Few conditions are so closely tied to holistic medicine as diabetes, and few consumables sabotage patients like their drinks. While most people know to mind what they eat when fighting diabetes, drinking incredibly unhealthy beverages is still part of their daily lives. Most coffee creamer comes packed with sugar, and artificial flavors often add to the calorie count. Even fruit juice isn’t safe. So, what’s left to drink?
Mind Your Sugar
When it comes to fighting diabetes, watching your sugar intake is imperative. While it’s easy to spot sugar in baked goods and other solid foods, it can be an insidious presence in your drinks, too. Sodas are obviously an enemy to anyone trying to manage their blood sugar. Things like pre-made or flavored coffee also present a serious threat. Even artificial flavors can threaten your diabetes management.
Worst of all, even presumably healthy options can cause dangerous spikes in your blood sugar. Fruit juice often comes with additional sweeteners, but even if it doesn’t, the natural sugars are as bad as a bunch of cookies. Even favorite home remedies like orange juice come packed with sugar.
If you want to keep your drinks from hurting you in the long run, you need to turn to alternative sweeteners. Better yet, cut out sweet drinks. A little milk in your tea is much better than a packet of sugar, for instance. Water is ultimately the best drink. If you’re craving bubbles, go for a soda water. Whenever you drink something that tastes sweet, stop and double check the actual consequences of your beverage choice.
Go Natural
As science advances, more sweetener options are hitting the shelves of your local grocery store. Ideally, your most natural choice will always be water, but that doesn’t mean you have to cut flavor out of your drinks. Although pure fruit juice isn’t great for diabetics, fruit infused water can be a great drink that actually works well as part of holistic medicine. . Infused water that uses fruit lower in sugar, such as blueberries or raspberries, gives the water a light, sweet flavor without overwhelming your system with sugar.
Fruit isn’t the only thing you can use to flavor your water. Cucumber has been popular for years as a natural additive for personal water bottles. Herbs like rosemary, mint, and lavender also add great flavors. It’s possible to find pre-made bottles of infused water in health food stores. However, it’s also very easy to make your own. If you have a ready supply of mint, for example, simply add a sprig to your water bottle every few days. This adds some cool zest to your hydration. Adding fruits, vegetables, and herbs to your water is probably the only way to sweeten your drinks while simultaneously supporting good health.
Drinking healthily doesn’t mean cutting out flavor. It does, however, require a little foresight and a strong aversion to any processed beverage. Holistic medicine works on healing your entire body, rather than just a single issue. Drink water infused with herbs and other rejuvenating foods. By doing so, you restrict the danger of diabetic shock and add powerful antioxidants and vitamins to your diet.
