Salad Before Meal: You must have heard many times what is on your plate. But, this is not a recipe for staying healthy. What matters is the order in which you eat your food. Because, it can affect blood sugar. If you also pick up roti, rice or any other carbohydrate-rich item as soon as you start eating, then try changing your method. Health experts and some studies have revealed that starting the meal with vegetables or salad and eating carbohydrates later can prevent the rapid increase in blood glucose after meals to some extent.
That is, if the food plate remains the same, but the order of eating is changed, it can help in controlling the glucose spike. In some studies, this method has also shown a reduction in post-meal glucose of about 30 percent or more. However, it is not necessary that its effect be the same in every person.
Why should one eat salad first?
Salads and non-starchy vegetables contain good amount of fiber. When a meal begins with vegetables and is followed by carbohydrates, the rise in glucose may be relatively slow. In one study, eating vegetables first and carbohydrates later in people with type 2 diabetes had lower postprandial glucose and insulin levels compared to eating carbohydrates first. Not only this, in a study conducted on people with prediabetes, there was a reduction of more than 40 percent in glucose peak by eating vegetables first.
Before rice and bread, vegetables, then protein
If you want to avoid sudden increase in blood sugar after eating, then not only salad, but also the method of taking vegetables and proteins first and carbohydrates later can be useful. The order of meals was compared in a clinical study. When participants consumed vegetables and protein first and carbohydrates second, postprandial glucose and insulin responses were lower than when participants consumed carbohydrates first.
Effect was also found in the study conducted on Indians
The effect of meal sequence has also been examined in Indian adults. In a randomized crossover study, normal weight and overweight participants were given meals in different orders. A reduction in postprandial glucose peak and glucose excursion was observed when protein was consumed first and carbohydrate followed. That means this is not just a foreign diet trend; It can be easily adopted in Indian food also.
What should be the correct order of eating?
If your plate consists of salad, vegetable, dal, paneer, roti and rice, a simple order could be:
Will this control diabetes?
The habit of eating salad first is not a substitute for diabetes medicine or treatment. Research looks at meal sequence as a potential strategy to better control blood glucose response. Moreover, not only the order of eating but also the total amount of food, amount of carbohydrate, fiber, protein, physical activity and health status of the person also affect blood sugar.