People's search for beverages such as soft drinks, energy drinks, diet soft drinks, sweetened or unsweetened fruit juices and cold drinks increases during the summer season. As a result, the search for healthy drinks and the pros and cons of having a favorite drink is increasing. Due to the increasing health problems, diet soda is becoming a popular drink among people.
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This drink contains zero calories and suits multiple taste buds. Therefore, some consider it a safe option for people with diabetes. Furthermore, unlike other drinks, it will not immediately increase blood sugar levels. But is it safe for them to drink and does it help prevent diabetes?
We address these concerns, including the benefits of diet soda and potential risks. And recipes for some alternative healthy summer drinks.
The nutritional value of diet soda
Nutritional profile for diet soda (soda, fruit flavor, diet, caffeine-free) according toUSDAper 100 g of the drink:
- Van: 99.8g
- Protein: 0.1 g
- Iron: 0.04 mg
- Natrium: 6 mg
- Potassium: 2 mg
Is diet soda safe for diabetes?
Sugar should be kept low in people's diets. You may therefore wonder whether artificial sweeteners are a good alternative. Artificial sweeteners contain negligible calories. That's why people consider them as good opportunities. They are widely added to soft drinks and brands market them as a choice for health-conscious people.
Unfortunately, this is a marketing gimmick.Researchclaims that artificial sweeteners increase the risk of diabetes rather than controlling it. It lists additional possible side effects of popular artificial sweeteners:
- Saccharin: Bladder cancer
- Aspartame: Chronic fatigue, brain tumor
- Acesulfame: carcinogenic (can cause cancer)
- Neotaam: Neurotoxisch, Immunotoxisch, Excitotoxisch
- Sucralose: May affect insulin sensitivity and cause DNA damage
Although stevia is the only artificial sweetener that does thatresearchnot related to any side effect.
Benefits of diet soda
Diet soda contains no nutrients and therefore offers no health benefits. But it has some comparative advantages over regular soda. Here is the list of benefits:
- Unlike regular soft drinks, it contains no calories. So people can drink soft drinks in moderation.
- Secondly, because the amount of sugar is also zero, no additional dose is needed for people with insulin-dependent diabetes.
Occasionally, people with diabetes can enjoy refreshing diet soda with proper diet and exercise.
Diet soda and health risks
Consuming artificially sweetened (diet) and sugar-sweetened (regular) soft drinks can lead to a higher risk of diabetes.
Researchsuggest that daily soft drink consumption may lead to a 36% higher relative risk of metabolic syndrome and a 67% higher risk of type 2 diabetes than non-consumption.
Anotherinspectionargue that you cannot rule out diet soda as an independent risk factor for diabetes. Therefore, switching to artificially sweetened diet drinks may not reduce your risk of diabetes. On the other hand, sugar-sweetened drinks contribute to diabetes, according to the study.
For people with diabetes, it is advisable to make their delicious diabetes-friendly soft drinks. As mentioned above, stevia has no recorded side effects. Therefore, people consider it a safe alternative to sugar used in soft drinks. Additionally, instead of using processed, store-bought stevia, people can choose the dried leaves of the stevia plant themselves.
Researchshow that stevia extract significantly reduced fasting glucose levels, random glucose levels and glycosylated hemoglobin. Furthermore, it improved insulin and liver glycogen levels in rats. Therefore, stevia not only has side effects but also improves diabetes conditions.
The water used to make soft drinks can also be quickly carbonated at home to create fizz.
Alternative healthy drinks for people with diabetes
While it is best to avoid excessive consumption of salt, carbohydrates and sugar, moderation of these components can help people enjoy their favorite foods and drinks. Moderation does not mean eliminating certain foods from one's diet. Instead, people can consume these foods in small amounts occasionally. Try these alternative healthy drink recipes listed below:
Over Mango Sharbat
- Servings: 2
- Preparation time: 15 minutes
ingredients
- Semi-raw mango: ½ a semi-raw mango
- Mint leaves: 1 sprig
- Cold water: 450 ml
- Dried and ground stevia leaves to taste
- Pink salt to taste
Method
- Peel and cut one side of your mango.
- Blend it in the grinder to a pulp.
- Add equal amounts of pulp to two glass jars.
- Add a pinch of salt and stevia to taste.
- Wash the mint leaves, tear them to release the juice and place them in the cups.
- Add cold water and mix.
- Serve fresh or make a large batch that you can keep in the refrigerator for a week.
