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A Day’s Worth of (Healthy) Drinking

June 12, 2015 by Frank Leave a Comment

I’ve developed some pretty healthy drinking habits since I was diagnosed with diabetes 5 years ago. AND I’ve maintained them. Carb loaded drinks rarely tempt me in the same way that food does. And my favourite thing about healthy fluids is that they help me to bridge the gap inbetween meals when I am tempted to snack.

My day has to start with a coffee. I’ve become a bit of a coffee snob since purchasing a coffee capsule machine a few months ago, and this is now the only coffee I will drink. A single shot of espresso topped with around 200ml of Reduced Fat Milk and 1 equal sweetener tablet.

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Most days I stick to one coffee, although on Fridays I am frequently found guilty of buying a large cappuccino with 2 sugars. It also doesn’t help that the coffee shop outside work is currently doing happy hour free coffee from 2 to 3pm this month!

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I used to drink Cordial before I was diagnosed with diabetes, mainly because I didn’t really like the plain taste of water. However, now I only drink water with my meals. The purpose of a drink at the dinner table is to wash down my food, rather than for the taste. And I usually go through 2-3 glasses at dinner, which adds up to a lot if its got carbs in it too. I figure that if I’m going to have a flavoured drink, I’ll do it at a time where I’ll be able to enjoy it. I also have a water bottle on me throughout the day to keep me hydrated, although I find I am drinking less now that its Winter.

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I usually drink tea throughout the day, particularly as a distraction when I’m feeling peckish. Which is pretty ironic, considering I used to make fun of Mum and Dad for always having cuppas. It went something like “How can you feel like having a scathing hot cuppa when you first wake up?” And now I’ve become the biggest cuppa person. I drink Lipton black tea or Twinings English Breakfast, with 1 equal tablet and some milk.

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For the occasional afternoon treat it’s usually a can of Coke Zero. I wasn’t a huge soft drink person before diabetes. But funnily enough, Coke was one of the first things I demanded after I was diagnosed with diabetes in hospital. At most I might have it once a week, maybe more often during the Summer and when I eat out. The best thing about Coke Zero is that I can drink the whole can and not feel guilty about all the sugar. And, I’ve converted the family over to the dark side too! I can hardly notice any difference with regular Coke, although many (non-diabetic) people disagree, telling me they need the full sugar hit. And yes, I’ve heard all the horror stories about Coke. Believe me, in moderation you’ll be fine.

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And finally, alcohol. I hardly drink any alcohol compared to other people my age. Probably just a glass of wine or shot of liquor on special occasions. My drink of choice would be a glass of white wine with dinner and a shot of Baileys Irish Cream with dessert. I only wish my doctors would believe me.

Doctor: “Do you drink alcohol?”

Me: “No, very rarely.”

Doctor: “I can ask your Mum to step outside and you can tell me the truth.”

Me: “Really, that’s the truth.”

Doctor: “I’ll just put down a glass of wine with dinner.”

I know its hard to believe, but this is really all that I drink on most days. Now if only I could be this good with my food…

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Posted in: Diabetes and Food Tagged: Beverages, Diabetes, Drinks, Food

Equal to Sugar in Sweetness, and Sweetness Addiction

March 29, 2015 by Frank Leave a Comment

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I’ve had my coffee and tea with two sugars for as long as I can remember. It probably stems from a young age. It was an acquired taste when I was first introduced to it as a teenager, and sugar was a natural response to make it more bearable.

When I was diagnosed with diabetes, I switched to Equal sweetener tablets. As the name suggests, it boasts equal sweetness to one teaspoon of sugar with significantly lower kilojoules, calories and carbohydrates. For me, it was great because I would still be able to enjoy my tea and coffee with sweetness and not have to worry about having my blood sugar levels skyrocketing. I wouldn’t even have to consider that dreaded task of cutting out sugar. Hell, I even thought I was being healthy.

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But, of course everything has a downside. Sweeteners are, after all, an artificial product. Just have a look at the back of the box if you don’t believe me – I don’t even know what any of those ingredients are! Harvard Health suggests that artificial sweeteners play tricks on your brain. You’ll use the carbs/calories/kilojoules (or whatever you call them) you’ve saved as an excuse to indulge in sweet stuff. And Daily Mail reports that the chemicals in artificial sweeteners fail to trigger the ‘full’ feeling in our brain, leaving us less satisfied and craving more. The end result: weight gain and obesity.

So, now that I’m a few years older (and perhaps a little wiser!), I’m not comfortable about being so reliant on sweeteners in my hot drinks. I’ll have anywhere between 2 and 4 cups of tea or coffee on an average day. Given that I add two Equal tablets to each cup, that’s 8 tablets a day of an artificial product going into my body.

After deliberating on these thoughts for a long time, in December I finally decided to do something about it. I bravely began chopping my Equal tablets into halves and reducing my sweetener consumption from 2 to 1 ½ tablets per beverage.

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Coffee is quite difficult, particularly if you’re an espresso drinker like me. It’s very strong and even bitter at times, making it difficult to forego sugar. However, if you love your lattes, capps and flat whites, generously adding milk to your coffees will make your mission much easier.

Tea is a little easier as its not as intense and there’s much more choice. My tip would be to leave a little room in your cup for some extra milk to help compensate for the sweetness you are losing. I also found it was much easier to forego sugar in lighter blends such as green, chamomile and herbal teas, as well as flavoured blends.

I’ve been down to one tablet per cuppa for the past couple of weeks. At the moment I’m not sure whether I will cut back further, but I’ll probably wait a while longer before making that decision. If this is where it ends, I’m proud of what I’ve achieved. I’ve reduced my reliance on sugar and artificial sweeteners by 50%. That’s 4 Equal tablets or 4 teaspoons of sugar that I no longer need to add to my coffee each day.

And the icing on top of all of this – I now have a stronger sensitivity to sweetness! Last week I was served a coffee with 2 sugars, and it actually tasted too sweet for my liking! So, thanks to this experience, I will be more conscious when I am consuming sweet food and drinks in future.

Each cutback was very significant for me, and it took me a few weeks (depending on how often you have coffee and tea) to get used to the new taste before I was ready to cut back again. But, that being said, I can’t recommend this enough.

Give it a go – you’ll suprise yourself! (I know I did!)

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Posted in: Diabetes and Food Tagged: Beverages, Diabetes, Drinks, Sugar, Sweeteners

Low Carb Iced Coffee

January 4, 2015 by Frank Leave a Comment

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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.

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  • Top with milk.

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  • 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

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Posted in: Diabetes and Food Tagged: Beverages, Diabetes, Drinks, Food, Recipe

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