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Diabetes And Alcohol?
It's OK For Your Diabetic Health

Although many people assume diabetes and alcohol can not be a "matching pair", the reality is if you are accustomed to having a drink everyday, with limitations, there is no reason you must give it all up.

Safety Precautions For Diabetes And Alcohol

• is your blood pressure currently under control

• do you know how to manage your blood sugars if they do go too high or too low

• always have a meal or snack before you have the drink. Make sure your food includes some protein, carbohydrates and a good for you fat. You need this food in your stomach to prevent the wild swings of your blood sugars going either too high or too low. Also, your liver's responsibility is to digest, break down and flush any toxins your body can not use out of your system. While your liver is hard at work trying to get the alcohol flushed from your system, it does not have the capabilities of helping with glucose control to handle the highs and lows from blood sugars.

• always wear a medical ID bracelet just in case of an emergency so medical personnel can be notified immediately

  

• one daily serving equals one beer, a 6 oz serving of wine or 1 1/2 oz of hard liquor. Women are therefore allowed one serving daily and men get their choice of two servings daily

• If you are using mixers, stick to sugarfree mixers like club soda, 100% fruit or vegetable juices or quinine water to reduce the calories

• avoid liqueurs, sweet wines, wine coolers and lagers because of their high caloric content. Try to stick with light beers or dry wine instead.

• avoid alcohol if you are trying to lose weight. It actually increases your appetite level which is the last thing you want if you are trying to lose weight

Carbohydrate Counting

• Beer 12 oz can or bottle, 150 calories approximately
  • Miller Lite 12.5 grams carbohydrate

  • Michelob Lite 12.5 grams carbohydrate

  • Regular Beer 15 grams carbohydrate

• Mixed Drinks
  • Bloody Mary 6 ounces= 6 grams carbohydrates

  • Screwdriver 6 ounces= 16 grams carbohydrates

  • Margarita 8 ounces= 30 grams carbohydrates

• Wines
  • Chardonnay 6 ounces= 0 grams carbohydrates

  • Red Wine 6 ounces= 0 grams carbohydrates

  • Champagne, Brut 4 ounces= 3.5 grams carbohydrates

  • Zinfandel 6 ounces= 4.5 grams carbohydrates

  • Dessert Wines 6 ounces= 18 grams carbohydrates, usually around 100 calories per glass

So, with your own diabetic health in question, please realize over-consumption of alcohol for any diabetic increases your risk for high blood pressure, stroke, obesity and elevated blood sugars. The biggest concern though for a diabetic and a continuous alcohol program is damage to your pancreas. Your pancreas is already stressed beyond its capabilities because of the diabetes. Alcohol is just one more stress factor being placed on an already sub-par operational organ.

Diabetes and alcohol does not automatically exclude you from the one by not being able to enjoy the other, but more caution and some simple safeguards must be in place to guarantee your health and safety on a continuous basis.

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