Stay Cool This Summer With 4 Diabetes-Friendly Drinks

Summer is here, and it’s time for some refreshing drinks, natural fruits, and energizing foods. It is well-known that sugar is a great energizer, which is why soft drinks and juices are so coveted during hot summer days. However, it is evident that people with diabetes cannot consume sugary drinks like non-diabetics.

Keeping that in mind, Ms Alka Lohia of 6meal. has come up with some refreshing, nourishing, and energizing coolers that are healthy and do not cause a spike in blood sugar levels. They are perfect for diabetics as well as non-diabetics, because of the natural ingredients they contain.

Check out Ms Lohia’s top summer coolers and smoothies for diabetes patients. The ingredients are easy to find, and these smart smoothies and coolers take not more than 5 minutes to make at home! Without further ado, let’s get to the recipes.

1. Sabza Seeds Cooler

A common ingredient in Faludas, Sabza seeds are healthy and quite popular. You can find them at your local grocer easily. This is a natural cooler that’s made primarily from Sabza seeds while offering various sweetening options. It’s a perfectly natural, diabetes-friendly concoction.

How to make:

• First, take a teaspoon of the Sabza seeds and wash and put them in water, coconut water, or iced green tea.
• Shake them a little.
• You can add ice cubes for a more refreshing effect.
• To add a sweet taste to the drink, you can add some rock sugar, raw honey, or jaggery powder instead of artificial sweeteners.

What makes this drink special?

This is a very refreshing drink that keeps the blood sugar level under control. Ms Lohia says, ”As long as you take your diabetes medication on time, there’s nothing to worry about. Another thing to remember is not to confuse Sabza leaves with Tulsi leaves; this tends to happen, especially with first-time users. Sabza is also called sweet basil, which is why it often gets confused with Tulsi.” And why does she recommend Sabza? ”It has a high pH level, which is good for the body. Sabza is also  high in fibre, helps in weight loss, and can manage diabetes by preventing spikes in blood sugar level.”

Lemonade sings summer like nothing else. I recommend making your lemonade at home if you can and not adding sugar especially if you have diabetes. A genuinely delightful beverage without a single carb or calorie in sight and is made by combining water, freshly squeezed lemons, zero-calorie sweetener, and ice.

Dr. Siddharth Gupta, B.A.M.S, M.D (Ayu)

2. Sattu Cooler

Sattu is one of the oldest and most natural energizer foods in India. It is a powdered gram (chana). A lot of recipes are made using Sattu, including this natural, diabetes-friendly cooling drink.

Sattu is very nourishing because of its high levels of proteins and carbohydrates.

How to make:

• To make the cooler, first, add the Sattu powder to some cold water.
• Add a spritz of black salt to it.
• Season the drink with some finely diced onion and lemon juice.

This makes for a very refreshing drink that’s instantly energizing without causing any disturbances in the blood sugar levels of diabetic patients.

Why is Sattu so popular?

Sattu is excellent if you are feeling down or tired, as it will perk you up instantly. Especially after a rigorous workout. The reason behind this is that Sattu releases glucose into the bloodstream at a slow and steady pace, keeping you energetic for a longer time.

In the olden days, it was a staple of the working class like rickshaw pullers or labourers.

I recommend creating grape or watermelon ice cubes to add flavour to your sugar-free beverages. Also, the ideal beverage is water. Make your flavoured waters by adding a touch of lemon, lime, or strawberries.

Dr. Rajeev Singh, BAMS

3. Flavoured Green Tea

This can be of any flavour that you like – peach, cranberry, lemon, passionfruit – the choice is yours.

How to make

• To start off, add some fruit to this drink, like a refreshing watermelon, mango, etc.

Tip: Be sure to pick something seasonal as that’s the healthiest option.

• Slice up the fruit and add it to water. Put this into an ice tray and freeze to make ice cubes.
• Add that to the green tea along with some mint leaves and lemon juice.

What makes flavoured green tea so popular?

Lemon juice is exceptionally refreshing and energizing, and hence a popular choice in summer. And let’s not forget that this makes for a seriously tasty drink. This is also a very versatile drink because you can add any of your favourite fruits to create different flavoured drinks.

Tip: If you don’t want to add fruit ice cubes to the green tea, you can substitute it with cucumber. Cucumber is alkaline and has high water content; it will keep you cool and hydrated.

4. Fruits And Veggies Smoothie

This is a very interesting smoothie because it combines the goodness of fruits and vegetables, without compromising on the taste.

How to make this smoothie

• Take one glass of fresh coconut water.
• You will also need one bowl (Katori) of spinach.
• Take a piece of mango; it can be any mango.
• And finally, you will need a little bit of beetroot for some rich colour and texture.
• Now put all this together in a blender and blend away!

What makes this smoothie so popular?

This smoothie has a rich texture and is quite filling. The mango adds some sweetness to it, while the spinach brings in the much-needed fibres. And we all know how important coconut water is to stay hydrated. This is one of the healthiest and most filling smoothies you can make for diabetics, and it takes no more than a few minutes!

Parting Thoughts

Although these drinks are perfect for diabetic people, everyone can have them. You can play around with flavours and ingredients to create different kinds of drinks and have fun!

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