After one of my talks, a woman asked me a great question: does eating your food in a certain order really make a difference? And if so, what's the order?
I love this question because it's something you can do at any table. When I'm in a busy season, I eat out more. As the only vegan in the group, I don't always get to pick the restaurant. Lentils or beans are usually easy to find, but tofu or seitan usually isn't on the menu. So I lean on small habits that work anywhere.
You may have heard of the 80/20 approach: do your best 80 percent of the time and give yourself some leeway the other 20. These days I'm closer to 90/10. This is one of the habits that helps.
The short answer: yes, it can help
It's called meal sequencing. I love it because it's free, it takes no extra time, and you don't have to give up a single food.
The order I use
- First, veggies. Start with a salad, or a few bites of the greens and roasted veggies on your plate.
- Next, protein and healthy fat. Lentils, beans, tofu, tempeh, avocado, tahini.
- Last, carbs. Sweet potato, quinoa, brown rice, bread.
Why veggies first helps
The fiber in veggies slows down how fast sugar reaches your blood. Research shows that eating vegetables before carbs leads to a gentler rise in blood sugar. And what goes up fast usually comes down fast, so a gentler rise can mean less of that tired, cranky, looking-for-something-sweet feeling at 3 or 4 o'clock.
It doesn't need to be perfect
If you're having lentil soup or a burrito bowl with everything mixed together, please don't pick it apart. Have a few bites of salad first, or just enjoy your meal. I try to eat my salad first at least once a day, and some days it doesn't happen.
Try this today
At lunch, eat a few bites of veggies before anything else. Then notice how you feel at 4 PM.
In the video above, I walk through veggies first plus two other small food shifts, and show you the plate I build for steady energy all afternoon.
If you take medication for blood sugar, please check with your doctor before changing how you eat.
Make protein the easy part
One plant-based recipe a day for five days, with the protein counted for you. No powders, no tracking apps.
Start the challengeHave a question about this? Send me a message. I read every one.
Holistic Nutritionist helping women over 40 feel strong and energized with simple plant-based eating. Learn with her live in the Plant-Powered Kitchen Club.
This post is for education and is not medical advice. See the disclaimer.