Cheese in type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus

Cheese products are a rich source of essential amino acids: methionine, tryptophan, lysine. The active components of cheese have a positive effect on digestive function and regulate appetite [ 1 ]. Almost the entire cheese composition is easily and completely absorbed by the human body, so this product is always recommended for children and women during pregnancy (with the exception of soft varieties such as brie, camembert, blue Danish, gorgonzola, roquefort), [ 2 ] as well as patients with many diseases. But is cheese allowed for diabetes? Will it harm the pancreas and affect blood sugar levels?

Can you eat cheese if you have diabetes?

Cheese rightfully occupies one of the first places among tasty and at the same time nutritious products that make up the usual diet of each of us. And some studies claim that just two pieces of cheese a day can reduce the risk of diabetes. What are the benefits of the product? For example, 100 g of cheese contains the same amount of calcium as one liter of homemade milk. Is it worth talking about the rich vitamin and microelement composition of cheese products? [ 3 ]

Hard cheeses speed up the body's recovery after long infectious diseases or surgeries, improve the digestive processes, and have a positive effect on visual function. But, unfortunately, there are also some negative aspects related to the regular consumption of this product.

Doctors do not recommend including cheese in the diet if you have high blood cholesterol, kidney or pancreatic diseases, or vascular pathologies. [ 4 ]

Patients with diabetes can safely eat small amounts of cheese, provided that they simultaneously follow the rules of a balanced and healthy diet. The main thing is not to overuse cheese and choose the right products.

What kind of cheese can you eat if you have diabetes?

When choosing cheese for diabetes, you need to pay attention to the following points:

• Caloric content.

Most often, cheeses are high in calories and contain a large percentage of fat. Of course, this does not apply to absolutely all cheeses: there are dietary varieties, limited in calories and fat content. These are the ones you should choose.

• Saturated fat content.

Saturated fats, when entering the body, add a burden to the cardiovascular system, which is especially undesirable for diabetes. The lowest content of such fats is in Philadelphia, Tofu, Tempeh, Ricotta cheeses. There is especially a lot of them in goat and cream cheese, as well as in Roquefort, Colby, Cheshire varieties.

• Salt content.

In case of diabetes, it is recommended to eat no more than 2.3 g of salt per day. This is due to the ability of salt to increase blood pressure, increase the load on the heart, kidneys and blood vessels, and slow down the digestion of food. Cheese often contains a large percentage of salt - this is especially true for processed cheeses (the average figure for processed cheese is 1.2 g / 100 g).

In general, cheese has a relatively low glycemic index [ 5 ]. This means that the glucose portion is released gradually, without causing sharp spikes in blood sugar. But it should be noted that cheese is almost never consumed by itself, but only in combination with other foods that can also affect glucose levels. Therefore, you should always choose foods for diabetes very carefully.

Interestingly, the benefits of cheese for diabetes have been scientifically proven. Thus, in 2012, scientists analyzed the diet of healthy people and patients suffering from diabetes. It was found that those participants in the experiment who ate 50-55 g of cheese daily (and this is literally a couple of pieces) reduced the risk of developing diabetes by 12%.

In case of diabetes, it is not advisable to add processed cheeses, as well as vacuum-packed cheeses, smoked and salted varieties to the diet. The above products contain a large percentage of salt, and may also contain other components that do not belong to the category of healthy food.

The following types of cheese are preferable for diabetics:

• Tofu cheese is a soy cheese with a fat content of 1.5-4%;
• Gaudette is a low-fat cheese with a fat content of 7%;
• low-fat cheeses Viola Polar, Fitness, Diet, Diabetic, Grunlander, Children's with fat content from 5 to 10%;
• Ricotta with fat content up to 13%;
• low-fat cheeses Philadelphia, Oltermani, Arla (about 16-17%).

The optimal daily amount of cheese for diabetes is 30 g. It is advisable not to eat the product as a separate meal, but to add it to salads, sprinkle side dishes and main courses. Tofu and fermented milk cheeses are especially recommended for consumption: Ricotta, Feta, Gouda.

Processed cheese

Most often, processed cheese is a mixture of hard cheeses, butter, curds, dry milk, melting components and spices. This product was created by chance by Swiss cheese makers, but in our time it has become an integral part of our menu.

