The question most diabetics ask themselves is, “Can I drink alcohol without jeopardising my health?” Well you actually can enjoy a drink with friends but you have to follow certain precautionary measures. We recently spoke to Dr. Christel Olivier, a Diabetes Care specialist from the Diabetes Care Clinic in Centurion to find out how you can drink safely if you’re diabetic:
1.Women should limit themselves to 1 unit of alcohol per day and 2 units per day for men. (A unit is a small glass of wine, +- 125ml, 250ml of beer or 25ml whiskey).
2. Whenever you are drinking always make sure that you have food with you. Preferably food that is rich in protein and starch to prevent your sugar levels from fluctuating.
3. Drink a glass of water for every unit you consume, it’ll help keep you hydrated.
4. Check your sugar levels before going to bed and eat something if they’re low. Alcohol sometimes makes it hard to for you to read the symptoms of low sugar in your body.
5. Don’t mix your whiskey, brandy or vodka with drinks that are high in sugar such as coke – rather opt for diet sodas or water.
6. Avoid alcohol that is high in sugar or carbohydrates such as sweet wine, regular beer, ciders or liqueurs. It’s safer to choose dry wine or light beer.
7. Remember that alcohol can aggravate nerve damage, increase blood pressure and contains calories that can cause weight gain. It can also increase triglycerides which a component of cholesterol that puts you in the risk of a getting heart disease. It’s important to limit how much you drink.
