If you or someone you love or know have diabetes or pre diabetes, it means that you have to be aware of everything you drink and eat. It is crucial to know how food and drinks affect your blood sugar level. There are a lot of natural teas and drink varieties to choose from. Some of which can be included into diabetes diet.
If you or your relatives takes medication for diabetes such as Tresiba, Toujeo, Lantus or any other insulin containing drugs, you must consult with your doctor before start drinking any herbal tea. It is important to be attentive to your health.
Certain herbal teas may be especially beneficial for people with pre diabetes or diabetes type 1, or diabetes type 2. Such drinks can help promote blood sugar level control. It also can reduce inflammation. All these things are necessary for diabetes management.
Briefly about Prediabetes and Diabetes – Symptoms and Types
When we talk about prediabetes, there are no specific symptoms. Therefore, people may have it and not know it. It is very important to understand. Because before people develop diabetes type 2, they always have prediabetes. The main symptom can be your blood sugar level that is higher than normal. But a glucometer does not show this level high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
Unfortunately, according to CDC’s Fast Facts on Diabetes nearly 34.2 million Americans have diabetes and there are about 2 million children among them. Therefore, diabetes type 1 can occur at every age and in people of every race. If you are one of them, you can find people who can support you. It can be very important on your way.
Shortly about symptoms of diabetes type 1 (1) is that the body does not produce insulin. The human digestive system breaks down the carbohydrates from food into blood sugar and your body uses it for energy. Insulin is a hormone that get glucose from the bloodstream into the body cells.
You can learn everything you need to thrive. Consult with your doctor, insulin therapy, other treatments and diabetes medications can help you manage this disease. You can live a normal life but you need a proper diabetes diet and healthy drinks.
Diabetes of type 2 is the most common form (2). It means that the human body does not use insulin properly. Some people can control their blood with healthy drinking, eating and exercise. Others may need diabetes medication or additional insulin to help manage it.
Homeopathic Drinks for Diabetes
As you can see a key topic for people with prediabetes or diabetes is a healthy diet – food and drinks. Here we’re going to talk about drinks. The most common drink for every day is tea. It is not a surprise. Teas are the most popular beverages in the world. But only a few people know that teas can be used for diabetes control.
In addition, research suggests tea is a natural, safe and healthy drink. Teas bring a number of health benefits and improving insulin sensitivity is among them. Herbal and common teas may attributed to homeopathic remedies for diabetes. Some companies produce blood sugar support supplements based on herbs and vitamins. Some of such diabetes supplements can be found on Amazon.
Tea Benefits for People with Diabetes
Tight blood sugar control is critical in a case of diabetes (3). It is better to choose foods that optimize healthy blood sugar level. Choosing very low calorie beverages and foods like unsweetened tea and herbal drinks is an excellent method to optimize diabetic control.
Also it’s good to know that some teas contain herbal substances that fight cellular damage and may reduce inflammation and control blood sugar level. This makes tea a great choice for people with prediabetes and diabetes.
Thus, some research suggests the following benefits may be enjoyed from tea for people with prediabetes and diabetes:
- Maintaining normal blood pressure
- Improving insulin sensitivity
- Reducing risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer
- Lowering the risk of developing diabetes type 2
The Best Teas as Diabetes Medications
So to sum up, which types of teas are best to drink in order to manage diabetes? The most recent research indicates that well-known black and green teas are effective for that purpose. You can also try other varieties of tea with benefits for health:
- Oolong tea
- Chamomile tea
- Hibiscus tea
- Rooibos tea
- Ginger tea
- Cinnamon tea
- Lemon balm tea
Drinks for Diabetes Video – Okra Green Tea
Drinks for Diabetes Video – Hibiscus Tea
Teas and Drinks for Diabetes Bottom Line
How do herbal drinks and teas help diabetes? These drinks contain polyphenols which may increase insulin activity. Research says that polyphenols have anti-oxidative properties which can help protect against carcinogens and inflammation. In other words, tea can help you to prevent diabetes of type 1 or 2 as well as cancer.
To sum everything above, green and black tea, oolong tea, hibiscus and chamomile tea, as well as lemon balm and cinnamon tea have antidiabetic properties. Herbal teas can serve as smart beverage options for those who have diabetes.
References
(1) American Diabetes Association: diabetes type 1 symptoms.
(2) American Diabetes Association: diabetes type 2 diagnostic.
(3) Centers of Diseases Control and Prevention: manage blood sugar.