We remember our parents pressing us to drink milk when we were kids. As kids, we had to drink the milk that our parents gave us. It might have been a more conventional choice, like whole milk, or a different choice, like almond milk. But now, as we are the ones making the decision, we can select the milk that is best for us. But selecting the same seldom becomes a challenge when we possess chronic or long-lasting health conditions like diabetes. There are several options for milk and milk substitutes, as anyone with diabetes is likely already aware. This article will assist you in selecting the ideal milk or milk substitute for diabetics as per their dietary requirements.
Dietary Needs for People with Diabetes
Insulin production and use are impaired in diabetics. A hormone called insulin aids in controlling blood sugar. Blood sugar levels can rise when insulin isn’t functioning properly. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are the two primary subtypes. Regardless of the type you have, controlling your carbohydrate consumption is very important.
Diabetics are frequently advised to count their carbs. One sort of carbohydrate is sugar, and doctors advise avoiding additional sugars for good health. High levels of triglycerides or cholesterol in the blood are common in diabetics. A higher risk of heart disease is linked to high amounts of these fats.
It may be useful to keep an eye on the amount of trans fat and saturated fats in your diet. The saturated fat in dairy, according to recent studies, does not appear to be linked to heart disease. Additionally, diabetes can increase a person’s vulnerability to bone fractures. A calcium-rich diet can support strong bones. Drinking milk regularly is one way to do this.
Including calcium-rich milk in your diet could require some advanced preparation. Taking into account food choices and any food intolerances, a suitable eating plan would be one that is tailored to the individual’s nutritional needs.
How Planned Meals Help Diabetics?
There are various typical meal plans that are helpful for diabetics. Some of the approved meal plans from leading medical associations are as follows:
- The Mediterranean Meal Plan, which is high in fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and whole grains, and low in processed foods, red meats, and sweets, use portion control to promote non-starchy vegetables and limit starches and protein.
- Carb counting, which establishes the number of carbs for each meal.
- Dairy is a part of the Mediterranean Diet with results showing health advantages for diabetics.
The amount of carbohydrates you allocate for each meal or snack should be tailored to your needs, regardless of the eating pattern you pick. Milk’s carbohydrate content should be included in that budget.
You can get assistance figuring out how much carbohydrates you need each day from a registered dietitian or a certified diabetes care and education specialist.
The daily percentages of vitamins and nutrients per serving size are included in the nutritional information on milk container labels. They also give the quantity of:
- fat
- sugar
- carbohydrates
- cholesterol
What Type of Milk Should a Diabetic Choose?
The “best” milk for diabetics will depend on the flavors they enjoy, the rest of their diet, and the volume of carbohydrates they consume daily.
Almond and flax milk, for instance, has almost no carbohydrates if someone wants to cut their intake of carbohydrates as much as possible.
It is crucial for diabetics to account for the fact that every cow’s milk contains carbohydrates when calculating their daily carbohydrate intake. However, skim milk for diabetics can be a lower-fat, lower-calorie option for those who love cow’s milk but are not lactose intolerant.
Due to their quicker absorption, low-fat foods and drinks like skimmed milk may raise blood sugar levels. Therefore, glucose monitoring may be useful to establish whether and what type of cow milk is consumed.
Various types of milk, including soy, flax, rice, and almond milk, as well as cow’s milk with various fat contents, are frequently available in grocery shops.
Nutritional data for a few popular types of milk are provided below. Each serving is equivalent to one cup (8 ounces) of milk:
Whole Milk
- Calories: 149
- Fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrate: 12 g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 8 g
- Calcium: 276 mg
Skim Milk
- Calories: 91
- Fat: 0.61 g
- Carbohydrate: 12 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Calcium: 316 mg
Almond Milk (Unsweetened)
- Calories: 39
- Fat: 2.88 g
- Carbohydrate: 1.52 g
- Fiber: 0.5-1 g (depends on brand)
- Protein: 1.55 g
- Calcium: 516 mg
Soy Milk (Unsweetened)
- Calories: 79
- Fat: 4.01 g
- Carbohydrate: 4.01 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Calcium: 300 mg
Unsweetened Flax Milk (no added proteins)
- Calories: 24
- Fat: 2.50 g
- Carbohydrate: 1.02 g
- Fiber: 0 g (depends on brand)
- Protein: 0 g
- Calcium: 300 mg
Unsweetened Rice Milk
- Calories: 113
- Fat: 2.33 g
- Carbohydrate: 22 g
- Fiber: 0.7 g
- Protein: 0.67 g
- Calcium: 283 mg
Key Takeaways
These are just a few of the many available choices of milk for diabetics, but the differences in their nutritional profiles are rather noticeable.
It’s crucial to remember that the characteristics mentioned above are for unsweetened variants. These kinds of milk have more carbs in them if they have added sugars.
It is simple to overlook including milk’s carbohydrates in the total carbohydrates, but doing so can result in higher-than-expected blood sugar levels. Consider measuring by using the concept of “carbohydrate servings.”
A typical dairy carbohydrate serving can consist of 6 ounces of yogurt and 1 cup of cow’s milk. This dish contains about the same amount of carbohydrates as a small piece of fruit or a slice of bread.
Regardless of the type of milk chosen, moderation and close attention to blood sugar levels are essential. Food labels should always be read for information on serving sizes and carbohydrate content.
