Pimento cheese and Diabetes - Is it Good For Diabetics
Introduction
A popular Southern spread or dip, pimento cheese is a mixture of cheese (usually sharp cheddar), mayonnaise, and diced pimentos (sweet red pepper). Various other ingredients can be added to enhance the flavor, including cream cheese, garlic, onions, cayenne pepper, or paprika.
Glycemic Index and Carbohydrates
A high glycemic index and too many carbohydrates can raise blood glucose levels, so tracking what you eat is essential.
Pimento cheese has a low carbohydrate content: 1.7g of carbs in 100g. Pimento provides only 0.1 g of fiber; the rest are net carbs.
Although no exact number is available, some research suggests that pimento cheese likely has a low glycemic index due to its low carbohydrate and high fat content. While we cannot state this completely, the combination of these factors indicates it may have a low glycemic index(1).
Glycemic index values are also available for 350+ foods on the Glycemic Index chart.
Type-2 Diabetes
Pimento cheese itself does not have a direct connection to diabetes management, but its ingredients, like high-fat cheese and mayonnaise, can impact blood sugar regulation indirectly (2). The systematic review explores how fermented foods (FF), such as yogurt, may positively affect glucose and insulin homeostasis in people with or at risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) (3). However, pimento cheese, which isn't fermented, may not offer the same potential benefits for blood glucose control as FF, like fermented milk, which has shown promise in improving glucose metabolism (4).
Pimento cheese contains high-fat ingredients like cheese and mayonnaise, which can indirectly affect blood sugar regulation. Unlike fermented foods (FF) such as yogurt, which may help improve glucose and insulin homeostasis in those with or at risk of type 2 diabetes, pimento cheese lacks those benefits.
Sources
- https://europepmc.org/article/med/1330533
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030222002053
- https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1458536/full
