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Cast your minds back a couple of years, and it was commonplace to see folks wandering around with small plastic discs on their upper arms. No longer the preserve of diabetics, continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) were everywhere, as the trend for monitoring our blood sugar response to foods took off.
In case you missed it, the rationale behind the trend was threefold: to detect (and avoid) developing pre-diabetes, to optimise blood sugar levels to enhance mental and physical performance and to understand how our bodies uniquely respond to food and drink.
Whether it was a genuine desire for information about health or simply another must-have accessory, the idea took off, and it’s a practice that has endured – a cursory scroll through social media will trigger a wave of nutritionist content around the benefits of glucose monitoring for all.
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This being said, the wellness world is divided on the topic, with some critics advising that CGMs are simply an expensive new way to overly fixate on diet and wellbeing. But the noise around blood sugar monitoring hasn’t died down: enter, instead, the concept of glucose ‘guarding’; a focus shift away from simply observing the response to actively preventing glucose spikes, by switching up the order in which we’re eating certain foods – specifically, consuming vegetables before carbohydrates.
The science here is compelling: studies (such as this one, published in the journal Nutrients) reveal that eating in this way reduces blood glucose spikes in healthy young women, while further research (take a look at this study, from the same journal) shows that meal sequencing is recommended for both prevention and treatment of diabetes.
So, should we really all be eating our veggies first? We asked the experts for their take – keep scrolling to find out what they said. In the meantime, you might be interested in our blood glucose monitor review, plus what happened when our Health Editor tried the inflammation diet and eating first thing in the morning. For guides to blood sugar spikes and expert-approved Glucose Goddess hacks, click here.
Glucose guarding is trending right now – but is it really effective for maintaining energy?
What is glucose guarding?
We’ve touched on the idea of nutrient sequencing – aka glucose guarding – above, but here’s a deep dive, for your perusal.
“Glucose guarding is a social media term for a concept that has actually been studied in nutrition science for over a decade,” explains Sasha Watkins, registered dietician and head of health at Mindful Chef. “The idea is that the order in which we eat foods during a meal can influence how quickly glucose enters the bloodstream.”
“Specifically, it refers to eating fibre-rich vegetables first, then protein and fats, and saving refined carbohydrates, bread, rice, pasta, until last. Because fibre, protein and fat all slow digestion, this sequencing may reduce the speed at which carbohydrates are absorbed, potentially leading to a smaller post-meal rise in blood sugar.”
It’s also commonly referred to as the veggie-first rule, as eating vegetables at the start of every meal is the key.
What are the benefits of glucose guarding?
Wondering why or if you should bother with glucose guarding? Time for a quick science lesson, courtesy of Lauren Windas, registered nutritional therapist and founder of Ardere.
“Every time that we eat anything containing carbohydrates, our blood sugar rises, and our pancreas secretes a hormone called insulin to remove glucose from the bloodstream and pump it into the body’s cells to use for energy day-to-day,” she tells MC UK. “Large spikes of insulin can impact our health, energy, appetite and also drive up our chronic disease risk, so those looking to ‘glucose guard’ are aiming to reduce the amount of glucose spikes for overall longevity.
“The thinking is that, consistently followed, glucose guarding can help lower our risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome, improve appetite regulation (reduced sugar cravings, feeling fuller for longer), as well as enhancing mood and cognitive function, and helping with weight management.”
These are bold claims, but there is some evidence to suggest that this isn’t just social media noise, notes Watkins, with some caveats.
“While the evidence is strongest for those with impaired blood sugar regulation, some research suggests the effect isn’t limited to diabetics,” she explains. “Studies in healthy young women have shown some improvements in post-meal blood glucose and insulin levels when vegetables were eaten first compared to carbohydrates first. However, for people with normal metabolism, the body already regulates blood glucose efficiently, so any benefit is likely to be modest at best.”
Who is glucose guarding suitable for?
Quite simply, anyone can try a glucose guarding approach to eating, within reason, although – as stated above – the benefits are debatable for those of us without a pre-disposition to diabetes.
“For most people, overall meal quality remains far more important than the order in which food is eaten,” shares Watkins. “Adequate fibre, protein and minimally processed foods will do considerably more for blood sugar stability than rearranging what’s on your plate.”
How is glucose guarding done?
If you’re intrigued and want to give it a try, glucose guarding is relatively easy to implement; it just requires a little forethought, which is no bad thing when it comes to what we’re putting on our plates.
“The practice is simple: begin a meal with vegetables or salad, follow with protein and healthy fats (fish, eggs, tofu, beans, olive oil), and eat starchy or refined carbohydrates last,” advises Watkins. “In practice, this might look like having a salad before pasta, eating the vegetables and protein in a stir-fry before the rice, or starting with a vegetable soup before the main course.
“Interestingly, many traditional cuisines, Mediterranean meals beginning with antipasti, for example, naturally follow this pattern.”
Are there any drawbacks to the glucose guarding trend?
Now for the downsides to the method – and, it must be noted, these are concerning for certain demographics, particularly those with a history of disordered eating.
“One concern is that some social media messaging around ‘glucose spikes’ can create unnecessary anxiety about food,” agrees specialist registered dietician Nichola Ludlam-Raine. “For some people, it can become overly prescriptive or feed into rigid eating patterns. Blood glucose naturally rises after meals – that’s a normal physiological response, not something that needs to be completely avoided.”
As a rule, nutrition trends tend to come and go, and it’s advisable not to overly fixate on any of them, regardless of your relationship with food. While we’re all for a considered, balanced and generally healthy approach to eating, prescriptive ways of eating are rarely helpful in the long term, as there’s an unhelpful tendency to self-flagelate if – or when – we deviate from them.
If you’re interested in the research behind the trend but aren’t ready to overhaul how you’re eating, Ludlam-Raine advises a more balanced approach.
“A helpful takeaway is simply to build balanced meals,” she notes. “Include fibre-rich carbohydrates, vegetables, protein and healthy fats. That combination naturally moderates glucose responses without needing to follow strict food rules.”
Shop MC UK’s go-to wellbeing essentials now:
Live to Eat: the Food You Crave by Emily English
Emily English (aka Em the Nutritionist) has quickly become one of our go-tos for healthy, satisfying meals that work for our busy lives. This, her most recent release, makes deciding your weekly meal rotation a breeze.
Black + Blum Stainless Steel Lunch Box
Pop those veggies in these handy and practical stainless steel lunch boxes from Black + Blum for easy nutrients on the go.
Do we really need to observe glucose guarding?
Well, the jury is (somewhat) out on this one.
“The average person does not need to be tracking blood sugars,” remarks Priya Tew, specialist eating disorders dietician. “We have a pancreas and insulin system that can cope with the fluctuations in our day.
“Having said that, there are simple ways we can help this system and eat for more consistent blood sugars. By eating in a way that supports your blood sugars, you can have more consistent energy levels, fewer intense sugar cravings, better concentration, and it can help with long-term health.
“So, how to do this? Protein, fibre and fats are our key trio. When you add these to meals or snacks, it slows down digestion and so slows down the impact on your blood sugars. This does not mean you need to eat food in a certain order or take vinegar with meals. Another key is to have gentle movement in your day. A 10-minute walk after a meal can also have the same effect.”
And there you have it.
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