Eating your bread at the start of your meal could be a mistake, especially if you have diabetes. That’s the conclusion of a small metabolic study carried out at the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medical College.
In this study, 11 obese people with type 2 diabetes were fed the same meal twice, a week apart. In one, the carbs were given first. In the other, the volunteers were told to eat carbs last.
The test meal included ciabatta bread, orange juice, chicken breast, lettuce and tomato salad and broccoli with butter. Blood glucose levels were carefully monitored.
Why You Should Eat Carbs Last:
When the volunteers ate the bread and drank the orange juice 15 minutes after the protein, vegetables and fat, their blood sugar levels were about 30 percent lower than when they consumed the carbs first.
The researchers suggest that rather than telling patients to avoid carbs completely, which is difficult, they should be counseled to eat carbs last in the meal.
They hypothesize that this simple practice could lower post-meal blood sugar and insulin levels and have positive long-lasting health benefits.
The study gave all the participants exactly the same meal, but in real life holding off on the breadsticks and following the advice to eat carbs last, after protein and vegetables, might mean people are less hungry for carbs and consume fewer of them. That seems like a win/win to us.
