Your body reacts very differently after eating carbohydrates versus protein. When you eat any carbohydrate-containing food, your blood glucose levels will rise. The degree to which your blood glucose levels rise depends on the type of carbohydrate-containing food you consume. Pure protein -- protein sources that do not contain any carbohydrates -- do not affect your blood glucose levels.
Glycemic Index Basics
All foods, except for meats, contain carbohydrates. Examples of carbohydrate-containing foods are fruits, vegetables, rice, pasta, bread, cheese, milk and yogurt. The glycemic index is a measurement that helps you determine the degree to which a carbohydrate-containing food will affect your blood glucose levels. Carbohydrate-containing foods with a low glycemic index -- broccoli, for instance -- will unlikely cause a significant rise in your blood glucose levels, whereas candy, cake and other carbohydrates with high glycemic index scores will likely cause a dramatic increase in your blood glucose levels.
Nutrient Factors
Two major nutrients affect the glycemic index ranking of carbohydrates: fat and fiber. In general, foods high in fat or fiber tend to have a lower glycemic index. This does not mean, however, that persons with diabetes should include a lot of fat in their diets. A healthy diabetes diet aims to improve your blood pressure, cholesterol and weight as well as your blood glucose levels. Diets high in fat, especially saturated fat, could harm your heart health. Look beyond the glycemic index in choosing foods. Diets rich in fiber, however, may prove beneficial to your diabetes health. So, choose high-fiber carbohydrate-containing foods such as beans, legumes, whole grains, vegetables and fruits with edible skins or seeds.
Preparation Factors
Food preparation affects a food's glycemic index score. Processed foods tend to possess higher glycemic index rankings than fresh, raw whole foods. For example, fruit juice has a higher glycemic index than fresh fruit. In addition, foods cooked for a long time -- soups and stews, for instance -- tend to score higher on the glycemic index than foods such as grilled chicken breasts that cook for shorter periods. Firm-cooked -- al dente -- whole-wheat pasta makes a better choice than soft-cooked.
Protein
Meat sources of protein -- such as chicken, turkey, beef, ham and fish -- do not affect your blood glucose levels. However, vegetarian types of protein such as beans, soy products and cheese do contain carbohydrates and will, therefore, cause your blood glucose levels to rise. The only protein that will not cause your blood glucose levels to rise is plain animal meat protein. If you add batter, breading or sauces to meat, you add carbohydrates.
