For a high blood sugar reading we drink water, right? So, does drinking water everyday help manage blood sugar levels?
Hi everyone, I’m Toby Smithson with Diabetes EveryDay. Thanks for joining. Please sign up for my newsletter via my DiabetesEveryDay website, where you will receive all kinds of information about diabetes management. The topic we will discuss today is water.
Water Consumption and Diabetes
We all have gotten the message that drinking water is a good thing for everyone, not just people with diabetes.
Appropriate water consumption helps keep our body temperature in the normal range; adds lubrication for our joints; helps with eliminating wastes through sweat, bowel movements (preventing constipation), and urination; improves cognition and motor function; And because water contains zero calories, it helps with reducing calorie intake especially when you use water in place of a caloric beverage.
For diabetes management, you will often hear your diabetes educator advise you to drink water if your blood sugar is above target. The recommendation is to drink 8oz of water over an hour period to help re-hydrate your body after an above-target blood sugar. In one sense it can help lower blood sugar in the case of dehydration. If you’re dehydrated, your blood sugar may trend higher.
Be Sure To Check Out – What Can I Eat When My Blood Sugar is Out of Range? and One Simple Step To Naturally Lower Your A1C
How much water should we be drinking daily if I have diabetes?
Guidelines set by the Institute of Medicine for the Dietary Reference Intakes are as follows:
- For men, 19–70+ years: require approximately 15.5 cups/day of total water. According to the recommendations, the amount of water to drink for men is about 12 cups with 3 cups coming from other foods and other beverages.
- Women 19-70+ years of age: require approximately 11 cups/day of total water. For women, the recommendations calculate out to 9 cups of water plus 2 cups of fluid coming from food and other beverages.
Other factors that affect your requirements are physical activity, temperature (both hot and cold weather), and altitude.
Add some flavor to your water without adding the numbers
Did I hear some of you say… ”I really don’t like water?” Here are a couple of ideas on how to add flavor to your water without spiking your blood sugar:
- Add fresh lemon or lime slices to your ice water.
- Look for flavor packets that are under 3 grams of carb per serving to add to a tall glass of water. Many of these are so flavorful you can get away with adding only ¼ or ½ of a packet to your water.
- Add sliced cucumber to a glass of iced water for a refreshing beverage.
- Or add Lavender buds, fresh mint, or ginger to a glass of iced water. I found lavender buds at a local tea store and add lavender to my tea or water.
Until next time. Cheers, with a big glass of water, to your health.
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