to equal even a glass of juice.

You can make a cranberry sauce, which can be spread on toast like jam, from fresh or frozen cranberries, Splenda, and a bit of water. Boil it on the stove for about three minutes. It won’t jell, but will make a spread that can be used on breads or to accompany chicken or turkey.

Cranberry is so well known for its healthy kidney benefits that even nephrologists will recommend it as a preventive treatment for people with longstanding kidney disease.

Daily consumption (4 oz juice or equivalent) or sometimes twice daily, is frequently recommended.

I have seen multiple references to vinegar in relation to blood sugar control, and most of them refer to the fact that it is the acid in it that is responsible, and that any high acid foods will actually do the same thing. I chose to use lemon juice when I tested this.

Mostly, the affects of acids are on digestion. Many people who have diabetes have slower digestion than people without it. Often, they produce lower levels of stomach acid and digestive enzymes. Lemon juice, vinegar, and other stronger acids can help to replace the stomach acid, enhancing digestion. This can change the rate at which carbs are processed, and that can affect your blood sugar control.

I use lemon juice, but cannot see any real difference. Part of this is because my blood sugar levels are pretty volatile, and smaller differences are hard to detect. I did notice that I did not get heartburn when I used lemon juice like I used to. This leads me to believe that my stomach acid levels have indeed decreased over the last few years, because this is something I always had a problem with a few years ago. It also helps to regulate other problems that I have with my intestines, so I continue to use it for reasons other than just blood sugar.

The simplest way to use lemon juice is to add it to water. About a half teaspoon per 8 oz gives a little perk to the water without being so sour it turns your face inside out. Unlike other fruit juices, it is not high in sugar.

The easiest way to use vinegar is in tablets. Apple cider vinegar tablets are available through some health food outlets, and other than a zing on your tongue when they go down, they are not unpleasant to use.

Acids may aggravate heartburn if this is a problem for you. Frequent heartburn may be an indication that these are an inappropriate supplement for you to use.

People with citric acid sensitivities may also need to avoid the use of acid supplements, because the primary acid in them is citric acid. I have a low threshold for citric acid, and am still able to handle about 3 pints of lemon water per day before I start to experience problems.

Noni fruit and juice are currently highly controversial, and opinions range from miracle cure to scathing skepticism. It is a tropical fruit, which has gained enough attention to be available in many large nationwide chain stores.

As a fruit, it is high in antioxidants, and has many of the same benefits as some of the other high nutrient fruits. It also contains specific compounds which are linked to immune system support and antibacterial actions.

No one claims that it lowers blood sugar. The actions are more indirect. Because noni fruit is thought to help balance the immune system, it may have benefits to people whose diabetes is caused by autoimmune processes. It may also help with the secondary effects of diabetes, in reducing the chance of opportunistic infections, and slowing cellular deterioration associated with aging, which can complicate an already grim picture in diabetes progression.

Because it is a fruit, care should be used in consumption for diabetics, because in some forms it will be a carbohydrate which should be counted.

As with all supplements, monitor your blood sugar very carefully if you decide to try it, and keep your doctor in the loop – consult with a physician prior to trying it, and keep them informed as you proceed.