Many people try to eat less, but focus only on the question of how much to eat. However, sometimes, an equally important question is – in what order to eat the dishes.
In recent years, studies have accumulated showing that the order of eating within a meal can affect blood sugar levels, the rate of gastric emptying, the feeling of satiety, and ultimately also the amount of food consumed in that meal.
This is not magic and not a trick that replaces good nutrition, but it is a simple tool that can help a lot, and also influence the glycemic response.
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Why start specifically with vegetables
The most important thing – of everything on the table, eat the vegetable salads first. The first reason is volume. Vegetables, especially non-starchy vegetables such as lettuce, cucumber, tomato, zucchini, cabbage or pepper, take up space in the stomach without bringing many calories. When the stomach fills, its walls stretch and signals are sent to the brain that begins the process of satiety.
It is important to understand – the feeling of satiety does not start only when calories have already been absorbed into the blood, but much earlier, through mechanical and neural mechanisms that begin already during eating and at the stage of filling the stomach.
The second reason is dietary fiber. Vegetables contain water, volume and fiber, and this combination contributes to the food remaining "present" for a longer time in the digestive system.
Fiber contributes to a prolonged feeling of fullness. When starting the meal with vegetables, you reach the next stage of the meal with less hunger and with more control.
Therefore, even if later on the plate there is rice, pasta or potatoes, usually less of them will be eaten naturally. Recent reviews on dietary fiber describe exactly this: More satiety, less hunger, and an effect on appetite mechanisms through the digestive system.
Why protein is recommended in the second stage
After the vegetables, it makes sense to move to protein: Chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, yogurt, tofu, legumes or meat. Protein is considered a particularly satiating component, more than simple carbohydrates, and in certain cases also more than fat.
It encourages the secretion of hormones related to satiety, requires more complex digestion, and in some cases also slows the rate of gastric emptying.
This is one of the reasons why a meal that contains a nice amount of protein lasts longer than a meal based mainly on bread, rice or pastry.
There is also logic to this order in the context of blood sugar levels. Studies show that when protein and vegetables are eaten before carbohydrates, the rise in blood sugar levels after the meal tends to be more moderate compared to a situation in which one starts דווקא with bread, pasta or rice.
Of course, this does not mean that carbohydrates are "bad", but that their position within the meal can change the body's response. This effect has also been observed in studies on people with prediabetes, diabetes, and in some studies also in healthy individuals.
Another advantage of protein is that it helps the meal be stable and satisfying and also psychologically feel "complete".
When eating only a salad and a carbohydrate, there is a higher chance of returning to snacking a short time afterward. When the meal also includes protein, a greater sense of stability is achieved. Therefore, the recommended order is not "vegetables instead of food", but vegetables first, protein afterward, and only then to see how much of the carbohydrate is really needed.
Simple and important eating habits that will help save hundreds of calories a day
It is better to leave carbohydrates for the end
Carbohydrates are usually the easiest part to overeat. It is much easier to take another spoon of rice, another piece of bread or another spoon of pasta, than to take another chicken breast or another bowl of vegetables.
They are soft, pleasant, comforting, and it is very easy to "slide" with them beyond the need. Therefore, the mere fact of not starting with them can already change the entire quantity of the meal.
From a nutritional perspective, it is also important to be precise here. It cannot be said that carbohydrates are "unnecessary for the body" across the board. The body certainly knows how to use them well, and in certain situations they are even a convenient and efficient source of energy. But unlike protein, they do not contain essential components such as essential amino acids.
All the more so when it comes to relatively processed carbohydrates, such as white rice, the "white" carbohydrates (that is, not whole) are usually less rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals compared to vegetables, and sometimes also less satiating over time.
Therefore, if they are left for the end, many times they are eaten in an amount that is more suited to the real need and not to the hunger at the beginning of the meal.
This issue is especially important for those who feel that they "open up" after the first bites of the carbohydrate. Quite a few people will say that they can eat one portion of fish or chicken and that’s it, but when it comes to the side dish, it is much harder to stop. Precisely because of this, the order of eating can be an excellent behavioral tool. Not a prohibition, not avoidance, not an extreme diet. Simply a smarter order within the plate.
A small tip that will change the entire meal: A glass of water before
Finally, another simple habit that can help is to drink a full glass of water before the meal. Here too the explanation is partly related to stomach volume. When the stomach receives volume before eating begins, satiety signals start earlier.
In addition, the very act of pausing to drink before the meal slightly slows the uncontrolled entry into eating. Controlled studies have found that drinking water before a meal can reduce calorie intake in that meal, and in some studies even helped with weight loss, especially among adults and people with excess weight.
Of course, here too this is not magic. A glass of water does not "burn fat", and will not fix a huge meal or an unbalanced diet. But as a small habit that repeats itself day after day, it can help a lot. Especially if it is combined with the correct order within the plate.
To conclude, if you want to eat in a smarter way, you do not have to start by counting calories. Sometimes it is better to simply organize the meal. First vegetables, to add volume, fiber and satiety. Then protein, to prolong the feeling of fullness and stabilize the meal. And only at the end the carbohydrates, so that they do not take over the plate and the appetite.
A simple, logical method, supported by quite a few studies.