Eating a balanced diet is imperative to maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, what is also important is to keep a track of the order in which you consume your food. It is recommended that one should eat carbohydrate rich food before consuming proteins and vegetables. According to a 2015 research by Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, eating protein and vegetables before carbohydrates causes lower post-meal glucose and insulin levels in obese patients with type 2 diabetes. The study published in the journal Diabetes Care, conducted the research with a typically western meal in focus which consisted of a good mix of vegetables, protein, carbohydrates and fat.
For their study, researchers worked with 11 patients, all of whom had obesity and type 2 diabetes and took an oral drug that helped control their glucose levels. The subjects were asked to eat a meal twice which consisted of carbohydrates like ciabatta bread and orange juice, protein, vegetables and fat which included chicken breast, tomato and lettuce salad with low-fat dressing and steamed broccoli with butter, on separate days a week apart.
12 hours after the subjects last ate, the researchers collected a fasting glucose level in the morning. The patients were then instructed to eat carbohydrates first, and then consume protein, vegetables and fat, 15 minutes later. Post their meals, the patients were checked for their glucose levels through a blood test at 30, 60 and 120-minute intervals. A week later, researchers again checked patients’ fasting glucose levels, and then had them eat the food in the reverse order.
The analysis of the data collected revealed that glucose levels decreased by 29 percent, 37 percent and 17 percent, at the 30, 60 and 120-minute checks, respectively, when vegetables and protein were consumed before the carbohydrates. It was also found that insulin level in patients was also significantly lower when protein and vegetables were taken first.
Hence, to effectively keep your blood-sugar levels in order, one must consume carbohydrates before taking vegetables and proteins.
