Beverages and Diabetes

There are two things to be mindful of when choosing something to drink: the amount of carbohydrate it provides and whether or not it contains alcohol.

For non-alcoholic beverages: Select diet sodas, seltzer or club soda instead of regular soda or tonic water. A non-diet soda can contain as much as 49 grams of carbohydrate per serving compared to the zero carbs found in a diet version.

Choose unsweetened iced tea instead of sweetened and avoid the punch bowl. If you like to sweeten your coffee or tea, then it’s always helpful to bring your favorite sugar-free sweetener along with you just in case there is none available.

For juice choices, watch out for “juice cocktail” juice drinks, which may be a blend of juices and sweeteners. Tomato juice, V-8 juice and grapefruit juice have among the lowest carbs.

Most people with diabetes can drink alcohol safely if they drink in moderation, which means an occasional drink or two.