In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleWaterCoffeeBlack TeaGreen TeaDairy MilkTomato JuiceMore Tips
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
Water
Coffee
Black Tea
Green Tea
Dairy Milk
Tomato Juice
More Tips
Pictured Recipe:Soothing Ginger-Lemon Tea
1. Water
It’s tough to argue with water since it’s calorie-free. But it also provides something important for blood sugar control: hydration. Drinking plain water is linked to a 6% lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
The association is even more powerful when people switch from drinking sugar-sweetened beverages (such as soda) to plain water, since this decreases sugar and calorie intake, helping people maintain a healthy weight, which ultimately helps with blood sugar control. Not into plain H20? Try thisStrawberry, Basil & Lime Infused Water.
2. Coffee
Whether you take your cup caffeinated or decaf, studies show that drinking coffee regularly may be associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.Why? Plant compounds, called phytochemicals, in coffee may support the health of cells in the liver and pancreas, which protects against the development of fatty liver and preserves insulin function (a key regulator of blood sugar).
One thing to keep in mind: What you put in your coffee matters. You’ll lose the potential blood sugar benefits if your coffee is a sugar bomb, which is common in flavored lattes and iced coffee drinks. If you don’t like your coffee black, use thedietitian-approved trickto brew your grounds with a few shakes of cinnamon.
The 4 Best Low-Sugar Starbucks Drinks for People with Diabetes
3. Black Tea
Not a coffee drinker? Go for tea. It, too, is a drinkassociated with a lower risk of diabetesand complications from diabetes.Tea compounds help improve insulin resistance and decrease oxidative stress and inflammation. The researchers even say these tea components could be developed into products that could one day help manage diabetes.
Most research is done on black and oolong tea (as well as green tea, more on that below!), so opt for those varietals if you aim to lower your blood sugar. And, just like with coffee, limit adding sugar (including honey). If black tea tastes too bitter, going for tea blends, such aschai(with no sugar added), is a good option. Or for a zero-calorie drink with no sugar, so it remains a good pick for stable blood sugar levels, try this diabetes-friendlyNo-Sugar-Added Raspberry Iced Tea, which is made with black tea.
4. Green Tea
If you prefer the taste (or lower caffeine content) ofgreen tea, then it’s time to brew up a steaming cup. Consuming green tea has been shown to slightly lower fasting blood glucose levels.Tea’s catechins may block some absorption of carbohydrates during digestion, may also improve glucose metabolism, and can lessen oxidative stress, all of which may help bring down your blood sugar.
One caveat? Not all research shows promising results: one study did not find that green tea positively affected fasting blood glucose or other blood sugar markers in people with type 2 diabetes.That said, green tea is still a zero-calorie drink with no sugar, so it remains a good pick for stable blood sugar levels.
5. Milk
Overall, though, more research needs to be done to see how milk consumption might affect A1C levels. The American Diabetes Association recommends choosing nonfat or low-fat milk (which keeps saturated fat in check).Also, milk contains carbohydrates—about 12 grams of carbs per 1 cup of 1% milk—so make sure you count this in your carb goal for your meal or snack if you have diabetes.
6. Tomato Juice
For a blood-sugar-friendly drink with lots of flavor, sip on tomato juice. In a small study evaluating 25 healthy women, those who drank about 7 ounces of tomato juice 30 minutes prior to eating a carbohydrate-rich breakfast experienced a lower blood sugar level after the meal compared to pre-drinking with water.This was even though the tomato juice added extra calories. The fiber in tomatoes may help slow digestion, thus slowing the rise of blood sugar occurring after eating.
Other Tips to Manage Your Blood Sugar Levels
In addition to choosing beverages that help lower blood sugar, you’ll also want to follow these tips:
The 7 Best High-Protein Snacks for People with Diabetes, According to a Dietitian
The Bottom Line
The best drink to sip for blood sugar management is water. But you can drink more than just H2O. Try coffee, black or green tea or even milk. If you want to get fancy, a small glass of tomato juice will do, too. Just make sure you count the carbohydrates in any beverage for that meal to make sure you stay on track. Bottoms up!
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SourcesEatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.Janbozorgi N, Allipour R, Djafarian K, Shab-Bidar S, Badeli M, Safabakhsh M.Water intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2021;15(4):102156. doi:10.1016/j.dsx.2021.05.029Kolb H, Martin S, Kempf K.Coffee and lower risk of type 2 diabetes: Arguments for a causal relationship.Nutrients. 2021;13(4):1144. doi:10.3390/nu13041144Nie J, Yu C, Guo Y, et al.Tea consumption and long-term risk of type 2 diabetes and diabetic complications: a cohort study of 0.5 million Chinese adults.Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;114(1):194-202. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqab006Xu R, Bai Y, Yang K, Chen G.Effects of green tea consumption on glycemic control: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Nutr Metab (Lond). 2020;17:56. doi:10.1186/s12986-020-00469-5Asbaghi O, Fouladvand F, Gonzalez MJ, Ashtary-Larky D, Choghakhori R, Abbasnezhad A.Effect of green tea on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2021;15(1):23-31. doi:10.1016/j.dsx.2020.11.004Lesgards JF.Benefits of whey proteins on type 2 diabetes mellitus parameters and prevention of cardiovascular diseases.Nutrients. 2023;15(5):1294. doi:10.3390/nu1505194American Diabetes Association.Best foods for you: Healthy food choices for people with diabetes.U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central.Milk, lowfat, fluid, 1% milkfat, with added vitamins A and D.Saito Y, Nitta A, Imai S, et al.Tomato juice preload has a significant impact on postprandial glucose concentration in healthy women: A randomized cross-over trial.Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2020;29(3):491-497. doi:10.6133/apjcn.202009_29(3).0007Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Manage blood sugar.
