Sugary, carb loaded drinks. Soft drinks, juice, thickshakes and iced coffees. I think they’re an absolute waste. A 600ml carton of iced coffee from the supermarket has around 60g of carbohydrate. 60g. That’s the same amount as a very generous lunch! I know what I’d prefer…

In envy of all the iced coffee drinkers, here’s a ridiculously easy idea for a diabetes friendly caffeine hit. Its not choc full of sugar like the ones in the supermarket, its not watered down like the ones you order in a restaurant, and the prep time is minimal. The secret ingredient is coffee ice cubes. When I say coffee, I mean strong coffee, such as espresso (short black) or percolated coffee.

Ingredients:

• Strong freshly brewed coffee such as Espresso or Percolated Coffee (enough to fill at least 6 holes of an ice cube tray)
• 250ml Hi-Lo (Reduced Fat) Milk
• 1 tsp sugar or equal sweetener tablet (optional)

Method:

• Pour your coffee into ice cube trays. Freeze for 4 hours or overnight.
• Place 6 ice cubes into a tall (250ml or more) glass.

• Top with milk.

• Let the coffee cubes begin to infuse with the milk for a few minutes. The coffee flavour will get stronger as the coffee cubes melt.

• Optional: Add 1 equal sweetener tablet or 1 tsp sugar, if you’re like me and can’t stomach coffee without sugar. I find the milkiness of this drink means the coffee isn’t as strong and I don’t need as much sugar. 1 tsp sugar is more than enough in this one for me. But even if you did have to add 2 tsp sugar, that still only adds 8.4g carbohydrates to the drink, still well short of that 60g supermarket iced coffee!

Nutrition Information Estimate:

Carbohydrate: 12.3g (without sugar)
Fat: 3.8g
GI Estimate: Low