Eating speed does not impact postprandial blood glucose in young women when vegetables are consumed first.

If you’ve ever been the first to finish your meal, you may have heard that you’re more likely to have a higher risk for diabetes or weight gain. But, is that true?

A small study in young healthy women begs to differ! To evaluate the speed of eating on postprandial blood sugar, insulin, triglyceride, and free fatty acid levels, 18 women ate a 671-calorie breakfast at a quick pace (10 minutes), and a slow pace (20 minutes), including vegetables first, and a slow pace (20 minutes) with carbohydrates first on three separate days.

A cross-over design was used in this study. Subjects ate the same meals at three different eating speeds and food orders.

Post-prandial blood sugar and insulin levels were lower at 30 and 60 minutes in subjects who ate vegetables first, regardless of fast or slow-eating, compared to slow-eating of carbs first.

Additionally, the blood glucose and insulin variability measures—standard deviation, large amplitude of excursion, and incremental area under the curve—were much lower when vegetables were eaten first (during both fast and slow eating) than when carbohydrates were eaten first during slow eating

No significant difference in postprandial blood sugar and insulin levels was seen between fast and slow eating, provided that vegetables were eaten first. However, postprandial blood sugar at 30 minutes was much lower in slow eating with vegetables than fast eating with the same food order.

Results of this study suggest that eating vegetables first and carbohydrates last corrects postprandial blood sugar and insulin concentrations, even if the meal was eaten quickly.

Below are some meal and snack ideas to regulate blood sugar:

·       Veggie omelet with whole grain toast (eat toast last).

·       Caprese salad

·       Grilled chicken over mixed greens

·       Raw veggies with garlic hummus

·       Roasted vegetables with grilled fish or shrimp over brown rice

·       Chicken stir-fry

·       Taco salad with lean ground turkey

·       Zoodles (zucchini noodles) mixed with whole grain noodles, topped with beef marinara

·       Turkey burger

·       Sesame pork lettuce wraps

Lisa Andrews, MEd, RD, LD

Reference:

Imai S, Kajiyama S, Kitta K, Miyawaki T, Matsumoto S, Ozasa N, Kajiyama S, Hashimoto Y, Fukui M. Eating Vegetables First Regardless of Eating Speed Has a Significant Reducing Effect on Postprandial Blood Glucose and Insulin in Young Healthy Women: Randomized Controlled Cross-Over Study. Nutrients. 2023 Feb 26;15(5):1174. doi: 10.3390/nu15051174. PMID: 36904173; PMCID: PMC10005673.