When it comes to the order of eating, what do you have as the first bite in each meal? Is it rice, vegetables, or soup?
Many people might think that the order of eating is not important; what’s important is just to stuff food into our stomachs until we’re full. However, this is not the case. The order of eating is quite crucial, as the correct eating sequence can not only fill us up but also bring many health benefits.
Adjusting the Eating Order
Helps You Control Blood Sugar
Eating may seem simple, but there are techniques involved, and changing the order of eating is a highly recommended key step.
Many people believe that eating is simply about sending food into the stomach; regardless of what they ate, everything will be temporarily stored in the same small space and then digested and absorbed by the body. How you eat doesn’t matter; what does the order have to do with it?
It’s actually quite the opposite. Eating also has its rules of order; in addition to the type of food consumed at each meal affecting blood sugar, many studies have confirmed that the order in which we eat also affects post-meal blood sugar levels. Different eating sequences can have varied impacts on blood sugar, which is particularly important for those who need to control their blood sugar.
The concept of meal order originated from the Japanese traditional culture of “kaiseki cuisine,” which advocates for an eating sequence of “dietary fiber – protein/fat – carbohydrates” during meals.
In 2010, Japanese scholar Imai Sachiko conducted a crossover trial to compare the effects of the eating sequence of rice and vegetables on post-meal blood sugar in 15 patients with type 2 diabetes. Subjects ate the same meal on two trial days, but the order was different. The food consumed was white rice and vegetable salad, totaling 340 kcal.
On the first day, 8 people ate rice first, followed by vegetables 10 minutes later, while 7 others ate vegetables first and then rice after 10 minutes; on the second day, all subjects ate in the reverse order of the previous day, with a meal duration of 15 minutes.
The results showed that compared to eating rice first, eating vegetables first led to a 21% decrease in blood sugar 30 minutes post-meal. This trial was the first to prove that changing the eating order helps improve post-meal blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes.
In 2018, researchers in the UK used continuous glucose monitoring systems to compare the eating order’s effects on post-meal blood sugar in 20 patients with type 1 diabetes. Subjects ate the same breakfast in different orders on two trial days.
On the first day, they ate protein and fat first, followed by carbohydrates (the experimental meal); on the second day, all food was consumed mixed (the standard meal). The results showed that the average blood sugar after eating the experimental meal was significantly lower than after the standard meal.
In 2020, researchers in Singapore also conducted related studies comparing the impact of the first bite of food (vegetables, meat, staple foods, or mixed eating) on our body’s blood sugar, insulin, and satiety.
Sixteen subjects ate food in random orders…
