Eat in the right order

The other day I was celebrating the loss of 4kg, almost 9 lbs, by eating chocolate cake!

Wait a minute, isn't that counterproductive? Maybe, but hear me out.

I've been doing a lot of research lately. When it comes to choosing food, it has to fit several qualities in order to make it onto my table:

1. Decrease (or at least not increase) blood pressure
2. Lower cholesterol levels
3. Boost metabolsim
4. Burn fat

I was watching many videos and read articles - and as a consequence, I am getting harassed by sponsored content all over social media. Anyway. I took notes. Top ten foods for every of my desired purposes. Fortunately, these lists contain overlaps as well as conflicting objectives.

What are those?

Oats. They come highly recommended for their vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant plant compounds, high quality protein as well as for being a good source of carbs and fiber. However, I am not a fan. Not in yogurt, and certainly not as porridge. Yuck. Sorry. Generally any whole grains have similar wonderful qualities. Let's go with them. 

Kale. While quite popular in North America, it's not very known here. I feel like my willingness to make an extra effort in the kitchen ends if I need to give lettuce a massage before eating it.

(Garbanzo) beans aka chick peas. Any given video that features vegan dishes will either be about tofu (not a fan) or chick peas (it won't kill me, but I don't love 'em.) Other beans should work as well. I'm happy with black beans and edamame. 

Apples, also great for vitamins, carb and fiber. Love. Also other fruits and berries, such as bananas, citrus fruit, blueberries and goji berries (I purchased a pack, they're dried, and they tend to stick to my teeth).

Apparently herbs like basil and cilantro have blood pressure decreasing qualities. Who knew? I love both! Tacos and caprese salad for the win. 

(Apple cider) vinegar is supposed to help increase your metabolism and burn fat. The latter is supposed to be true for olive oil and chili peppers, too. Again, bring that tomato mozzarella and these tacos on!

While black coffee is on the list of the fat burning items, teas win! Green and Oolong come recommended, and Hibiscus tea is supposed to help against high blood pressure. Here's a side story about the Hibiscus tea that may make you chuckle - or not.

So what were surprising learnings - and what do they have to do with the chocolate cake?

It's not only important what you eat, but in what order you eat!

Any balanced meal consists in proteins, fats and carbs. So far so good- And carbs have a bad rep, because starches and sugars, right? But not all carbs are bad. "Complex carbs" are good carbs, think whole-grain, quinoa, and as mentioned above - ugh - oats.

Back to the food order though. One important thing to consider is fiber, mainly veggies, nuts and legumes. What fiber does in your body, is to create sort of a protective shield, which will prevent the glucose molecules that come from your "bad carbs" (white rice, white bread, white pasta, cookies, cake, you name it) from being absorbed too quickly. 

If the glucose molecules first have to complete the obstacle course laid out by the dietary fiber, the sugar level cannot rise so quickly and, above all, not so high. 

Why is this cool? Spiking glucose levels are bad for diabetes patients, but also for healthy people who want to stay healthy and not move towards pre-diabetes.

• High glucose levels can trigger an inflammatory response in the body, contributing to the development of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and certain types of cancer. 
• Chronic hyperglycemia can damage blood vessels and organs over time, leading to complications such as heart disease, kidney disease, nerve damage, and vision problems.
• Frequent spikes in glucose can lead to insulin resistance, where the cells become less responsive to the effects of insulin. Insulin resistance is often associated with other metabolic abnormalities, including high blood pressure, abnormal lipid levels (such as high triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol), and abdominal obesity. This cluster of conditions is known as metabolic syndrome and significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
• Consistently high glucose levels can contribute to weight gain and obesity, as excess glucose is stored as fat in the body.
• While a spike in glucose can provide a temporary boost in energy, it's often followed by a crash in energy levels as insulin works to bring blood sugar levels back down. This can lead to feelings of fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. As a result, what are you likely to do? Look for a quick snack. If your snack is a donut, you'll feed into the vicious glucose circle, and you will soon crash again.

We like it hands-on around here, so I'll quit the theory. Only one more thing: If you're looking at carbs, you wann make sure, the carb/fiber ratio is lower than 10:1, meaning for every 10 grams of carbohydrates, there should be at least 1 gram of fiber.

My whole wheat toast, for example, has 37g carbs and 7.8g fiber per 100g bread, meaning the ratio is 5:1 :-) As a comparison, 100g DUNKIN' DONUTS Strawberry with sprinkles has 44g carbs and 0 fiber. My calculator produces an error ;-)))

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What can you do every single day that'll help your overall health when it comes to lunch?

Skip the bread at the restaurant. Yes, it's still warm, it smells and tastes delicious, but it comes in the completely wrong order.

• Eat the veggies first.
• Then the proteins and fats.
• Lastly the carbs.

Sounds simple enough. What about the salad dressing though? Lettuce is a veggie, and it comes first, but there's typically oil or mayo in the dressing that we can't "wipe off". What can we do?

Opt for dressings that are made with healthier fats, such as olive oil or avocado oil, and avoid those high in saturated or trans fats. Add additional fiber-rich toppings to your salad, such as nuts, seeds, or beans. This can help balance out the effects of the fat in the dressing.

Apparently there are studies, such as this one by Alpana Shukla from 2015, that show significantly (70%) lower glucose spikes in test persons who followed the correct order vs people who ate the exact same meal in whatever order they pleased.

This is where my chocolate cake comes in. Yes, it was probably 1,000 calories, but I ate in the correct order: Veggies first ;-) Plus, I walked 13,000 steps that day. 

It was a glorious day.

How's this for a health hack? Have you ever heard of the impact of the food order?