When you’re living with diabetes, you get used to watching what you eat. However, you still may not be aware of how a simple cup of tea can affect your health. According to health experts, certain types of tea can interact with your medication and affect your blood sugar levels. That’s why you need to pay close attention to what you put in that teacup.
3 Herbal Teas to Avoid When You Have Diabetes
1. Aloe Vera
This plant is usually known for its great benefits for the skin and hair, but it can also be found as a tea. Unfortunately, some initial research shows that it can have a significant effect on your blood sugar levels. That may be beneficial for some people, but if you’re already taking medication to keep your blood sugar in check, you may end up going through a hypoglycemic episode.
Of course, there hasn’t been enough research on this yet, so the findings may change. In the meantime, it’s best to stay away from any form of aloe vera that you can ingest.
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2. Chamomile
This one might surprise you since chamomile is often recommended to ease problems with sleep, digestion, allergies, arthritis, osteoporosis, and more. However, it’s also known to lower blood sugar, which can result in the same issues as aloe vera tea. Additionally, it may interact with warfarin, a blood thinner that some people with diabetes take because they have developed heart disease.
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In this case, drinking chamomile tea can increase your risk of bleeding. Fortunately, those who aren’t on any medication for blood thinning might not have this concern. Your best course of action is to talk to your doctor about whether or not chamomile tea will be an issue for you.
3. Fenugreek
This is another herb that has been linked to multiple health benefits. Consuming fenugreek can boost your libido, lower your cholesterol, ease heartburn, and reduce inflammation in the body. People living with diabetes, however, need to be careful of the herb’s tendency to lower their blood sugar levels.
Fenugreek may also interact with blood thinners like warfarin to increase your risk of bleeding. If you’re thinking about having some fenugreek tea, you should talk to your doctor first.
Signs You’ve Been Affected
If you’ve consumed something that’s affecting your blood sugar, then you’re likely to have signs of hypoglycemia. In hypoglycemia, your blood sugar drops below your usual range. Though this can vary slightly, 70 mg/dL is considered to be the average blood sugar level.
At the onset of hypoglycemia, you may experience sweating, headache, nausea, unexplained hunger, shakiness, an irregular heartbeat, and dizziness. You may also look pale, get irritable, have trouble concentrating, get a headache, or have tingling in your lips, tongue, or cheek. If it’s allowed to worsen, you may get confused, slur your speech, have trouble coordinating your movements, or get blurry vision. Given that some people drink tea to help with sleep, you should note that hypoglycemia can also cause nightmares
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In severe cases, hypoglycemia can lead to seizures and a loss of consciousness. If still left untreated, you may go into a coma or even die. It’s important to note that the symptoms of hypoglycemia can progress quickly, so you need to act immediately when you notice the onset of signs.
The first thing you can do is eat or drink 15 to 20 grams of fast-acting carbohydrates. Your best options are sugary drinks or foods that don’t have any protein or fat, such as glucose tablets, fruit juice, regular soda, honey, or sugary candy. When you eat them, they’re easily converted to sugar that your body can absorb quickly.
Once you’ve done that, you should re-check your blood sugar levels. If they’re still under 70 mg/dL, eat another 15 to 20 grams of a fast-acting carbohydrate. You can repeat these steps as often as needed to bring your blood sugar level within normal range. As soon as that happens, you should eat a snack or meal that contains slower-releasing carbohydrates so your blood sugar can remain stable.
If the symptoms are already severe, though, you need immediate help from someone else. The typical treatment is intravenous glucose or a glucagon injection. If no one can administer that or you don’t have the necessary kit, they need to take you to the emergency room immediately.
Best Herbal Teas to Try Instead
Leaving certain herbs behind doesn’t mean that you can never enjoy a nice cup of tea again. Other types are considered to be perfectly safe for people who are living with diabetes. The essential difference with these teas is that they’re unlikely to affect your blood sugar levels unless you drink significant amounts of them.
For example, green and black tea have the potential to lower blood sugar levels, but that effect pales in comparison to their other benefits. These herbal teas are well known for helping with weight management, improving cognitive function, and lowering your risk of developing certain cancers. While turmeric is also associated with lowering blood sugar levels, its potential for improving kidney function is noteworthy for those with diabetes.
Mate tea is a good option as well as its main benefit is that it can lower your cholesterol levels, which can be great, as people with diabetes often have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Hibiscus tea has also been shown to lower high blood pressure, and this can be helpful for people with diabetes as well.
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Peppermint tea can lower your stress and anxiety levels, which many people who live with diabetes have to deal with. If you like citrusy teas, then consider drinking lemon balm or lemongrass. Both of them have a lemon flavor that’s pleasant and calming. A few of their health benefits include aiding digestion, boosting brain function, weight management, improving sleep, reducing depression and anxiety, and lowering blood pressure.
You have to be careful what you eat and drink when you have diabetes. While you may be used to monitoring sources of sugar, herbal teas should also be on your radar. A few of them can interact with the medications you take while also dropping your blood sugar levels. The best thing for you to do is talk to your doctor about which ones you should avoid.
