Should you stop eating meat if you have diabetes?

Meat lovers with diabetes can limit their intake of unhealthful fats by choosing leaner animal products. Read on to know the healthy meat options for a diabetes diet.

By: Longjam Dineshwori | | Updated: November 23, 2020 9:17 pm

Higher intake of red meat may increase your risk of developing diabetes. © Shutterstock

Diet and lifestyle changes are often advised for people with diabetes to manage their blood glucose, reduce weight, and lower risk of complications. However, having diabetes does not mean that you have to stop eating the foods that you enjoy. Experts say diabetes patients can eat most foods, but in smaller portions. Also Read - Is neem good for diabetes? Find out

Some studies have suggested that eating red meat can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, even at low levels of consumption. So, should meat lovers stop eating beef, pork and lamb if they’re diagnosed with diabetes? Also Read - Diabetes diet: Does caffeine in coffee and tea affect your blood sugar levels?

People with diabetes don’t need to remove meat from their diet entirely, they just need reduce the intake and choose healthy meat options. Also Read - 6 best low sugar fruits for diabetics to manage blood sugar levels

Choose leaner meats

People with diabetes should avoid saturated and trans fats as they can lead to weight gain, raise cholesterol levels and increase risk of heart disease. These unhealthy fats are primarily found in foods that come from animals, such as meat and dairy products.

Meat lovers with diabetes can limit their intake of unhealthful fats by choosing leaner animal products. For example, chicken breast and pork loin often have less saturated fat.

The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) lists turkey or chicken breast without the skin as very lean meat, meaning it has 1 g of fat and 35 calories per serving.

Other lean meat options include sirloin, flank steak, tenderloin, and chipped beef, lean pork, boiled ham, Canadian bacon, and tenderloin.

If you have diabetes, it is advisable to eat medium fat meats in moderation. Medium fat meats include – ground beef, chuck steak, T-bone steak, pork chops, loin roast, cutlets, poultry with skin, ground turkey, domestic duck or goose, liver, heart, kidney, and sweetbreads, etc.

Avoid processed meats

People with diabetes should remove high fat and processed meats from their diet. Beef ribs, pork spareribs and sausages, lamb patties, processed meats, such as sausages, salami, frankfurter, hot dogs, are high fat meats. This type of meat contains 8 g of fat and 100 calories per 1-oz serving.

In a study, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) found that eating processed meat, such as bacon, sausage or processed deli meats, was associated with a 42% higher risk of heart disease and a 19% higher risk of type 2 diabetes. The study was published online on the website of the journal Circulation in May 17, 2010.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommend diabetes patients to replace some meats and poultry with fish and plant-based protein sources. such as beans, lentils, nuts and soy products.

Too much red meat may up diabetes risk

A study conducted at Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS) in Singapore found that higher intake of red meat and poultry significantly increased risk of developing diabetes. The risk was partially attributed to the higher content of heme iron in these meats.

Senior author of the study Koh Woon Puay, Professor of Clinical Sciences at Duke-NUS, suggested reducing the daily intake, especially for red meat, and choosing chicken breast and fish/shellfish, or plant-based protein food and dairy products, to reduce the risk of diabetes.

The study noted that chicken breast meat has lower heme-iron contents, compared to thighs. It also demonstrated the benefit of replacing red meat or poultry with fish/shellfish.

Published : November 23, 2020 9:07 pm | Updated:November 23, 2020 9:17 pm

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