Finding out that you have diabetes is initially difficult to come to terms with. As there is no cure for diabetes you must come to terms with the fact that you will have the disease for the rest of your life and your lifestyle will change accordingly.
Treatment involves monitoring your blood sugar level every day. It may also mean injecting insulin or taking some form of medication to make your body more responsive to insulin. It should involve getting more exercise. And it must include watching what you eat and drink.
Watching what you eat and drink is probably one of the hardest things to get used to when you have diabetes because for most people eating is a very enjoyable experience. However once you have adapted to having diabetes, you will find that meal planning is actually quite easy.
One thing that many people wonder about is how alcohol and diabetes go together or maybe they don’t go together. This article will cover diabetes and alcohol consumption. How alcohol affects the body and how you can consume alcohol moderately if you have diabetes.
There is no problem having an alcoholic drink for someone with diabetes. Depending on the type of alcohol you are consuming however, it will raise the blood sugar level. Alcohol has no nutritional benefits but does put a large amount of calories into the body. This can lead to weight gain if you do not exercise and utilize the calories. Excess weight is generally thought to be bad for a diabetic and can lead to other complications associated with diabetes.
After drinking alcohol, the liver will control the processing of it. One ounce of alcohol will take approximately two hours to completely metabolize. This depends on the size of the person and their physical fitness. During this time the liver stops making glucose.
Whilst this happens, there is a chance that the blood sugar level can become low. A person with low blood sugar may be hypoglycemic. Hypoglycemic people often feel tired or light headed. They may even pass out if the blood sugar is very low. This is why you should never drink on an empty stomach.
So for anyone about to drink alcohol, a small snack should be taken beforehand. This is particular relevant to diabetics and they should try to keep their blood sugar levels as stable as possible. A snack will cause the liver to create glucose and put it into the bloodstream before alcohol enters the body. If you take any diabetes pills then you shouldn’t drink for a few hours after or as the prescription advises.
Don’t drink excessively. Alcohol has no nutritional benefits for the body and as a diabetic it will be harder to control the blood sugar level. Fluctuations in blood sugar levels will make blood circulation worse and may lead to nerve damage and further problems with the cardiovascular system.
Drinking a glass of wine with your evening meal is fine. Having a few drinks to celebrate a special occasion is also ok. As you get more experience with the disease you will know how your body reacts and can plan accordingly.
