Eating the food on your plate in a certain order is better for your health—here's why
Research increasingly suggests that nutrient sequencing—eating macronutrients like protein and fiber in a particular order—can benefit everyone.
As the adage goes, timing is everything—and that may be true when it comes to eating as much as anything else in life. If you want to feel and function at your best, the timing of your food choices could make a difference.
The topic has been gaining attention on social media, with TikTok videos about how eating macronutrients in a particular order during a meal can curb the urge to snack, improve blood sugar regulation, and enhance other aspects of health. The usual recommendation is to start a meal with fiber (perhaps in the form of raw, non-starchy vegetables or fruits), then to move on to lean protein and healthy fats, and finish with starchy carbs like bread, rice, pasta, or potatoes.
(Eating Water Up: The Water “Footprint” of Food)
Nutrient sequencing isn’t a new concept so why the recent surge in popularity? “People love direction and they like guardrails,” says Heidi Skolnick, a sports nutritionist at the Women’s Sports Medicine Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City and co-author of The Whole Body Reset. This approach is “literally about the order in which you eat foods to minimize blood sugar spikes and enhance fullness. It’s a very actionable approach and it’s not restrictive. It’s not telling you what to eat. It’s just focused on the order in which you eat foods.”
Even better, research increasingly suggests that people really can benefit from the nutrient sequencing approach—and that it’s especially helpful for those with diabetes, reactive hypoglycemia (a condition in which blood sugar drops after a meal), or postprandial hypotension (a drop in blood pressure after eating).
A study in a 2022 issue of the journal Nutrients found that when people with type 2 diabetes adopted a habit of eating vegetables before starchy carbohydrates, as recommended by dietitians, they had a significant improvement in their blood sugar control, specifically their hemoglobin A1C levels (which measure average blood sugar over the previous three months), after five years. Another study in a 2024 issue of BMC Nutrition found that older adults with diabetes who made a habit of eating vegetables first had greater functionality—meaning, a greater ease in their daily living habits, intellectual activities, and social abilities—than those who ate other foods first or didn’t follow an order for eating foods.
“I think everybody could benefit from this, from those in diapers to adults,” says Joan Salge Blake, a clinical professor of nutrition at Boston University and host of the nutrition and health podcast Spot On! “Eating high-fiber vegetables first makes so much sense because it will ensure that you get them in—most Americans are not getting enough vegetables in their diet.”
The perks of nutrient sequencing
Mark Alan Effinger, 63, discovered the benefits of nutrient sequencing firsthand. Even though he doesn’t have diabetes or pre-diabetes, he began wearing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) in late 2023, to help him figure out how to optimize his blood sugar levels to perform better at work and in his workouts.
“When I started using the CGM and was eating normally, I was absolutely gob-smacked by the frequency, height, and duration of my blood glucose spikes,” says Effinger, a serial entrepreneur and product developer based in Burlington, Iowa.
So he started tinkering with his eating habits and found that starting a meal with fiber and a glass of water, followed by protein and ending with starchy carbs—was “a game-changer” in managing his blood glucose levels. “By working through my plate in that order,” he says, “I also have little to no meal-induced discomfort and no more post-meal fatigue or food comas.”
(The best sources of protein for a balanced diet.)
Studies support the idea that food sequencing can help reduce blood sugar spikes after eating, for anyone. A study in a 2023 issue of the journal Nutrients found that when healthy, young women consumed a meal consisting of tomato, broccoli, fried fish, and boiled white rice, in that order, their post-meal blood glucose and insulin concentrations were better, compared to eating the rice first.
In addition, research has shown that consuming protein and/or fat before starchy carbohydrates during a meal promotes the secretion of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) from the gut: This in turn reduces insulin secretion and slows down emptying of food from the stomach, which could improve satiety, helping you feel fuller for longer. “Hunger can be better controlled because you don’t see so many blood sugar spikes,” says Keith Ayoob, a dietitian in New York City and an associate professor emeritus of pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Another possible perk: By eating vegetables and fruits first, you’ll naturally slow down how quickly you eat because these foods require chewing. This is especially helpful because “it takes about 15 to 20 minutes for your brain to register that you’ve had enough,” Ayoob says, adding that this way, you’ll fill up on lower-calorie foods and “won’t have as much desire for the other calories we tend to overeat”—such as bread, pasta, and sweets.
It can also help fill you up faster because vegetables and fruits have a substantial water content, in addition to fiber, Salge Blake says.
(Most people aren't getting enough fiber. Here's how much you need.)
Ultimately, nutrient sequencing is beneficial for your health and weight because it “keeps you thinking about what you’re eating and gets you into the mindset of self-monitoring,” says Lawrence Cheskin, a gastroenterologist and distinguished university professor and past chair of the department of nutrition and food studies at George Mason University.
Indeed, research has found that when people have a large salad before pasta at lunch, they end up consuming 17 percent fewer calories during the meal. Similarly, when people start lunch with a bowl of vegetable soup—whether it’s chunky or puréed—then eat a main course, they consume 20 percent fewer total calories during the meal, according to a study at The Pennsylvania State University.
“Having salad or vegetable soup first is like having a pace car to moderate your intake,” Salge Blake says.
Putting nutrient sequencing into practice
Nutrient sequencing may sound complicated but it’s not. For breakfast, you could have a bowl of berries, melon chunks, or a whole orange, followed by Greek yogurt or scrambled eggs, then granola or whole-grain toast.
Lunch might start with a salad or bowl of vegetable soup or gazpacho, then half a sandwich. Or, you could have a poke bowl and eat the vegetables first then the fish followed by the rice on the bottom, Ayoob says.
Dinner could start with a board of crudités or a salad, followed by broiled chicken or fish then rice, pasta, or potatoes.
“It’s not like you’re taking food away—you’re just changing the order,” Ayoob says. And you don’t need to eat this way all the time to reap the benefits, Skolnick adds. With this approach, no food is taboo or forbidden, which makes it easy to implement and sustainable.
(The Mediterranean diet has stood the test of time for a reason: It works.)
Lindsay Malone, 43, a mother of three and a runner, is a clinical dietitian at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. She often uses the same strategies she recommends to patients in her own life, including nutrient sequencing.
“I’ve found that starting my meals with vegetables and protein, then moving on to [starchy] carbs, helps me avoid the blood-sugar roller coaster I used to experience after meals,” she says. “I used to feel a dip in energy and focus mid-morning or mid-afternoon.” Another surprising benefit she has experienced: Improved sleep. “If my blood sugar is stable during the day, I sleep better at night,” Malone says.
Malone also uses a nutrient sequencing strategy with her kids. Before dinner, she’ll put out a plate of veggies for them to munch on. “While it may not be their first choice,” she admits, “it helps them stop asking me what’s for dinner and also gets some fiber and micronutrients into them before dinner.”
