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Cheese & Blood Glucose

Jul 7, 2011 | By Kathryn Gilhuly
Cheese & Blood Glucose
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Blood glucose refers to the amount of sugar present in your bloodstream. Your diet significantly impacts your blood glucose levels. Consuming carbohydrate-containing foods will cause your blood glucose levels to rise. Cheese has carbohydrates in it because it contains the naturally occurring sugar, lactose. Because cheese contains carbohydrates, consuming it will cause an increase in your blood glucose levels.

Carbohydrate Basics

Carbohydrates, unlike meat protein and fats, affect your blood glucose levels. Carbohydrates are found in a wide variety of foods including fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, milk, tofu, soy-based products and foods that include added sugars. Carbohydrates come in three main types: sugar, starch and fiber. Cheese contains sugar carbohydrates. The sugar in cheese is naturally occurring, like the sugar found in fruit. The amount of carbohydrates you consume affects your blood glucose levels more than the type of carbohydrates you eat.

Nutritional Information

Cheese, in general, contains relatively few carbohydrates. For example, 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese contains approximately 1.45 g of carbohydrates. This figure is very low considering that your meals should contain a total of 45 g to 60 g of carbohydrates. Because cheese contains so few carbohydrates, eating it will not cause much of an increase in your blood glucose levels. However, what little amount of carbohydrates cheese does contain will get converted into sugar and enter your bloodstream after digestion.

Blood Glucose

After you eat, the food matter makes its way to your stomach so that it can be digested. The process of digestion involves breaking down the foods you have consumed. The carbohydrates in foods and drinks get broken down into tiny sugar molecules. Once the carbohydrates are converted into sugar molecules, they are absorbed into the bloodstream. This is why carbohydrates in cheese cause your blood glucose levels to rise.

Considerations

Keep your serving sizes of cheese small and opt for low-fat versions. Cheese made from whole milk contains high amounts of saturated fat. One cup of cheddar cheese, for instance, contains 37.45 g of fat. Fat does not directly affect your blood glucose levels, but it does affect your weight and cholesterol levels. A serving of cheese equals 1 oz. -- about 1 slice. Cheese also supplies calcium to your diet.

References

Article reviewed by Knuckles Last updated on: Jul 7, 2011

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