If you have diabetes, you may have noticed that even if you eat the exact same meal two days in a row, your blood glucose may not be the same after the meal. There are many possible reasons for this: how well you slept, how active you are on each day, stress, illness, etc. But did you ever think about the order in which you eat your food?

Does the order of eating affect blood sugar levels?

A fascinating small study was performed in 2015 at Cornell Medical College in New York. Eleven adults with Type II diabetes were given the same meal on two separate occasions one week apart – chicken, orange juice, bread, salad, and broccoli. The first week, the subjects ate the meal in this order:

1. Bread and orange juice
2. Chicken
3. Salad and broccoli

The following week, the subjects came back and ate the same meal, but in the following order:

1. Salad and broccoli
2. Chicken
3. Bread and orange juice

In both weeks, blood sugars were measured in all subjects just before the meal, then at 30, 60, and 120 minutes after starting the meal. Here is where it gets interesting: blood glucoses were significantly lower when subjects ate the protein and vegetables first, compared with the reverse order (carbs first, then protein and vegetables). The difference was pretty remarkable – glucoses were 29% lower at 30 minutes after starting the vegetable/protein-first meal, 37% lower at one hour, and 17% lower at two hours. Insulin levels were also lower, indicating possible improved insulin sensitivity.

What does ordering your food mean for you?

So, kids, what are we taking from this?

• What you eat is still important, but the order you eat it in is more important than we thought.
• When you are sitting down to eat, start with the vegetables and protein. End with the starch.
• To break this down –
  • Vegetables are leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, green beans, and food that you buy in the produce aisle. But be careful about potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, carrots, and peas. These have more simple carbohydrates and should be considered more of a starch.
  • Proteins are meats, fish, eggs, tofu, milk, and cheese.
  • Starches include bread, fruits, starchy vegetables, pasta, rice, grains, and desserts.
• If you are eating out, save the bread for last.
• When you’re snacking, eat a protein or vegetable before the starch (cheese, then apple; or boiled egg, then berries; or nuts, then yogurt).

As a diabetic myself, I have started rethinking my meals this way, and I can tell you it has made a remarkable difference in my glucose values. And I can get away with eating some bread or chocolate, which I love. I call it Trojan horsing. I eat an omelet and a salad or sliced tomatoes, then enjoy an English muffin. NOT EVEN A BLIP IN MY BLOOD SUGAR! I love fooling my metabolism.

Let me know how this works for you in the comments below or on Facebook!

In conclusion

Is this information helpful to you? I hope so. Would you like to know more?

I have a course coming out very shortly. It’s called Conquering Diabetes In Pregnancy, and it’s got this kind of information and so much more. In the course, we’ll be learning about what foods to eat, which foods to avoid, how to exercise in pregnancy, and how to meal plan. There’ll be downloadable forms so that you can plan your week’s meals and go grocery shopping with no problems at all.

Until then, grab your free guide that breaks down four different diets that tend to work pretty well in pregnancy, especially if you have diabetes.