Nutrition Tips

Dr. Kim Schwabenbauer, RD, CSSD

Nutrition and physical activity are two critical parts of a healthy lifestyle when it comes to helping control blood sugar. Whether you currently have diabetes or are just looking to improve your metabolic health by keeping your blood glucose level, also called blood sugar, within your target range, appropriate nutrition choices can help! Key to management are balancing factors such as what you eat and drink, how much you eat and the timing of what you eat to maintain appropriate blood sugar to keep you feeling satisfied and energized all day.

Incorporating lean proteins, like beef, as part of a higher protein diet, along with other nutrient-dense vegetables, whole grains, and dairy products, can assist individuals in their quest to do the following:

• Keep blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol within their target ranges (1,3,9)
• Lose weight or maintain a healthy weight (2,9)
• Feel more satisfied and curb hunger (4,5)
• Assist in weight management and improve metabolic burning power even while you sleep (6)

One of the most missed opportunities for setting up your day for success is by including beef and other protein sources at breakfast to aim for a minimum of 20 grams of protein at this meal. Current research suggests that consuming a balanced breakfast that contains protein results in better-controlled blood sugar responses throughout the day (7). The goal of any meal or snack should be to pair protein with carbohydrates to temper the rise in blood sugar that naturally occurs after the eating occasion. A high-protein breakfast paired with complex carbohydrates (e.g. whole grains) and colour from fruits and vegetables is a perfect opportunity to prime the body's insulin response for the rest of the day while improving feelings of fullness and less hunger when compared to those who don't eat breakfast (8).

1. Roussell, M.A. et al. (2012) ‘Beef in an optimal lean diet study: Effects on lipids, lipoproteins, and Apolipoproteins’, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 95(1), pp. 9–16. doi:10.3945/ajcn.111.016261

2. Layman, D.K. et al. (2003) ‘A reduced ratio of dietary carbohydrate to protein improves body composition and blood lipid profiles during weight loss in adult women’, The Journal of Nutrition, 133(2), pp. 411–417. doi:10.1093/jn/133.2.411

3. Maki, K.C. et al. (2020) ‘Substituting lean beef for carbohydrate in a healthy dietary pattern does not adversely affect the cardiometabolic risk factor profile in men and women at risk for type 2 diabetes’, The Journal of Nutrition, 150(7), pp. 1824–1833. doi:10.1093/jn/nxaa116.

4. Apolzan, J.W. et al. (2007) ‘Inadequate dietary protein increases hunger and desire to eat in younger and older men’, The Journal of Nutrition, 137(6), pp. 1478–1482. doi:10.1093/jn/137.6.1478.

5. Johnston, C.S., Tjonn, S.L. and Swan, P.D. (2004) ‘High-protein, low-fat diets are effective for weight loss and favorably alter biomarkers in healthy adults’, The Journal of Nutrition, 134(3), pp. 586–591. doi:10.1093/jn/134.3.586.

6. Lejeune, M.P. et al. (2006) ‘Ghrelin and glucagon-like peptide 1 concentrations, 24-H satiety, and energy and substrate metabolism during a high-protein diet and measured in a respiration chamber’, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 83(1), pp. 89–94. doi:10.1093/ajcn/83.1.89.

7. Astbury, N.M., Taylor, M.A. and Macdonald, I.A. (2011) ‘Breakfast consumption affects appetite, energy intake, and the metabolic and endocrine responses to foods consumed later in the day in male habitual breakfast eaters’, The Journal of Nutrition, 141(7), pp. 1381–1389. doi:10.3945/jn.110.128645.

8. Park, Y.-M. et al. (2015) ‘A high-protein breakfast induces greater insulin and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide responses to a subsequent lunch meal in individuals with type 2 diabetes ’, The Journal of Nutrition, 145(3), pp. 452–458. doi:10.3945/jn.114.202549.

9.Clina, J.G. et al. (2023) ‘High‐ and normal‐protein diets improve body composition and glucose control in adults with type 2 diabetes: A randomized trial’, Obesity, 31(8), pp. 2021–2030. doi:10.1002/oby.23815.