# Beer and Cider



## am64 (Dec 13, 2012)

ok which beer or cider with decent alcohol contents has the least effect on BS levels ?

my gp said drink gin and tonic ...as half a bottle of gin (not just for me )is the same price as a full bottle ..it wasnt such a good idea ...

when we have had a stressful day serving the public ( i working in charity retail ...partner in social advice  ) we like to have a wind down time whilst cooking and chatting about the day ...

like many we find alcohol is useful ....but which one ?


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## Phil65 (Dec 13, 2012)

am64 said:


> ok which beer or cider with decent alcohol contents has the least effect on BS levels ?
> 
> my gp said drink gin and tonic ...as half a bottle of gin (not just for me )is the same price as a full bottle ..it wasnt such a good idea ...
> 
> ...



I mainly stick to red wine, I do like Bombay sapphire but be careful of the tonic!


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## am64 (Dec 13, 2012)

Phil65 said:


> I mainly stick to red wine, I do like Bombay sapphire but be careful of the tonic!



unfortunately the red wine makes me feel awful the next day after even 2 glasses im ready to sleep ... ...bombay sapphire bit pricey ..id prefer to mix my own with the straight gin ....we love a good ale ...we had a bottle of Adnams broadside tonight and its lovely ...but can we find out how many carbs for different types so compare what maybe a better beer/lager/cider to drink ?


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## Phil65 (Dec 13, 2012)

am64 said:


> unfortunately the red wine makes me feel awful the next day after even 2 glasses im ready to sleep ... ...bombay sapphire bit pricey ..id prefer to mix my own with the straight gin ....we love a good ale ...we had a bottle of Adnams broadside tonight and its lovely ...but can we find out how many carbs for different types so compare what maybe a better beer/lager/cider to drink ?



A rough guide....lager 8g carb per pint, bitter 17g, Guinness 9g, cider dry 15g, cider sweet 25g, large glass of white wine 15g, red wine 0g!


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## am64 (Dec 13, 2012)

Phil65 said:


> A rough guide....lager 8g carb per pint, bitter 17g, Guinness 9g, cider dry 15g, cider sweet 25g, large glass of white wine 15g, red wine 0g!



really ....re red wine ?? how come ?  ummm ...know anything about belguim beers ? 
thanks for the help phil


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## Phil65 (Dec 13, 2012)

am64 said:


> really ....re red wine ?? how come ?  ummm ...know anything about belguim beers ?
> thanks for the help phil



I think a lot more sugar is turned to alcohol in red wine, most reds have some carb but very small amount......Belgian beers...well....the best beer in the world but most comes with a big carb kick, leffe has 18g! I've not long come back from Bruges for a short break....their Xmas beers were superb!


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## Nicky1970 (Dec 14, 2012)

Now I know why I've never liked red wine.


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## StephenM (Dec 14, 2012)

As with many things you need to look on the effect on your personal BG as the carb content is confused by the effect on the liver. With Guinness it seems to be self-cancelling (for me) for the first two pints, a packet of crisps is needed to balance pints three and four, and beyond that it is totally unpredictable! Dry ciders are also self-cancelling for me but a pint of a sweeter cider will push me into the upper teens. With wines I definitely need extra carbs to balance red and dry whites (Chardonnay, Savigion Blanc, etc.) so tend to drink these if I am dining out. The main thing is test, test, test as we are all different. Above all don?t ?drink and drive?!

P.S.Just back from a Christmas do. BG 10,7, alcohol intake - at least a weeks worth


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## everydayupsanddowns (Dec 14, 2012)

Completely agree that you need to use your meter to guide you and be careful of the possibility of BG spike followed by BG crash. Trips to the pub were always much more tricky for me pre-pump since I get little if any BG reduction. These days the choice of drink governs how much bolus I need - I seem to be a bit unusual in this regard - but without insulin to inject I would always suffer high BGs if drinking beer.


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## bennyg70 (Dec 14, 2012)

Vodka (drop of lime) and soda!


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## novorapidboi26 (Dec 14, 2012)

Interesting to know that white wine has carbs, I thought all wines were carb free.........?

Apart from the Bucky  of course....

Fortunately I am a red wine man........


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## DeusXM (Dec 14, 2012)

It's made of fruit so it would always have carbs in it. If all the sugars had fermented to alcohol, the wine would be undrinkable.


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## novorapidboi26 (Dec 14, 2012)

Negligible carbs though, at least in red wine, I wouldn't take any insulin for that, any carbs would be mopped up with the Levemir......


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## DeusXM (Dec 14, 2012)

Depends how closely your basal matches your basal glucose output - if it's a little higher, then yep. I wouldn't bolus for wine personally either, unless I'd had 3 or 4 glasses of it. In fact, a glass of red wine before bed can work quite well for staving off dawn phenomenon.


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## heasandford (Dec 14, 2012)

Everyone is certainly different. I always get a highish BG in the evening of drinking, but absolutely have to eat before bed even if 11/12ish, otherwise overnight hypo. Then usually I get a high again the following day, even if I haven't been hypo. It's as if my liver is saying - aaaagh, I haven't been doing enough while I've been dealing with all that alcohol, quick, have some glucose!

and this is after only 3 glasses of wine max!

Repeat - everyone is different....!


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