Moderation prevents depression caused by the feeling of being limited in terms of necessities such as food. Discipline about the timing of each meal can also help control diabetes.Researchsays eating on time can help maintain blood sugar levels. Likewise, eating an early dinner increases lipid metabolism and improves blood sugar control. If you want to add refreshing sweet drinks to your diet, connectHealthifyPronutritionists and gain insight into this.
Other delicious alternatives
People with diabetes should avoid artificially sweetened drinks and can opt for smooth coconut water, which provides hydration and several antioxidants. Moreover, one should avoid adding extra sugar to homemade drinks.
Traditional Indian cold drinks such as buttermilk (chaas) and sharbat are also considered safe for consumption by diabetics. Therefore, you can opt for a cold glass of buttermilk if they want something cold, such as soda. However, you should keep in mind that they should not add more salt than the recommended salt intake, because even that is harmful for people with diabetes.
Another option for a cold and refreshing drink is making sharbat. Sharbat, like homemade soda, uses water as a solvent. Instead of sugar, you can also use stevia leaves or fresh fruit as natural sweeteners.
Conclusion
Everyone knows that diabetes is a chronic condition that affects the way food is converted into energy in the body. When the body breaks down food into glucose, insulin releases it into the body's cells. But with diabetes, the body either produces low amounts of insulin or does not use insulin optimally. Therefore, it is crucial to control blood sugar levels in the body.
There are enormous benefits to healthy eating and exercise. A healthy diet and regular exercise help regulate blood sugar levels. Research shows that dietary components tend to significantly influence our blood sugar levels. For example, the body obtains sugar or glucose from carbohydrates found in food. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid overconsumption of carbohydrates if you are diagnosed with diabetes.
Both the choice of food and its quantities are relevant in this case. The amount of carbohydrates in food and drinks is significant. Moreover, carbonated drinks are one of the most common drinks among all age groups and equally harmful to health. Therefore, you should choose healthier drink options such as buttermilk, tender coconut water, etc.
With all these alternatives and healthy moderations, people with diabetes can enjoy their favorite drinks and maintain good health at the same time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. Is diet soda suitable for diabetics to drink?
A. Diet sodas from different brands contain similar amounts of sodium, carbohydrates and sugar. For example, according toUSDA, Mountain Dew's diet soda contains 11g of sodium per 100g serving. Similarly, Dr Pepper contains 15 mg of sodium per 100 g Serving (according toUSDA.) Therefore, they meet the criteria for low sodium.
However, diet sodas have added artificial sweeteners that are linked to numerous health risks. Therefore, it is safe to avoid them. Additionally, these artificial sweeteners have been linked to increasing people's weight, which in turn worsens diabetes. Therefore, people should avoid these drinks.
Q. Does diet soda raise blood sugar levels?
A. Diet soda may not raise blood sugar levels; however, they are associated with more health risks because they use artificial sweeteners that have many side effects. Some of these health risks increase the risk of bladder cancer, chronic fatigue, and brain tumor, to name a few.
Q. What drinks should diabetics avoid?
A. All drinks high in carbohydrates, sugar and sodium should be avoided by people with diabetes. It is also best to avoid drinks with artificial sweeteners for both diabetics and those without the condition.
Artificial sweeteners have been linked to increasing people's weight, making diabetes worse. Therefore, it would help if you avoided drinks containing these ingredients. Additionally, several health risks, such as an increased risk of bladder cancer, chronic fatigue and brain tumors, have been associated with artificial sweeteners.
Q. Can you sell diabetes?
A. For the most part, all types of diabetes are incurable. However, you can turn it around with a healthy diet and exercise. In addition, losing weight reduces the chance that the condition will worsen. Finally, physical activities contribute to a healthy pancreas that produces insulin.
Does aspartame mess with insulin?
A. Aspartame has not been linked to insulin spikes. On the other hand, stevia is known toresearchto increase insulin levels in the body.
Q. Can diabetes drink soda occasionally?
A. Dietary restrictions should always be taken in moderation. Therefore, if a patient wants to drink soft drinks, he can do so occasionally. It is only through continued consumption that these side effects occur.
Q. What can diabetics drink besides water?
A. Diabetics have several options for drinking in addition to water. Some of these include smoothies, sharbat, buttermilk and homemade soda. Smoothies contain higher amounts of fiber than juice, which is helpful for diabetes as fiber improves this condition. Sharbat uses water as a solvent and fruits to flavor them; therefore, they can be harmless yet refreshing. Finally, homemade soft drinks are free of added sugars, but still provide a fresh taste.
Q. Is sugar-free soda good for people with diabetes?
A. No, sugar-free sodas use artificial sweeteners, which increase people's weight. Increased weight, on the other hand, is associated with worsening diabetes. Therefore, zero soda is not suitable for diabetes.
