Diabetes It’s often called “the silent disease” because it sneaks up on you. High blood sugar, the precursor to prediabetes Y type 2 diabetesHe has no external symptoms. it does not hurt
“That’s the scary thing about high blood sugar — it doesn’t feel any different until you get to the point where you need medication,” says Molly Wagman, RDN, certified diabetes care and education specialist and director of clinical operations from 9am.health.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 96 million American adults have prediabetes and 80% of them don’t know they have it. That’s why screening is so important, and the American Diabetes Association in 2022 lowered its recommended age for screening by 10 years to include all adults over the age of 35.
If you’re in that age category, get one of these tests: A1C, fasting plasma glucose, or oral glucose tolerance. knowing that you have high blood sugar it is important because of what type 2 diabetes can do to the whole body, namely damage to the blood vessels, kidneys, eyes, and heart.
If you need to check your blood glucose levels, you can always talk to a doctor. But if you’re looking for a less invasive clue to see if you might be headed toward a diabetes diagnosis, check out your diary. drinking habits.
Your favorite beverages can wreak havoc on your blood sugar just as easily as your habit of eating high-carb, high-sugar desserts, baked goods, white bread, rice, and other processed grain products. Wagman warns that sugar-sweetened beverages are even more insidious than food because the liquid is so easily ingested.
“In just a few sips, you can consume the carbohydrate and sugar equivalent of an entire meal,” she says.
Knowing how certain drinking habits (like the ones listed below) can raise your blood sugar to unhealthy levels and cause problems over time can help you replace those bad drinking habits with healthier ones.
You know this: sodas and other sugary drinks are bad news for your blood sugar. A study of more than 300,000 people in the journal diabetes care found that people who drank one or two servings of sugar-sweetened beverages a day had a 26% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who drank less than once a month. While soda and sweet tea are obviously loaded with sugar, you may not realize how many added sugars go into commercial beverages.
“Read the Nutrition Facts label for carbohydrates and grams of added sugar,” says Kimberly Pierpont, RD at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Anything that contains carbohydrates can raise blood sugar.”
Also see the ingredient list for these other names for sugar: cane sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, honey, syrup, brown sugar, agave nectar, glucose, maltose, molasses, sugar unrefined.
“Combining sugar-sweetened beverages with a meal that contains protein and healthy fats can decrease blood sugar spikePierpont says.
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It is not the coffee per se that is the problem; black coffee it is full of healthy polyphenols. However, altering coffee with sweet creamers turns your cup of joe into the equivalent of a can of soda.
“Adding high-calorie, high-fat sweeteners or creamers increases the likelihood that your regular coffee drink will lead to weight gain,” he says. sad betterDR in Balance One Supplements. “One of the worst drinking habits for those who want to control their blood sugar is consuming specialty coffees that are high in sugar and fat.”
Drinking black coffee is the healthiest way, and it doesn’t take long for you to develop a preference for coffee without sugar or cream.
Some of these labels include “All Natural Energy Drink”, “100% Real Juice” and “Made with Organic Fruit”. But those “health masks,” as Wagman calls them, won’t fool your body.
“Popular energy drinkssports drinks and herbal tea drinks are almost always made with a lot of added sugars to make them sweet,” says Wagman.
Even 100% pure orange juice will probably raise your blood sugar level.
“Just four ounces, three sips for me, is the equivalent of the fructose in a medium orange,” he says. “Eat the orange instead and get all the nutrients and fiber.”
Newsflash: Adding ice to coffee or drinking frozen beverages doesn’t make a difference in your blood sugar. If the drink has sugar, ice won’t make it any healthier. But for some reason, some people think a sweet iced coffee or slushy drink on a hot day is fine, even when they’re worried about high blood sugar.
“A typical 20-ounce slush drink contains about 83 grams of sugar,” says Steve Theunissen, RDN, a certified personal trainer and writer for SmartFitness Results. “You’ll be hard-pressed to find a commercial slushy with less sugar, but you can make a healthier version at home with fruit. Recipes are just a quick internet search away.”
Theunissen also recommends avoiding iced coffees and sports drinks, which typically contain 74 and 34 grams of sugar, respectively, per 20 ounces.
“Smoothies can be a sneaky drink that can affect blood sugar,” warns Katie Tomaschko, RDN with Sporty Smiles. “Although considered ‘healthy,’ smoothies can be loaded with sugar from plant-based milk sweeteners such as added sugar, agave or honey.”
Also keep in mind that cow’s milk contains a natural sugar called lactose, which contributes to the total amount of sugar you’re consuming.
“While most smoothies contain vegetables or fruits (pulp included) that contain fiberthat can help prevent blood sugar spikes, it’s important to be careful with these beverages if you have diabetes or prediabetes,” says Tomaschko.
Even if a shot of whiskey or other hard liquor doesn’t contain sugar, many of the mixers that come in cocktails they contain sugars. Wine has sugar and carbohydrates, beer contains carbohydrates. So, drink regularly “It can lead to increased blood sugar levels as well as the potential for weight gain,” says David Brendan, RDN, a certified personal trainer with start paddling.
“Alcohol it alters the way the liver makes glucose, which can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar called hypoglycemia,” Brendan says. “Insulin users should be aware of the effects of alcohol consumption on their blood glucose levels. the blood”.
Wagman points out another fact about adult beverage consumption that can affect your blood sugar levels: the foods you eat during and after drinking.
“Alcohol lowers your inhibitions, so after you’ve had a few drinks you’re more likely to choose large portions of carbohydrate-rich foods or even order more drinks,” he says.
Now that you’re on your way to breaking the drinking habits that can lead to diabetes, check out these Eating habits to avoid if you have high blood sugar levels.
