Is Eating Carbs Last the Secret to Balanced Blood Sugar?
Balanced blood sugar is key to maintaining energy, preventing metabolic conditions, and supporting overall health. Recently, “meal sequencing” has gained popularity as a strategy to control glucose spikes. But is it as effective as the claims say?
What is Meal Sequencing?
Meal sequencing means eating foods in a certain order, usually carbs last, to help keep blood sugar levels steadier after meals. This is especially helpful for people with diabetes who want to manage their glucose.
Now the question arises why are carbohydrates eaten last?
The answer to this is quite simple, carbohydrates are broken down by the body into sugars, primarily glucose. By eating foods such as potatoes, bread, rice, and pasta our bodies create a fuel source (glucose) for us to function at molecular level. So, whilst glucose is extremely important, too high amount in the body (over time) can lead to damaging effects and cause diseases such as Type 2 diabetes (insulin resistance). By eating the carbohydrates last, we can make our bodies break down the other food groups first to not shock our bodies with the glucose spike that carbohydrates naturally cause. This leads to a more controlled smaller spike in glucose levels.
Who Can Benefit from Meal Sequencing?
Blood sugar spikes after meals are normal, but frequent spikes and crashes can cause fatigue, weight gain, and insulin resistance. Therefore controlling them is good for everyone.
Research shows that meal sequencing mainly helps people with prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes reduce big blood sugar spikes. Still, combining protein, healthy fats, fibre , and carbs in every meal or snack is something anyone can do to keep blood sugar balanced.
The Ideal Sequence
As mentioned, carbohydrates will always go last in meal sequencing for blood sugar, but what comes first?
Research shows us that eating vegetables first and protein second has the most impact on lowering blood sugar levels after a meal. Research also indicates eating protein and vegetables together before carbohydrates has a similar lowering effect as well.
For example, a meal consisting of roast potatoes, grilled chicken and green beans would ideally be eaten in the following sequence: beans, chicken then potatoes.
The effects of meal sequencing are great for blood sugar control but can be a hassle when eating foods that combine vegetables, protein, fats and carbohydrates i.e. Shepherd’s pie.
So forth we can turn to further research which shows by combining protein and carbohydrates in a meal together still has a noteworthy effect on lowering blood glucose levels and the regulation of fullness after a meal. Simply, rather than eating carbohydrates alone e.g. a slice of toast, pairing them with protein and even fats e.g. toast with eggs and avocados, works similarly to meal sequencing in reducing blood glucose spikes.
How to Incorporate Glucose Regulating Meals On the Go
If you are aiming to meal sequence or combine the food groups to help control glucose spikes the easiest and most realistic way is to simply increase protein in your diet. By simply pairing your carbohydrates with a protein source whether it be: meat, fish or poultry can have a great impact on blood glucose levels. If possible, adding in a healthy fat i.e. avocados, nuts, olive oil as well as fibre rich food like vegetables will also significantly improve blood glucose overall.
Examples of foods that combine these include:
Yoghurt with chocolate covered almonds and granola
Chickpea, chicken and quinoa salad
Wholegrain pasta with ground beef, roasted red pepper sauce and spinach
Hummus with pita bread and olives
Pancakes made with a scoop of protein powder.
Topped with berries, yoghurt and peanut butter
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet, lifestyle, or health regimen, especially if you have an underlying medical condition or are taking medications
References:
1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7551485/
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30101510/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19542012/
