Eating protein and veg BEFORE carbs makes you fuller for longer

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Starting a meal by eating vegetables and protein, and finishing it with carbohydrates, keeps us fuller than if we ate same foods in reverse order
Protein slows down release of sugar from carbs into the blood stream
This prevents a sugar 'high' and then crash - and hunger pangs
When diabetics ate vegetables and proteins first, their blood sugar levels were 29% lower 30 minutes later compared to when they ate the carbs first

Published: 05:38 EST, 26 June 2015 | Updated: 08:34 EST, 26 June 2015

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From no carb to low carb, Paleo to points, there are a host of diets that claim to help us achieve the holy grail of weight loss and good health.

Now, however, scientists say it's the order in which we eat food that is key, rather than eliminating key food groups.

Starting a meal by eating vegetables and protein, and finishing it with carbohydrates, keeps us fuller than if we ate the same foods in the reverse order.

This is because protein slows down the release of sugar from carbohydrates into the blood stream, preventing a sugar 'high' and then crash - and hunger pangs.

The order in which we eat food is key to controlling blood sugar, scientists have found. Starting a meal by eating vegetables and protein, and finishing it with carbohydrates, keeps us fuller than if we ate the same foods in the reverse order

Doctors say the findings are of particular significance for diabetics, who must retain tight control over their blood sugar levels.

'Overweight and obese people with type 2 diabetes may feel better after a meal if they start it off with vegetables or proteins and end with the carbs,' they reported.

Writing in the journal Diabetes Care, they said: 'Finishing the broccoli and chicken before tucking into bread and fruit juice was tied to a lower rise in blood sugar levels over the next two hours, compared to eating the same foods in the opposite order.'

Dr Louis Aronne, the study's senior author from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, added: 'When we saw the result, we were really encouraged that this is something that could potentially benefit people.

'It also shows that highly desired foods can be a part of a diet if we sneak them in there.'

Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes and is often linked to obesity. Here, the body's cells are resistant to the hormone insulin, or the body doesn't make enough of it. Insulin helps the body's cells use glucose in the blood for fuel.

Previous research has shown that drinking whey protein shakes before meals has been linked to lower blood sugar levels after eating.

But until now, little was known about the influence of foods - and the order in which they're consumed - on blood sugar levels following a meal.

Diabetics are often told to avoid foods high on the glycemic index - a measure of how rapidly a food gets converted to glucose in the blood - such as white bread, white pasta and sugary drinks

Blood sugar normally rises after eating, but for people with diabetes it can spike dangerously.

Diabetics are often told to avoid foods high on the glycemic index - a measure of how rapidly a food gets converted to glucose in the blood - such as white breads and sugary drinks.

For the study, researchers recruited 11 people with type 2 diabetes who were all overweight or obese.

They were also taking a drug called metformin, which helps to control blood sugar.

The participants all fasted for 12 hours overnight before consuming a 628 calorie meal with protein, carbohydrates and fat.

One week, they consumed the carbohydrates (ciabatta bread and orange juice) first. Then they ate skinless grilled chicken, a small salad and buttered steamed broccoli 15 minutes later.

The participants ate the same meal a week later, but the order of the foods was reversed, with the salad and broccoli first, then the chicken, then the carbs.

The researchers also took blood samples before the meals and 30, 60 and 120 minutes afterwards.

When the participants ate vegetables and proteins first, their blood sugar levels were about 29 per cent lower 30 minutes after starting the meal, compared to when they ate the carbs first.

At 60 and 120 minutes after participants began eating, blood sugar levels were 37 per cent and 17 per cent lower, respectively, compared to when the carbs came first.

'It's possible what this is doing is delaying or tempering how fast the carbohydrates get absorbed,' said D. Sethu Reddy, chief of the Adult Diabetes Section at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston.

When diabetics ate vegetables and proteins first, their blood sugar levels were about 29 per cent lower 30 minutes after starting the meal, compared to when they ate the carbs first

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'I think certainly it's an interesting study that says eating a good salad before your meal may help with glucose absorption,' said Dr Reddy, who was not involved with the study.

However the new study may not be the full story, he told Reuters Health.

For example, he said, it will be important to see what happens beyond two hours, and what's happening to the carbohydrates.

The researchers also say more studies with longer follow-up times are needed.

'For the next step, we're doing a longer study and we're looking at some of the other key hormones,' said Dr Aronne.

As of now, he said, the theory is that the absorption of the carbohydrates is somehow slowed down by eating vegetables, which are low on the glycemic index.

Worldwide, there are 387 million people with diabetes - and this is expected to rise by a further 205 million by 2050, according to the International Diabetes Federation.

Approximately 29 million Americans - about 9 percent of the U.S. population - have diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the UK, 3.2 million people are living with the condition.

'Spend at least 45 minutes in the kitchen a day to lose inches off your waist'

Trying to lose weight? If so, you should spend more time in the kitchen, new research suggests.

People who spend longer preparing food are healthier - and have lower BMIs than those who merely dash in and out, it is claimed.

The research also found that those who set aside more time to spend on their diets tend to be more active.

Of the UK adults surveyed, 39 per cent of those who had a healthy BMI (of 18.5 – 24.9) spent, on average, 45 minutes or more preparing meals per day.

People who spend longer preparing food are healthier - and have lower BMIs than those who merely dash in and out of the kitchen. Those who set aside more time to spend on their diets also tend to be more active

People who spend this amount of time or more preparing their food were also found to be more active, with 42 per cent reporting they exercised two to three times per week.

In contrast, of those who only spend 30 mins preparing food per day, only 23 per cent exercised two to three times a week.

And 45 per cent of those who spent less time on making their meals also reported having an unhealthy BMI of 25 or more.

Those who put more time into cooking were also more likely to regularly get their full 5-a-day of fruit and vegetables, with 1 in 4 reporting they did so 'almost daily' – compared with 1 in 5 of those who spent less than 30 minutes per day.

The research was carried out on behalf of ElectrIQ, a kitchen gadget and household appliance manufacturer.

Victor Stoica, managing director of the firm, said: 'There's a clear correlation between the level of fitness, and time spent preparing food.

'Clearly those who are spending very little amounts of time in the kitchen – perhaps eating on impulse instead of preparing full meals, or just shoving pre-made dishes into the oven – are not putting as much time or thought into their diets,.

'This is having a knock-on effect in terms of their weight. Meanwhile, those who are more considered in their food preparation are more likely to exercise on a regular basis and be fitter.'