Sources
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.Janbozorgi N, Allipour R, Djafarian K, Shab-Bidar S, Badeli M, Safabakhsh M.Water intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2021;15(4):102156. doi:10.1016/j.dsx.2021.05.029Kolb H, Martin S, Kempf K.Coffee and lower risk of type 2 diabetes: Arguments for a causal relationship.Nutrients. 2021;13(4):1144. doi:10.3390/nu13041144Nie J, Yu C, Guo Y, et al.Tea consumption and long-term risk of type 2 diabetes and diabetic complications: a cohort study of 0.5 million Chinese adults.Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;114(1):194-202. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqab006Xu R, Bai Y, Yang K, Chen G.Effects of green tea consumption on glycemic control: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Nutr Metab (Lond). 2020;17:56. doi:10.1186/s12986-020-00469-5Asbaghi O, Fouladvand F, Gonzalez MJ, Ashtary-Larky D, Choghakhori R, Abbasnezhad A.Effect of green tea on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2021;15(1):23-31. doi:10.1016/j.dsx.2020.11.004Lesgards JF.Benefits of whey proteins on type 2 diabetes mellitus parameters and prevention of cardiovascular diseases.Nutrients. 2023;15(5):1294. doi:10.3390/nu1505194American Diabetes Association.Best foods for you: Healthy food choices for people with diabetes.U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central.Milk, lowfat, fluid, 1% milkfat, with added vitamins A and D.Saito Y, Nitta A, Imai S, et al.Tomato juice preload has a significant impact on postprandial glucose concentration in healthy women: A randomized cross-over trial.Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2020;29(3):491-497. doi:10.6133/apjcn.202009_29(3).0007Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Manage blood sugar.
EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.
Janbozorgi N, Allipour R, Djafarian K, Shab-Bidar S, Badeli M, Safabakhsh M.Water intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2021;15(4):102156. doi:10.1016/j.dsx.2021.05.029Kolb H, Martin S, Kempf K.Coffee and lower risk of type 2 diabetes: Arguments for a causal relationship.Nutrients. 2021;13(4):1144. doi:10.3390/nu13041144Nie J, Yu C, Guo Y, et al.Tea consumption and long-term risk of type 2 diabetes and diabetic complications: a cohort study of 0.5 million Chinese adults.Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;114(1):194-202. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqab006Xu R, Bai Y, Yang K, Chen G.Effects of green tea consumption on glycemic control: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Nutr Metab (Lond). 2020;17:56. doi:10.1186/s12986-020-00469-5Asbaghi O, Fouladvand F, Gonzalez MJ, Ashtary-Larky D, Choghakhori R, Abbasnezhad A.Effect of green tea on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2021;15(1):23-31. doi:10.1016/j.dsx.2020.11.004Lesgards JF.Benefits of whey proteins on type 2 diabetes mellitus parameters and prevention of cardiovascular diseases.Nutrients. 2023;15(5):1294. doi:10.3390/nu1505194American Diabetes Association.Best foods for you: Healthy food choices for people with diabetes.U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central.Milk, lowfat, fluid, 1% milkfat, with added vitamins A and D.Saito Y, Nitta A, Imai S, et al.Tomato juice preload has a significant impact on postprandial glucose concentration in healthy women: A randomized cross-over trial.Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2020;29(3):491-497. doi:10.6133/apjcn.202009_29(3).0007Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Manage blood sugar.
Janbozorgi N, Allipour R, Djafarian K, Shab-Bidar S, Badeli M, Safabakhsh M.Water intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2021;15(4):102156. doi:10.1016/j.dsx.2021.05.029
Kolb H, Martin S, Kempf K.Coffee and lower risk of type 2 diabetes: Arguments for a causal relationship.Nutrients. 2021;13(4):1144. doi:10.3390/nu13041144
Nie J, Yu C, Guo Y, et al.Tea consumption and long-term risk of type 2 diabetes and diabetic complications: a cohort study of 0.5 million Chinese adults.Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;114(1):194-202. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqab006
Xu R, Bai Y, Yang K, Chen G.Effects of green tea consumption on glycemic control: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Nutr Metab (Lond). 2020;17:56. doi:10.1186/s12986-020-00469-5
Asbaghi O, Fouladvand F, Gonzalez MJ, Ashtary-Larky D, Choghakhori R, Abbasnezhad A.Effect of green tea on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2021;15(1):23-31. doi:10.1016/j.dsx.2020.11.004
Lesgards JF.Benefits of whey proteins on type 2 diabetes mellitus parameters and prevention of cardiovascular diseases.Nutrients. 2023;15(5):1294. doi:10.3390/nu1505194
American Diabetes Association.Best foods for you: Healthy food choices for people with diabetes.
U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central.Milk, lowfat, fluid, 1% milkfat, with added vitamins A and D.
Saito Y, Nitta A, Imai S, et al.Tomato juice preload has a significant impact on postprandial glucose concentration in healthy women: A randomized cross-over trial.Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2020;29(3):491-497. doi:10.6133/apjcn.202009_29(3).0007
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Manage blood sugar.
