Best Drinks for Blood Sugar

Water, unsweetened tea, and plain sparkling water are three of the best drinks for blood sugar because they contain little or no sugar. They can help you avoid the blood sugar rise that may follow a sugary drink, but they are not treatments for high blood sugar.

For more options organized by concern, browse natural remedies by health goal. The best choice for you also depends on your medications, other health conditions, and what you can drink regularly without added sugar.

5 best drinks for blood sugar: quick list

These five options contain little or no sugar when prepared plain. You can use the ai symptom analyzer to organize symptoms for a conversation with a clinician, but it cannot diagnose a condition or replace urgent care.

The practical advantage of these drinks is mostly what they do not contain: the sugar and carbohydrate in many sweetened beverages. The evidence supplied for this page does not establish any of them as a treatment for high blood sugar.

Water

Plain water has no carbohydrate, so it does not add dietary sugar that your body must process. It also supports hydration, which matters if high blood sugar has made you thirsty. Drinking water is not a reliable way to bring an already high reading back into your target range.

Choose safe tap water or bottled water and drink it throughout the day. If plain water is difficult to enjoy, try it chilled or with ice rather than adding a sweetened flavoring.

The evidence for choosing water here is its lack of carbohydrate and its role in hydration. No clinical trial evidence was supplied for this page showing that water alone treats high blood sugar.

Unsweetened tea

Tea brewed in water without sugar contains little carbohydrate. Replacing a sweetened drink with it can therefore reduce the carbohydrate you consume from that drink; it does not mean tea itself will lower blood sugar.

Brew tea to your preferred strength and serve it hot or cold without sugar, honey, or sweetened syrups. Check packaged iced tea carefully: a tea label does not mean the drink is unsweetened. Decaffeinated or caffeine-free tea is an option if caffeine affects your sleep or makes you feel unwell.

The evidence supplied does not establish unsweetened tea as a blood sugar treatment. Its dependable advantage in this list is that plain tea is a low-sugar alternative to sweetened beverages.

Plain sparkling water

Plain sparkling water provides carbonation without the sugar in regular soda. The bubbles are not a blood sugar treatment; the useful difference is choosing a drink without added carbohydrate.

Select unflavored, unsweetened sparkling water, and read the label if the product has flavoring. Some fizzy drinks marketed as waters contain sugar or juice. If carbonation makes you uncomfortable, still water is an equally reasonable choice.

No clinical evidence was supplied for this page showing that carbonation improves blood sugar. Plain sparkling water is included because it can make a no-sugar choice more appealing, particularly if you want a fizzy drink.

Unsweetened coffee

Plain coffee made with water contains little carbohydrate. Avoiding sugar and sweetened syrups keeps the drink from adding the carbohydrate found in many coffee-shop drinks.

Drink it plain or check the carbohydrate content of anything you add. Caffeine can affect blood sugar differently from person to person and can also disturb sleep or cause a racing heart. If you monitor blood sugar, discuss patterns you notice with your care team rather than assuming coffee has the same effect for everyone.

The evidence supplied for this page does not establish coffee as a way to lower blood sugar. Choose it because you enjoy it without sugar, not as a substitute for your diabetes care plan.

Unsweetened infused water

Infused water is plain water flavored with a small amount of produce. Without added sugar, it can be a lower-sugar alternative to a sweetened fruit drink. Some carbohydrate may pass into the water, especially if fruit is squeezed into it, so do not assume every homemade infusion is carbohydrate-free.

For a simple cucumber infusion, use:

• 1 cup (240 mL) drinking water
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) washed, thinly sliced cucumber

1. Add the cucumber to the water.
2. Refrigerate until chilled and serve without sugar or syrup.

See detox water for blood sugar for more ideas. Prepare infused water with washed produce and keep it refrigerated rather than leaving it at room temperature.

No clinical evidence was supplied showing that infused water treats high blood sugar. The liver and kidneys do most of the body's detoxification; the lungs and gut help eliminate waste, while sweat removes only trace amounts. Infused water supports hydration rather than cleansing the body.

Which drinks should you avoid or limit for blood sugar?

Regular soda, sweetened tea, fruit drinks, energy drinks, and sweetened coffee drinks can contain enough carbohydrate to raise blood sugar. Honey, syrups, and other sugars added at home count too. A drink described as natural, homemade, or fruit-flavored is not necessarily low in sugar.

Compare labels using total carbohydrate and the serving size, not just the words on the front. A bottle may contain more than one serving, so account for the amount you actually drink. If you use a carbohydrate-counting plan, include the drink in the total your care team has recommended.

There is an important exception: a sugar-containing drink can be useful when treating low blood sugar. Do not avoid fast-acting carbohydrate during a suspected or confirmed low because you are trying to limit sugar. Follow your prescribed low-blood-sugar plan or the steps below.

How much should you drink?

There is no single amount of these drinks that will control blood sugar for everyone. Drink regularly through the day and respond to thirst, choosing water or another unsweetened option rather than forcing down large quantities to change a reading.

Your needs can vary with activity, weather, illness, age, and medications. A clinician can help you set an appropriate fluid plan if you are frequently thirsty or unsure how much is right for you. Persistent or unusually intense thirst deserves medical attention rather than simply more drinks.

If you have kidney disease or heart failure, or have been told to limit fluids, follow the amount given by your care team. Do not increase your intake beyond that plan without asking. If you take diuretics or other medicines that affect fluid balance, ask whether you need specific guidance.

When should you see a doctor?

Contact a clinician if you have persistent thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision, unexplained weight loss, or blood sugar readings that remain outside your individual target. These signs have several possible causes and need assessment; a drink cannot tell you what is wrong. If you are pregnant or managing diabetes during pregnancy, discuss concerning readings or symptoms promptly with your pregnancy care team.

If your blood sugar is below 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L) and you are awake and able to swallow, take 15 g of fast-acting carbohydrate, such as glucose tablets or an amount of regular juice containing 15 g of carbohydrate. Wait 15 minutes, then recheck; if it is still below 70 mg/dL, repeat. If you have symptoms of a low and cannot check promptly, treat the suspected low and seek medical advice.

For a person who is unconscious, having a seizure, or unable to swallow safely, call emergency services. Do not give food or drink by mouth; give glucagon if it is available and you know how to use it. Seek emergency care for high blood sugar with vomiting, trouble breathing, confusion, or fruity-smelling breath.

People taking insulin or medicines that can cause low blood sugar need an individualized plan for lows. Children and pregnant people should also receive advice suited to their circumstances; ask a clinician about caffeine and appropriate drinks. Never stop or change prescribed medication because you have changed what you drink.