Diabetes diet - Meals

Part 3: Drinks and Snacks

Drinks

When you are thirsty, this is your body's signal that it needs water — not food.

Most sodas, fruit juices, and fruit squash drinks contain both carbs and calories in the form of sugars and alcohol. Even the diet drinks have an effect on blood insulin levels. Because of this, it is very easy to put on weight or lose control of blood glucose without seeming to eat anything.

Alcohol (ethanol) contains some 7 kcals per gram. While alcohol is not a carb and doesn't raise glucose and isn't stored as fat in itself, it is used preferentially by the body as an easy source of energy. This means that glucose comes second — and is more likely to remain raised and be stored.

The best drink is, or course, water. However, unsweetened coffee or tea is also acceptable. These are better made with cream rather than milk as the milk contains the sugar, lactose. Using cream also has the advantage that it increases your fat intake — something that is not always easy in these days of low-fat 'healthy' foods.

Snacks

After three meals like the ones on the previous two pages, you shouldn't feel the need to snack.

Snacking during the day is generally not a good idea. Unlike sheep, our stomachs are not designed to be continually working; they are designed to fill and then empty. Another point is that continually munching doesn't give blood glucose a chance to stabilise.

That said, if you do feel hungry between meals, cookies and sweets are out; the best and healthiest snacks are fast foods like cheese, hard-boiled eggs or cold meat.