Just when you thought you only had to worry about carbohydrates, I’m going tell you about protein and fat. Many people with diabetes feel they can eat as much protein and fat as they want because it does not raise their blood sugar as fast as carbohydrates. However, too many servings of meat and fat can cause gout, weight gain and heart disease. Most adults need an average of 6 oz of meat or meat substitutes (e.g. tofu) a day. A 3 oz serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards. You should also limit the amount of saturated fat such as bacon, butter, cream, solid shortenings and high-fat meats. You should try to eat 2 to 3 servings of fish a week to get Omega-3 fats. Omega-3 fats are known as a “good fat”. Limit your fat servings to 3 to 5 servings per day. People with diabetes have a greater chance for heart disease than other people so watching your fat intake is important. I’m providing a list of serving sizes for protein and fat to use as a guideline.

Meat and Meat Substitutes
1oz = serving of protein (7g)
Limit to 4 to 6 oz per day
One protein serving:
1 oz cooked chicken, turkey, fish, pork, lamb, and wild game
1 slice cheese
1/4 cup fat-free or low-fat cottage cheese
1/4 cup tuna canned in water
1/2 cup tofu
1 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Egg

Fats
1 serving = 5 g fat
Limit to three to five servings per day
One fat serving is:
1 tsp margarine
1 Tbsp cream cheese, salad dressing, reduced-fat margarine or mayonnaise
1 Tbsp sesame, pumpkin or sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp sour cream, half & half cream or salad dressing
1 1/2 Tbsp reduced-fat cream cheese

Other Foods
These are combination foods. They have servings from several groups,
1-cup casserole (8 oz) -2 carbohydrates, 2 meat
2 cups chow mein and 1 cup rice-4 carbohydrate, 2 meat
1 burrito with beef (5-7 oz) 3 carbohydrate, 1 meat, 1 fat
6 chicken nuggets- 1 carbohydrate, 2 meat, 1 fat
1/4 of 12 inch pizza, cheese, thin crust- 2 carbohydrate, 2 meat
1 small (2 oz) cupcake, frosted-2 carbohydrate, 1 fat
1/6 of 8-inch commercially prepared fruit pie, 2 crusts-3carbohydrates, 2 fat
1 medium serving French fries, fast food- 4 carbohydrates, 4 fat