You know me, at the first sign of any health problem, I drop everything and change my diet. Always trying to cure myself of everything with food. I know food is not the end all be all when it comes to health, but it plays a part.
I know for many people, making changes to food is overwhelming and even triggering. The food we eat is not just about calories and nutrition, it’s about emotions, habits, comfort, sociality, and so much more. What is one to do when adhering to a strict diet is not an option?
That’s why I really love this hack that I learned from the Glucose Goddess (Jessie Inchauspe). In her book, The Glucose Revolution, she talks about “the life-changing power of balancing your blood sugar.” It’s a simple, informative read and there’s truly something in there for everyone.
How to Eat Your Food Right
Did you know you can completely change the way your meal affects you by simply altering the order in which you eat your food?
That’s right, two people can eat the exact same meal and have vastly different results based on which parts of the meal they ate first and which they saved for last.
Here’s the “right” order:
- Vegetables
- Protein and fat
- Starches and sugars
Why should you consider the order in which your food is eaten?
Jessie shares research showing that eating your food in this order has a similar effect on blood sugar as the effects of diabetes medications. In fact, in 2016, a study followed two groups of Type 2 diabetics. One group ate their meals in whatever order they wanted and the other followed the “right” order above. The group who ate their food in the right order had a significant reduction in their HbA1c level, beginning to reverse their diabetes. The other group showed no improvement.
Isn’t that amazing?
She also shares an anecdote of one of her followers who changed nothing about her diet (ate the same foods in the same amounts) but changed the order in which she ate to be veggies first, then protein and fat, then starches and sugars. She lost 5 pounds in 9 days! And equally as important, she had more energy and stamina waking for the day and lasting until bedtime. All this without changing the food she was eating!
In short, eating your food in this order makes for a lower glucose spike, helping you feel full for longer, giving you more energy, reducing inflammation, and ultimately leading to all the health benefits of a balanced and steady blood sugar.
How does eating food in this order have this effect?
I love the analogy she gives – comparing our digestion to a sink. The sink is the stomach and it drains into the intestines.
If you put starches in the sink first, they go down into the pipes and are broken down very quickly into glucose, spiking the blood sugar. So, if you eat starches first and then veggies, your veggies have to sit on top and wait for their turn to get down into the pipes, all the while your blood sugar is rising with the processing of all the carbs.
If, however, you eat the veggies first, you are filling your pipes with fiber. Fiber moves through the system slowly and is not broken down into glucose, therefore not spiking your blood sugar.
In addition to this, fiber is able to reduce the action of the enzyme that breaks down starches into glucose. It also makes all the food travel through the pipes more slowly. And finally, it creates a mesh in our small intestine, making it more difficult for glucose to enter the bloodstream.
In effect, eating fiber first makes any following starches and sugars break down and absorb less easily than they would if they were eaten first.
You see what I’m saying? You still eat those same carbs, but they do not have the same effect on you because you ate veggies first. It’s brilliant.
Fat also slows down the rate at which your food can flow through the pipes, and proteins are usually accompanied by fat, which is why you would eat proteins and fats next.
Main takeaway: Eat your starches and sugars last.
When you eat food in the right order, you’re able to lower your glucose spikes and also reduce the amount of insulin your pancreas produces. Making this simple change is one easy and effective step in preventing or reversing insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes and all the other health problems that come with blood sugar issues.
How to apply this information
Obviously you can apply this however you want. The great thing about it is you’re not adhering to any special or strict diet. In fact, you’re eating all the same foods you always eat. You’re simply being intentional about the order in which you eat.
Sometimes it doesn’t work out – like with the curry we had for dinner last night. I couldn’t separate everything out. That’s fine! Maybe I’ll just add a side salad next time to make sure and get some veggies on their own before digging into the mixed plate of curry.
When we have salmon later this week, I’ll simply eat our side veggie first, the salmon next, and the sweet potatoes last. I was already going to eat these things anyway, but now I get to do it in a way that helps my health.
Another thing I love about this is the way you can apply it when eating over at a friend’s house or at a restaurant. You may not have control over what food is being served or what options are available to you, but you do have the choice in what order you eat those options. And that’s going to make all the difference!
Resources:
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