Could the order in which you eat certain foods (rather than the amount) be the key to staying slim and healthy?
That’s the claim behind the latest trending diet on TikTok, known as ‘food sequencing’, in which wellness influencers share videos of themselves eating a plate of salad or vegetables before dinner, or nibbling on a handful of protein-rich nuts before a meal containing carbohydrates (e.g. rice or pasta).
They claim that separating food groups and eating them in a particular order can help you stop unnecessary snacking, lose weight and even reduce the symptoms of conditions such as PCOS or PCOS, where hormonal disruption causes increased blood pressure. weight, irregular periods and excess hair. and poor control of blood sugar levels.
But is there any science to back up these claims?
Researchers at Imperial College London found that eating a sugary dessert first caused people to eat less at the next meal.
Studies by dietician Clare Thornton-Woodome have found that food sequencing can reduce overall calorie intake
There’s actually nothing new about the idea that eating foods in a certain order can be beneficial. In fact, sequencing formed the basis of the Hay diet, invented by American physician Dr. William Hay in the 1920s and which became popular again in the 1990s when a wave of celebrities, including Elizabeth Hurley, revealed that They followed her.
Hay encouraged people to never eat carbohydrates and protein at the same meal, but rather to separate them by several hours and only eat fruit for breakfast, stating that this would avoid digestion problems and improve overall health.
Hay’s diet was based on the idea that some foods were alkaline and others acidic and that the two should never mix. Although science has debunked these theories, could Hay have gotten something right without realizing why?
“Some studies have found that food sequencing can reduce overall calorie intake,” says Guildford dietitian Clare Thornton-Wood.
In fact, researchers first demonstrated this 20 years ago: A 2004 study by Pennsylvania State University in the US found that when people ate a salad starter before their main meal, they ate about 12 percent fewer calories overall, while 2007 research by the same university found that eating a bowl of chunky vegetable soup first reduced total calorie intake by 20 percent.
More recently, researchers at Imperial College London found that eating a sugary dessert first led people to eat less at the next meal. The 2014 study specifically looked at a brain protein called glucokinase that tracks how much sugar you consume; Since sugar is the brain’s main fuel source, this protein will signal the body to find more if intake is too low.
So, in theory, by eating sugary foods first, the brain quickly determines that enough has been eaten, allowing other body systems that control appetite to activate and prevent us from overeating. Whereas if sugary foods are consumed in smaller quantities during or after a meal, as dessert usually is, the satiety trigger kicks in later and you end up eating more overall.
“It’s an interesting study, but I wouldn’t suggest eating pudding first based on it,” says Clare Thornton-Wood, “it could be counterproductive and mean people get too full on a sweet that has very little nutritional value and then go without food.” “. too full to eat their main meal, missing out on vital nutrients such as protein and fiber and vitamins found in vegetables. Eating a lot of sugary foods can also make some people crave more, as it activates key pleasure centers in the brain.
However, in addition to appetite suppression, the purported benefits of food sequencing as advocated on TikTok are often attributed to its effect on blood sugar levels: stable blood sugar levels are linked to less food cravings, less weight gain, and, in the long term, a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
The logic here is that foods cause a more dramatic rise in blood sugar depending on what food comes before or after them, and there is some research to support this.
A study from Kanazawa University in Japan in 2018 found that eating protein (in the form of meat) or vegetables before rice could reduce blood sugar spikes. Participants who ate rice at the end of the meal had a significantly smaller increase in blood sugar and insulin levels 30 minutes later than those who ate rice first.
“What we call ‘preload’ studies, in which people are given a specific nutrient or food up to 30 minutes before a meal, show that consuming protein, fat or fiber before a carbohydrate-rich meal can reduce glucose spikes,” says Professor Sarah Berry. , a nutritional scientist at King’s College London and chief scientist at Zoe, the nutrition app, who has led research into the effects of different foods on blood sugar.
“This is because they slow gastric emptying (how quickly food is digested) and also because proteins stimulate the release of insulin, which means that when carbohydrates enter the bloodstream, they are eliminated more quickly, hence the decreased blood sugar response.”
So should we all decide to eat some protein, fat, or vegetables before eating something high in carbohydrates, like pasta or rice? “Generally speaking, having a high protein preload or a high fiber preload before consuming a carbohydrate-rich meal will mean you get fewer blood sugar spikes,” says Professor Berry. “And this better blood sugar control could potentially benefit metabolic diseases such as polycystic ovary syndrome and prediabetes. But the most important thing is that this does not happen with everyone or in all studies, so it is not a one-size-fits-all strategy,” he continues.
And what about studies showing that the continental custom of eating salad or soup before the main meal can reduce overall calorie intake? “Salads and soups are generally high in fibre, which is bulky and can help you feel fuller, so when your main meal arrives you are probably less hungry and eat a little less,” says Professor Berry.
Salads and soups are generally high in fiber, which is bulky and can help you feel fuller if you eat them first.
“We also know that high-fiber foods slow down how quickly food passes through the intestine, which in turn slows the absorption of glucose into the blood, thereby reducing the blood sugar response after eating.” .
And there is some evidence that food sequencing may be helpful if someone has a medical need to improve blood sugar control.
For example, in a small 2023 study of 40 people whose blood sugar levels classified them as at risk for diabetes (prediabetes), half were recommended to eat the carbohydrate portion of their meal last, after protein. and vegetables, for 16 weeks. compared to standard healthy eating advice. While both groups lost weight and improved their blood sugar readings, the latter group consuming carbohydrates significantly increased their vegetable consumption and also found the approach easier to follow, and were more likely to say they would continue eating as usual. this way.
The researchers, writing in the journal Nutrients, suggested that this approach might be more practical for people with prediabetes than, for example, low-carbohydrate diets, which can be difficult to follow.
“But it’s also key to remember that micromanaging glucose spikes through food sequencing is not necessary for most of us and will actually only have a small impact on blood sugar management,” adds Professor Berry. .
‘We do not want the increase in glucose after a meal to be a pathology. It’s normal. Our bodies are well equipped to handle it. We should focus more on getting a balance of good foods in a meal rather than the order in which we eat them.’
Dietitian Clare Thornton-Wood agrees: ‘Rather than carefully separating and sorting when we eat different foods (which can be a trigger for people with eating disorders), it’s much more important to get decent levels of all food groups. important foods.
‘Aim for at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, one protein source at each meal, one serving of carbohydrates (ideally whole grains) and three servings of dairy or fortified plant-based alternatives each day and you’ll be giving your body The best ingredients to achieve a healthy weight and stay fit and well.