Nutrition and Diabetes

When you think protein, think lean

Protein is not a major contributor to blood glucose, so the primary consideration is fat content. Some protein sources are very high fat (think bacon) while others are nearly fat-free. Naturally, the healthful way to put protein in your diet is to first eat very lean and lean protein, followed by occasional medium-fat protein, and finally by the rare high fat treat items.

The difference in these foods is not only in their fat content. With more fat comes more calories as well. If all your daily protein comes from high fat sources, you could be eating as much as 3 times the number of calories the same amount of very lean protein would provide!

If the prospect of sizzling bacon gets you out of bed in the morning, you don't necessarily have to give it up. If sandwich meats, cheese, bacon or sausage are on your favorite food list, switch to the low-fat or fat-free version of these foods that are in many grocery stores now. At the same time, try to develop a taste for very lean items like skinless chicken or turkey breast, lobster (yes, lobster!), halibut or tuna.

We recommend a moderate amount of very lean and lean protein consumption (see the descriptions below of different types of protein). This can safely constitute 20-30% of your total daily calories. With this said, choose your protein, but choose wisely. The list below will help you explore your options.

Very lean protein sources include skinless white meat chicken our turkey, flounder, halibut or tuna (fresh or canned in water), lobster, shrimp, clams, fat free cheese and any meat or cheese with 1 gram of fat per ounce.

Lean protein sources include lean beef, lean pork, lamb, veal, skinless dark meat chicken, sardines, salmon, tuna (canned in oil) and any meat or cheese with 3 grams of fat per ounce.

Medium fat protein includes most beef products, dark meat chicken with skin, fried chicken, fried fish and any meat or cheese with 5 grams of fat per ounce, like regular pork, lamb or veal.

High fat protein includes pork spareribs, pork sausage, regular, bacon, regular cheese, processed sandwich meat and any meat or cheese with 8 grams of fat per ounce.

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