Most of us in the West, who are of a certain age, grew up during the jihad on fat. Of course, except for those of us in the paleo/keto community, most people still live in this cloud of misinformation. Look at this rag for instance. Any meat with fat is “sinful”. What a joke!
My mum went “all-in” on this lean meat craze for a time except for Sunday roasts and the odd steak. That meant lean meat for most meals: chicken breasts, pork loin chops and lean beef stir-fry. This went on for what seemed like an eternity.
I now embrace fatty cuts wholeheartedly: lamb, T-bone steaks, sirloin, chicken skin (praise Jesus!), pork crackling, etc. Yet, I don’t avoid the lean protein either. I still love my chicken breast and pork loin…but.
But? Remember, I am a diabetic. Lean protein, in my experience, can quickly become a bad thing for me. Why? One word: Gluconeogenesis. In layman’s terms, it’s when protein, beyond what the body needs, is converted into glucose. Result? Blood sugar spikes! This is another area where I must exert a bit more self-discipline to achieve my 5.7 HbA1c. Goodbye second chicken breast. Farewell second pork chop.
My experience with too much lean protein has been intuitive rather than scientific, and oftentimes, I might have had chicken breasts or pork chops with wine (with all its carbs). That would also contribute to elevated blood glucose readings.
So I’m going to do some experimenting with lean v fatty meat in the coming weeks and see how they effect my glucose readings. I haven’t hashed out the details yet, but I’ll have to eat the same meals across consecutive days. The only thing that will change is the meat for dinner.
Stay tuned dear reader.
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