Three steps to a stable blood sugar diet! Eat dishes in reverse order to get rid of diabetes

Nutritionist: I have diabetes. Can you just tell me what I can eat and what I can't eat? ? The doctor said that my blood sugar is too high and I can’t eat, but I feel so hungry, tired and have no energy every day? My father has high blood sugar and he is very old. It is too complicated to calculate the portion and it is difficult for him to follow it? Are there any easy-to-understand dietary control suggestions?

In addition to appropriate drug intervention, exercise and diet are indispensable for good blood sugar control. Exercise and diet control require the patient's own efforts to achieve ideal results. The most important principle of diet control is regular, quantitative and balanced eating. Recent studies have confirmed that it is easier to control blood sugar by simply changing the order of eating: eating vegetables first, then meat, and finally rice.

Study confirms: Eating vegetables first helps control blood sugar

How would you eat when faced with delicious food? Most people would take a few bites of rice first, and then pair it with various dishes such as chicken, duck, fish, meat, etc. Maybe you pay attention to a balanced diet and would take a few more bites of dishes to match. More people would just take a few bites for the sake of politeness, and after finishing the meal, they would drink a bowl of soup as a satisfying ending. In recent years, some studies have found that changing the order of meals may help control blood sugar.

In a controlled study conducted by Japanese scholars in 2010, subjects with type 2 diabetes were given 150 grams of vegetable salad and 150 grams of white rice. The blood sugar level of the group that ate the vegetables first and then the rice was significantly lower half an hour after the meal than that of the group that ate the rice first and then the vegetables. The blood sugar changes during the 2 hours after the meal were also relatively slow. In addition, if you eat vegetables first and then rice, the insulin concentration in the blood 2 hours after the meal is also significantly lower, indicating that changing the order of eating improves the effectiveness of insulin in diabetic patients. In 2013, the same team changed the dietary order of the study to: vegetables (up to 500 grams) → beans, fish, meat, eggs → starch (whole grains and root vegetables). Each food should be eaten for 5 minutes. At the same time, the changes in blood sugar levels in 21 normal healthy people and 19 type 2 diabetes patients were monitored.

The results of the study show that eating vegetables first rather than starch first can significantly improve blood sugar fluctuations for both healthy people and diabetic patients. Using the same diet design, 333 diabetic patients were controlled on their diet for 2 and a half years. It was found that after repeated health education by nutritionists, all patients had significant improvements in weight, blood pressure, blood sugar and blood fat. However, the diabetic patients who ate vegetables first had better glycated hemoglobin levels than those who ate starch first. It was also found that by eating a lot of vegetables first, the patient's calorie intake and the intake of beverages and sweets would gradually decrease without realizing it.

In June 2015, Weill Cornell Medical College at Cornell University published a study in the journal Diabetes Care on 11 obese patients. The patients were asked to eat meat and vegetables first, and then eat bread and juice 15 minutes later. The study then conducted a crossover trial. It can also be found that compared with eating bread and fruit first, the patient's postprandial blood sugar fluctuations and postprandial blood insulin concentrations are significantly improved when eating vegetables and meat first.

From the above research results, the common point is that eating vegetables first is beneficial to blood sugar control. Eating vegetables helps health as follows:

1. Inhibit the rapid rise of blood sugar:

Vegetables contain more dietary fiber, which can prolong the decomposition time of carbohydrates, thereby delaying the absorption of sugar in the small intestine, and further delaying the rise in blood sugar after meals, making blood sugar fluctuations more stable.

2. Increase satiety:

Usually, people are used to eating more at the beginning, and then the amount of food will gradually decrease after eating for a while. Vegetables are low in calories and carbohydrates. Eat vegetables and beans, fish, meat, and eggs first to feel full, and then eat starch and fruits that have a greater impact on blood sugar. It is naturally easier to control the portion.

It is worth noting that in related studies, the time for eating vegetables is at least more than 5 minutes, so if you wolf down the whole meal in less than 10 minutes, the effect may not be that obvious. Some studies have also pointed out that chewing slowly helps control calorie intake.

3. Regulate metabolic function:

Vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals, which are responsible for the regulation of physiological functions and are very important for good health.

4. Protect cardiovascular system:

Phytochemicals in vegetables are important natural antioxidants that help inhibit the damage of reactive oxygen to cells and protect cardiovascular health.

Many patients do not like to eat vegetables, but if they just change their habits and eat more than 80% of vegetables before meals, they can easily change their blood sugar conditions. It is definitely worth trying!

【Three Steps to Stabilize Blood Sugar Diet】:

The first step is to eat vegetables:

• Rich in fiber, it produces a feeling of fullness.

• It contains less carbohydrates (sugars) and has less impact on blood sugar.

• Studies have found that eating more than 150g of vegetables (about 8 bowls) before each meal can stabilize blood sugar after meals.

The second step is to eat beans, fish, meat and eggs:

• It contains less carbohydrates (sugars) and has less impact on blood sugar.

• The time food stays in the stomach is prolonged, slowing down the digestion process.

• More satisfying.

Step 3: Finally, eat and have fruit:

• Carbohydrates (sugars) have a great impact on blood sugar.

• Eating it after vegetables and meat is less likely to cause a sudden rise in blood sugar.

• The effect will be more obvious if you eat about 10-15 minutes after starting to eat.

• The amount of rice and fruit should be kept fixed to keep blood sugar stable.

References:

Imai S, Fukui M, Kajiyama S. (2014) Effect of eating vegetables before carbohydrates on glucose excursions in patients with type 2 diabetes. J Clin Biochem Nutr Jan;54(1):7-11.

Shukla, AP, Iliescu, RG, Thomas, CE, & Aronne, LJ (2015). Food Order Has a Significant Impact on Postprandial Glucose and Insulin Levels. Diabetes care, 38(7), e98-e99.