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T2 & alcohol

P

Parm_D

Member
Messages
14
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi everyone,

For first time in my life since being diagnosed I am taking care what I eat and drink as it’s finally hit me lol.

Quick question on alcohol i have they say to stick to lights no more than 4 I just wanted to know if you drink spirits is it the same recommendation as beers no more than 4.
 
Sorry clearly I need to read before I send lol ,

I have read they say you should stick to light beers no more than 4, isit the same for spirits ?
 
Parm_D said:
I have read they say you should stick to light beers no more than 4, isit the same for spirits ?
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No more than 4 what, and does light refer to carbs or alcohol? I would have thought that a shot of spirits would have more alcohol than an alcohol light beer? (But I'm more of a wine drinker).

Alcohol intake depends a bit on your medications. If you are on ones that can induce hypos then there are risks because alcohol can stop your liver from saving you from a hypo. Other T2 meds may have specific alcohol warnings?

Spirits are often low carb, but some aren't, so that can be an issue.

Having said all that I'm a T1 on the ultimate hypo inducing med (insulin) and I've been drinking for over 40 years, but I am careful about night time hypos after drinking (I still do it though.)
 
Who is 'they' ? Why were you told this, is it something to do with your medication?

In the UK, a pint of lager is 2 to 3 alcohol units. A single 25ml shot of a spirit like vodka, whisky or gin is generally about 1 alcohol unit.

So it's not really clear to me what it is that you are counting?

Beer may have a relatively high carbohydrate content, wine and spirits less so.
 
Parm_D said:
Hi everyone,

For first time in my life since being diagnosed I am taking care what I eat and drink as it’s finally hit me lol.

Quick question on alcohol i have they say to stick to lights no more than 4 I just wanted to know if you drink spirits is it the same recommendation as beers no more than 4.
Click to expand...

One of the issues with beers etc is most contain sugars so the stronger one have less sugar as more of it’s turned to alcohol

The second issue depends how your diabetes is controlled.. alcohol slows down your liver function and it’s the liver that releases the glucose into your system.. so if on bg lowering meds you need to be careful of hypoglycaemia

And the rest just comes down to recommend daily amounts to say healthy
 
Sorry I should have been more clear what I was really after is if stuck to light beers like coors light for example how many units is acceptable and also how many spirits like vodka is acceptable.

I’m T2 and although I was given metaformin 500g I came off those about a year ago and have controlled my bg levels with diet and exercise alone which has worked alot better for me.
 
Parm_D said:
Sorry I should have been more clear what I was really after is if stuck to light beers like coors light for example how many units is acceptable and also how many spirits like vodka is acceptable.

I’m T2 and although I was given metaformin 500g I came off those about a year ago and have controlled my bg levels with diet and exercise alone which has worked alot better for me.
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Trouble is lights will have more sugar so I probably wouldn’t have more than one or you’ll start to see an increase in bg

It’s not the units or alcohol that’s the issue here it’s the sugar

As for vodka don’t think there is sugar so if you are not on bg lowering meds it doesn’t really matter… some shots like southern comfort are very sweet so avoid or again it will go against what you have don’t to keep you bg low

You are just going to have to take a common sense approach

A coors light has 5 grams of carbs… some low carb t2’s will only have 20 grams of carbs a day.. so can you see the effect it will have?
 
searley said:
Trouble is lights will have more sugar so I probably wouldn’t have more than one or you’ll start to see an increase in bg

It’s not the units or alcohol that’s the issue here it’s the sugar

As for vodka don’t think there is sugar so if you are not on bg lowering meds it doesn’t really matter… some shots like southern comfort are very sweet so avoid or again it will go against what you have don’t to keep you bg low

You are just going to have to take a common sense approach

A coors light has 5 grams of carbs… some low carb t2’s will only have 20 grams of carbs a day.. so can you see the effect it will have?
Click to expand...

yeah, cheers for the reply
 
I like a beer,
But more then two impact my BG scores

However I have had success with vodka slimline Indian tonic water

I'd suggest checking labels, some tonic waters, fever tree I think is one, has higher carbs in

Not a real wine drinker, so can't say,
Guess you got to try and "Drink to the meter" to establish your personal tolerances.

Good luck testing, slàinte
 
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At the moment I can't manage beer because it spikes my BG.
I am drinking white wine spritzers with fizzy water, which isn't as bad as it sounds.
 
What does alcohol in various forms do to your BG when you drink? Have you tested? Unless you know that I don't see how you could possibly know how much you can tolerate. Assuming you're asking about carb level here.
 
There are these new(ish) "hard seltzers" like White Claw appearing on the shelves now ... they're a bit like a light alcopop made with fizzy water. Supposed to be low cal and low carb. I haven't tried them but they might be worth a go, in moderation of course
 
Here in Australia there are coming out many more premixed drinks which have no carbs- I am planning on trying a few of them- simply for research purposes of course so I can report back here:)
 
Parm_D said:
Hi everyone,

For first time in my life since being diagnosed I am taking care what I eat and drink as it’s finally hit me lol.

Quick question on alcohol i have they say to stick to lights no more than 4 I just wanted to know if you drink spirits is it the same recommendation as beers no more than 4.
Click to expand...

Beer is full of carbs, I don’t know what’s recommended as in how many, I would test and see how it is affecting your sugars. I only drink vodka and it lowers my sugars so I don’t test no more, testing is the only thing I can suggest.
 
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