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Feeling left out!

  • Thread starter Thread starter debrasue
  • Start Date Start Date
D

debrasue

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BBQ with the family at our house tonight. They're all enthusiastically clearing out the beer cooler and I'm feeling left out! So, if I were to have an alcoholic drink (just one) tonight, what would be the best thing to have?
 
avoid beer, stout and sweet mixers

spirits are good, also wine, the drier the better - so red is usually better than white.

Have you read up on alcohol and D?
What usually happens is that alcohol seems to have a slight (depends on the number of drinks!) lowering effect on the bg. But the truth is that the liver processes the alc first, as a priority, then turns its attention any carbs you have eaten. So all the glucose hits the bloodstream eventually, just later than if you hadn't had a drink.

But, of course, your mileage may vary, so start with one drink and test. Then next time, maybe have 2 glasses...

:)

Hope that helps.
 
Red wine. Dry white wine. Rose tends to be on the sweeter side. A very dry Prossecco. Cava Brut. G& slimline T. Scotch and soda. Wodka and Diet Coke. Bacardi and Diet Coke. Brandy and slimline ginger ale.

Beer is tricky. Mixers shouldn't be fruit based or full sugar, so if you don't "do" sweeteners, it could be vino or straight spirits.

If you were to test after alcohol, the bloods often go down before they rise a bit, because the liver process the alcohol before other stuff.
 
Brunneria said:
avoid beer, stout and sweet mixers

spirits are good, also wine, the drier the better - so red is usually better than white.

Have you read up on alcohol and D?
What usually happens is that alcohol seems to have a slight (depends on the number of drinks!) lowering effect on the bg. But the truth is that the liver processes the alc first, as a priority, then turns its attention any carbs you have eaten. So all the glucose hits the bloodstream eventually, just later than if you hadn't had a drink.

But, of course, your mileage may vary, so start with one drink and test. Then next time, maybe have 2 glasses...

:)

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
It really does - thanks @Brunneria! I think it's going to be a glass of red.... or maybe a G&T....
 
hard liquor and light beer. check online to see the nutritional info, and of course, watch bg carefully until you know how it affects you and you've become for familiar with which booze has how much sugar and how your body reacts to various amounts of alcohol. since the body doesn't naturally like alcohol people usually need to put a TON of sugar in it.

Enjoy!
 
Brunneria said:
avoid beer, stout and sweet mixers

Have you read up on alcohol and D?
/QUOTE]
No, I'm not really a big drinker so I haven't read up on it yet. I love champagne and never turn that down if it's on offer (yes, I know that sounds really posey, but I really do love it!) and I like margaritas and G&T, but it usually only seems to happen once in a blue moon and I'm just as happy with a glass of soda water! (Cheap date! ;))
Click to expand...
 
AndBreathe said:
Red wine. Dry white wine. Rose tends to be on the sweeter side. A very dry Prossecco. Cava Brut. G& slimline T. Scotch and soda. Wodka and Diet Coke. Bacardi and Diet Coke. Brandy and slimline ginger ale.

Beer is tricky. Mixers shouldn't be fruit based or full sugar, so if you don't "do" sweeteners, it could be vino or straight spirits.

If you were to test after alcohol, the bloods often go down before they rise a bit, because the liver process the alcohol before other stuff.
Click to expand...
That's great! Thanks very much @AndBreathe. :)
 
Galen1595 said:
hard liquor and light beer. check online to see the nutritional info, and of course, watch bg carefully until you know how it affects you and you've become for familiar with which booze has how much sugar and how your body reacts to various amounts of alcohol. since the body doesn't naturally like alcohol people usually need to put a TON of sugar in it.

Enjoy!
Click to expand...
Thanks, @Galen1595 :)
 
Other than wine I might have a vodka and soda with a squeeze of lime (or sometimes a tiny dash of cordial).

Having seen Bloody Mary mentioned here and in another post I now really fancy one of them! Tomato juice is relatively low carb (certainly for a juice) so reckon wouldn't affect the levels too much.
 
Thanks for your suggestions everyone.
I was going to go with the G&T but in fact ended up taking quite a strong painkiller to cope with the dreaded "Arthur Eyetus" and ended up having a funny turn after dinner. :(
Took myself off to bed and flaked out for an hour or two, now I'm wide awake, hungry, and that darn G&T still has my name on it! Tsk.....
 
Brunneria said:
avoid beer, stout and sweet mixers

spirits are good, also wine, the drier the better - so red is usually better than white.

Have you read up on alcohol and D?
What usually happens is that alcohol seems to have a slight (depends on the number of drinks!) lowering effect on the bg. But the truth is that the liver processes the alc first, as a priority, then turns its attention any carbs you have eaten. So all the glucose hits the bloodstream eventually, just later than if you hadn't had a drink.

But, of course, your mileage may vary, so start with one drink and test. Then next time, maybe have 2 glasses...

:)

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...

My understanding (which matches my experimentation ;)) is a bit different.

There are (at least) two sources for glucose in the bloodstream - the stuff that comes directly from food (and doesn't pass through the liver), and the stuff the liver pumps out from its glycogen stores to keep us from going all hypo.

Normally, when food comes in, the first phase insulin response (which T2 diabetics are largely missing) sends out flares to the liver: Stop the production line!! Incoming food!!! So when people without diabetes start eating, the liver stops pumping out glucose. Since we're missing the first phase response (and our livers don't get the message to stop the glucose presses), when we eat (without alcohol) we have all of the glucose that comes from food PLUS the glucose the liver puts out to keep us safe.

But what that means is that there isn't a delayed processing of carbs (so no worries about a delayed BG high based on consumption). I suppose it is possible that the liver might try to make up for lost time once it comes back on line - although mine appears not to.

I can normally tolerate 20 grams of carbs before my BG exceeds normal. I can add about 30 grams of carbs to a meal (total of 50) by having a 5 oz glass of wine with my meal. I've tested hourly for 5 hours after a wine +50 grams of carbs meal, and my BG never exceeds the level it would normally reach for 20 grams.

Definitely something to be cautious about, and test, but at least my body works according to the theory, as I understand it - merely shutting down the hypo-preventing glucose that is supposed to be turned off when we eat carbs, anyway.
 
I can't drink any alcohol anymore, but when I did I usually stuck to merlots. I occasionally had a pear or apple cider. But here they tell us to cut the carb content of a drink by watering it down with soda water so that may be a trick to remember too if you can't find anything suitable. I miss my red wine. :( I'm sure you will find something.
 
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