Is Meat Ever Counted as a Carb?
| Author: Judy Kohn, RN, BSN, CDE |
| Last Updated: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 |
Q: "When counting carbs, is meat ever counted as a carb? Our support group couldn’t agree on this."
A: Before you read the answer, I’d recommend you refer to the related question in the archives about carb counting: and I’ll add that the reference for both that answer and this one is from the American Diabetes Association’s Complete Guide to Carb Counting, by Hope S. Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDE and Karmeen Kulkarni, MS, RD, CDE.
Effect of Protein and Fat on Blood Glucose
It’s true that protein and fat in foods, when eaten in the recommended amounts, barely affect your blood glucose levels. But the reason you can’t ignore the protein and fat is as follows:
- Protein and fat contain calories, so while they might not have an impact on your blood glucose, they can cause unwanted weight gain if you consume too much. Examples of high-fat foods are: salad dressings, butter or margarine, mayonnaise, and cream cheese. Some foods high in both protein and fat are: cheese and sausage.
- Fat and protein might slow down the rise in blood glucose, partly due to a delay in stomach emptying. Examples would be: having a large steak, or having fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, or cheesecake. With foods such as these, your blood glucose might rise more slowly and peak later than you expect, so you need to analyze your glucose pattern and learn to account for these possible differences.
- Too much protein and fat—especially saturated fat—are not healthy for anyone.
- For years it was thought that 50% of protein ingested was converted to glucose, and that protein would raise blood glucose, just more slowly. Newer research now questions the truth of those statements. In fact, recent studies show that protein stimulates the production of insulin in some people with type 2 diabetes, and that this small rise in insulin will actually lower blood glucose. In contrast, people with type 1 diabetes would see little effect of protein on their blood glucose, unless very large portions were eaten. Large portions of protein can increase blood glucose, creating a need for more insulin or oral agents.
So what’s the answer to the question? Technically, no, you do not count meat in your carb counting. However, the Complete Guide to Carb Counting does recommend:
- Monitor your blood glucose to see what works best for you.
- This includes monitoring your blood glucose several times in the hours after the meal when you eat foods that are higher in protein and fat—for example: consider checking your glucose both 2 hours and 3 hours after the meal rather than just 2 hours after. You might not see the full impact of the meal on your blood glucose level at 2 hours, due to the protein and/or fat.
- Learn how your body responds to these meals, so you and your healthcare team can determine a plan to manage them.
- Some people decide to take part of their rapid-acting insulin just before the meal, and the other part of it at the end of their meal, to better control their glucose after a high protein or fat meal. Those using insulin pumps might want to use a combination bolus regimen for these situations.
- Since you are part of a support group, I’d further recommend you consider inviting a dietitian as a guest speaker to discuss this topic.
- Finally, I would highly recommend the reference I mentioned, the Complete Guide to Carb Counting.
Related Questions
Count carbs or count sugar
Q:
"I already look for carbs on food labels. Should I check for grams of sugar
as well? My physician said not to look for sugar. Is she right?"
Related Links
American Diabetes Association (ADA)
http://www.diabetes.org
Joslin Diabetes Center
http://www.joslin.org
Important Notice: The responses provided by the team of Diabetes Educators are based on their personal experiences and expertise as practicing diabetes healthcare professionals, and are not to be considered diabetes management advice from Abbott Laboratories. Remember that information provided by the team of Diabetes Educators is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your physician about any healthcare questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to healthcare issues.
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