Processed cheese is certainly tasty and even contains useful components such as phosphorus and calcium. However, many nutritionists classify this product as harmful, and here's why. In addition to protein and some microelements, processed cheese contains a lot of salt, which retains fluid in tissues, as well as phosphates, which neutralize the beneficial effects of phosphorus and calcium. In addition, phosphates accelerate the removal of calcium from the body and often become provocateurs of allergic processes.

Why do doctors not recommend eating processed cheese if you have diabetes? In addition to salt and phosphates, it contains citric acid, which irritates the pancreas, which is extremely undesirable for diabetics.

Finding a quality processed product is quite difficult. The fact is that today, on store shelves there are mainly "cheesecakes" with a large number of all kinds of substitutes in the composition. For example, butter in them is replaced by vegetable analogues, and instead of hard cheeses, a low-quality rennet component is found.

Nutritionists warn patients with diabetes: if you want to taste cheese, it is better to give preference to hard, high-quality varieties, and put processed cheese aside.

Sausage cheese

Sausage cheeses are a subtype of processed cheese products. They are prepared on the basis of rennet cheeses, cream, butter and curd share: as a rule, the composition is selected from substandard components.

Let's analyze the process of producing sausage cheese. First, different types of substandard cheeses are crushed, then mixed and sent to a special melting pot. The resulting semi-liquid hot mixture is packed into molds, and the remaining finished product is packed in polymer or cellophane packaging and cooled. Many types of sausage cheese are additionally smoked: ideally, smoking is carried out at the final stage, using sawdust. But this is not always done: often, manufacturers limit themselves to adding a special concentrated substance to the total cheese mass, which gives the product a specific "smoked" aroma. Is it worth explaining that such cheese is unlikely to be useful for diabetes: low-quality ingredients negatively affect the digestive system as a whole, irritate the mucous tissues of the stomach and duodenum, lead to a sharp increase in cholesterol levels, etc.

Taking all the points into account, experts do not recommend eating sausage cheeses for diabetics. When choosing cheese products, at least you should read their composition. However, for diabetics, it is still advisable to completely refuse processed and sausage variations of cheeses.

Adyghe cheese

The most delicate Adyghe cheese is liked by many: it belongs to the category of soft cheeses, which also include feta, feta, mascarpone. The composition is represented by protein (approximately up to 25%) and fats (up to 20%), as well as lactose, milk sugars.

The composition of Adyghe cheese allows the product to be classified as a dietary dish: it is easily digested, perfectly absorbed, does not disrupt digestive processes and is often recommended for consumption by elderly and weakened patients.

The benefits of Adyghe cheese for diabetes are invaluable. It is allowed to consume it in quantities not exceeding 100 g per day. The product must be fresh and not too fatty (optimally - up to 25%). It should be taken into account that its shelf life in the refrigerator does not exceed five days.

Adyghe cheese is a tasty, healthy and affordable complete dish: the price of the product is usually lower than that of most hard cheese varieties. If you have diabetes, you can add it to your diet without any concerns.

Cottage cheese

Natural cottage cheese is usually made from quality ingredients, such as real yogurt, milk, cream, starter culture and a small amount of salt.

This product is not prohibited for diabetes, and is even recommended. However, when choosing cheese, you need to pay attention to the following points:

• If the packaging indicates a long shelf life (several months), this means that the cream cheese has undergone heat treatment;
• cottage cheese may contain additional additives - for example, herbs, pieces of mushrooms, pepper, starch, vegetable fats, etc.;
• The fat content of cottage cheese can vary depending on the composition.

In order for this cheese to be beneficial for diabetes, you need to choose options with a short shelf life, without additional flavor additives and with a low percentage of fat (optimally up to 25%).

What conclusions can be drawn from the above material? For diabetes types I and II, it is allowed to add young low-fat cheeses to the diet, without additional additives and melting components. Such products do not particularly affect the increase in blood glucose levels: we are talking about Adyghe, Tofu, Ricotta, Philadelphia, Children's cheeses, etc. Cheese contains a large percentage of calcium, phosphorus, B-group vitamins, essential amino acids. Several slices of cheese will help to add variety to the patient's diet and not cause harm to health. [ 6 ]

If you still have doubts about eating cheese if you have diabetes, it would be a good idea to consult an endocrinologist, since each case of the disease is individual.