In general, people with diabetes can eat cheese. Keep your diet appropriate to your condition by choosing low-fat varieties of cheese and keeping portions small. Also make certain to include cheese as part of a diabetes-friendly diet that maintains a proper balance of fruits, vegetables, starches and protein.
Balanced Diet
The American Diabetes Association lists cheese as part of the protein food group. You can exchange cheese for meat-based protein such as chicken, fish and beef. The American Diabetes Association recommends this balance of foods: for breakfast, ½ starchy foods, ¼ fruit and ¼ protein; for lunch and dinner, ½ non-starchy vegetables, ¼ starchy foods and ¼ protein. Cheese should make up no more than one-quarter of any meal.
Breakfast
For breakfast, try preparing one small buckwheat pancake, using buckwheat flour, for healthy whole grain starch. Top your pancake with low-fat cottage cheese instead of maple syrup. To add sweetness, fiber and vitamins to your breakfast, add fruit on top of the cottage cheese; try blackberries, blueberries and raspberries. Sprinkle with cinnamon. You could also enjoy whole grain toast with melted low-fat mozzarella cheese and a half grapefruit on the side.
Lunch
For lunch, try preparing a veggie- and cheese-stuffed sweet potato. The sweet potato will serve as your healthy starch. Bake it in the oven, then scoop out the soft inside of the sweet potato so that you are left with just the skin. Place the soft sweet potato that you separated from its skin into a bowl. Add a variety of steamed or grilled non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus, peppers and onions, and mix. Stuff the empty potato skin with the sweet potato and veggie mixture. Top with low-fat shredded cheese and bake until melted.
Dinner
For dinner, try a Mediterranean wrap. Use a whole wheat pita as your healthy starch. Top the pita with a variety of non-starchy vegetables such as baby spinach, romaine, cucumber, roma tomatoes, green onion, cabbage and olives. Sprinkle with low-fat crumbled feta cheese. Another diabetes-friendly dinner option that includes cheese is homemade broccoli and cheese soup. The American Diabetes Association recommends that you eat broccoli and cheese soup with a side salad and a small whole grain roll.
References
- American Dietetic Association, Eat Right: Diabetes and Diet
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness -- Create Your Plate
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness -- Breakfast On The Go
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness -- Whole Grain Foods
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness -- Non-Starchy Vegetables
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness -- Meal Ideas For Different Vegetarian Diets
