Dairy products are slowly being
recognized again as being good for you, even for people with
diabetes. Dairy foods such as milk, cheese, and yogurt are great
sources of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. The also contain a good
amount of calcium and vitamin D. making them good for bone health.
Dairy foods also have a role in diabetes prevention.
For people with diabetes, dairy is good
for you, too. While milk and yogurt contain lactose, a kind of milk
sugar or carbohydrate, they won’t spike your blood glucose.
Anthropologists think that people have
been drinking and eating dairy products for 9,000 years. But today
this important food group is often forgotten: 80% of adults don’t
get their recommended three servings /day and that’s not counting
those who suffer from lactose intolerance, especially Asian Americans
and Latinos. If you’re one of the 80%, now is a good time to
reconsider.
One of diabetes’ day-to-day
challenges is sticking to your meal plan. Dairy can help. In
addition to being great sources of protein, milk, yogurt and cheese
can help you to feel full longer. That’s because dairy food offer
a great combination of protein, low-glycemic carbohydrate, and fat.
Joslin says interesting research is
coming out showing that the type of saturated fat in dairy foods may
not be as harmful as we once thought. In fact, it seems to have a
relatively neutral effect.
While there
may not be specific benefits to dairy saturated fat, it does not seem
to be harmful. However, if you’re watching calories, the low-fat
or non-fat varieties of milk and yogurt may still be the best choice
since 1 gram of fat contains 9 calories, which is far more than 1
gram of protein or carbs, which contains 4 calories. This is carb
counting with dairy.
Most people with diabetes think first
about carbohydrates and plan meals based on a certain allowance of
carb servings (measured in grams). Often people avoid dairy because
they want to “spend” their carb allowance on other foods.
However, given all the good reasons why dairy foods should be a
regular part of your meal plan, here’s how to carb count them into
your meal planning.
A cup of milk (no matter if it is whole
or skim or in-between) will have 12 grams of carb (or you can round
that up to 15 grams if you’re estimating). A cup of yogurt can be
variable – based on if it is plain, flavored, fruited or Greek.
Check the nutrition facts label. But in general, one cup of plain
yogurt will also have about 15 grams of carb.
Cheese contains only very small amounts
of carbs but it is mostly fat, which is why most people with lactose
intolerance can still eat it, especially hard cheese. (Keep in mind
that not all “milks” are alike. Rice “milk” drink, almond
milk, and soymilk don’t have the same nutritional profile as dairy
milk.)
This is the important information on
the advantages of milk. Emerging research from multiple different
countries is showing some consistent results. People who eat dairy
foods more frequently, particularly yogurt and some fermented cheeses
like blue cheese, appear to have a lower incidence of diabetes.
Why is this? We don’t know yet.
Perhaps it has to do with their probiotics, which can affect the
microbiome – or the healthy bacteria that live in your gut. Stay
tuned — more research is being done on this. Joslin’s
research into dairy foods is underway and maybe available in the near
future.
USDA guidelines recommend low fat dairy
products. However, it is not clear if high fat or low fat dairy have
different effects on glycemic control and other cardiovascular risk
factors in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Two research studies have recently
launched at Joslin that will help us better understand the role of
fat in dairy foods in diabetes – particularly as it relates to
weight management.
In a randomized prospective clinical
study, Dr. Osama Hamdy and Dr. Joanna Mitri are evaluating the effect
of high-fat dairy and low-fat dairy on glycemic control, body weight,
and cardio-metabolic risk factors.
Please read the full article by Joslin.
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