When you have diabetes, you have to make a lot of concessions in your diet. You not only have to watch what you eat, but you have to take into consideration how much you eat and when you consume your food. It is a lot to plan, but by taking charge of your diet, you can control your diabetes and live a much healthier life.

Did you know that food is not the only thing you need to monitor when it comes to putting things into your body?  Alcohol can radically affect your blood sugar, sending your levels out of control.

Alcohol makes it very hard for your body to overcome low blood sugar levels.  It moves into your bloodstream at an amazing rate, usually without metabolizing in your stomach.  That is why it is possible to fail a blood alcohol test within a few minutes of consuming an alcoholic beverage.

It takes the average person at least two hours to metabolize one alcoholic drink. This process occurs in the liver. In a healthy person, the liver has no problem doing its job, but when you have diabetes, your liver already works overtime changing your stored carbohydrates into glucose so your blood sugar can stay balanced.

When a person with diabetes consumes alcohol, they put themselves at risk of developing low blood sugar.  As the liver works to clear alcohol from the blood stream, it focuses all of its attention on the task.  That means it isn’t available to provide your body with the glucose that it needs, causing you to have a low blood sugar reaction.  Drinking as little as 2 ounces of alcohol can lead to low blood sugar in a person with diabetes.

Even taking a shot of Glucagon won’t help you overcome low blood sugar if you have been drinking. Alcohol actually renders Glucagon  ineffective, so never drink to the point that you need this shot.

Does this mean that a person with diabetes can never consume alcohol? Not necessarily.  If you have diabetes, and especially if you control it with medication, you should talk to your doctor before you decide to have an alcoholic drink.  If you have type 2 diabetes which you control through diet alone, or your doctor will allow you the occasional drink, there are some guidelines you can follow to safely consume alcoholic beverages.

The first guideline is to never drink alcohol on an empty stomach.  Without food in your stomach, the alcohol takes even longer to metabolize. Always consume some sort of food, even if it is a small snack, while you are drinking.

The second rule to follow is moderation.  A woman with diabetes can usually handle one drink and a man of average weight can usually safely metabolize two alcoholic drinks.  Any more than that will overwork your liver and cause your blood sugar to plummet.

When you have diabetes, it is best to stick to certain drink choices if you want to keep your blood sugar in check.  Only choose mixed drinks that use sugar free mixers, such as diet soft drinks, water, or sugar free seltzer.  Light beer is a better choice than a regular can of beer, and dry wines are also a good alternative.  Another way to consume less alcohol is to mix wine with sparkling water or club soda.

Just because you have diabetes, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a drink now and then. Like all things, moderation is the key and making wise alcohol choices is a great way to drink to your health!