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BEER! 6/16/16

We’re living in something of a golden age of beer in the United States, with an estimated 2,700 craft breweries in thecountry alone. And beer options are abundant—from your traditional pilsners and ales, to lambic beer, imperial IPAs,Russian stouts, and a litany of Belgian wheat beers.Your social life doesn’t need to stop when you have Type 1 diabetes, and neither does your love of beer. That’s right, if youfeel the urge to drink up, go right ahead, just consider our advice for safe Type 1 beer consumption.

Drinking Must-dos

Eat before you drink – drinking on an empty stomach can send you especially low, since alcohol has a tendency tospike BGLs high then drop them low. This is due to the liver processing the alcohol. For this reason, do not countalcohol carbs as food carbs. The elevated carb content in beer, compared to thither alcohols, can lead to an evengreater spike and plummet scenario.Hydrate! Drink a glass of water between beers or an other calorie-free option (e.g. diet soda or iced tea). Hydration iskey to avoiding a hangover as well as helping you stay in better range.Test you BGLs frequently – before going out, while you’re out, and before going home to bed. This continuousmonitoring will help you manage the unpredictable numbers beer can give you.Make sure you’re with someone who knows you’re Type 1 – if you exhibit signs of hyperglycemia orhypoglycemia, they know how to assist you if need be. Remember that hypoglycemia has similar signs ofdrunkenness such as drowsiness and disorientation.Avoid drinking too much – stay mindful. When one drinks, the liver stops to break down and remove toxins,preventing the organ from doing all the other jobs it normally would, such as releasing stored glucose if your levelsstart to fall. And if you’re drinking to the point of inebriation, it might be harder to realize that your body is strugglingto do its job.

If you have a favorite beer (IPA, stout, etc.) consider doing a test run to see how that beer affects your BGLs. Test yourlevels before drinking anything at all and then immediately after drinking one beer. This should give you an idea of howyour body reacts to different brews.Light beers and traditional pilsners generally carry the lowest carb contents (6g), with some brews being created specificallyfor low carb content. These beers, however, while fine for some, are much less interesting to beer aficionados and craftbrewery converts. But those bigger flavors and higher alcohol contents often come with elevated carb levels. Generallyspeaking, craft brewery stouts and wheat beers contain around 20g of carbs per bottle. Porters are often a little lower, in the15g range. IPAs may offer your best bet for getting big, hoppy flavor and a manageable amount of carbs. Many IPAs clockin around 12g of carbs a bottle. While that’s still twice as much as many pilsners, it’s a good in-between.

Check out our Booze Guide for tips on other alcoholic beverages and our Drinking with Diabetes Chart.

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