Last week I gave an example of a concept that has been around for a while but which has recently been gaining more awareness in the public realm—that nutrition outcomes don’t solely depend upon individual nutrients but also the foods that deliver them.
Today’s idea explores a concept that has also been around for a while, but in a way that’s often overlooked—that the order in which you eat foods (especially carbohydrate-containing ones) can matter too.
If you’ve heard the phrase carb timing, it’s likely been in the context of the time(s) of day when carbohydrates are “supposed to be eaten”. For example:
- Before or after workouts (for energy or recovery)
- A few hours before bed (to promote sleep onset and quality)
- Earlier in the day instead of later, or not at all after a certain time at night (to keep them from going straight to your waistline or hips—which isn’t exactly accurate)
But research has demonstrated that consuming carbs at different times within a single meal can also provide benefits to our health, satiety, and performance.
What researchers have found about food order within a meal
Numerous studies from the past 15-20 years have shown that consuming carbohydrates toward the end of a meal—after first eating protein and veggies—blunts the blood sugar spike that occurs afterward. (That’s particularly useful in cases of weight-loss goals or when managing pre-diabetes, diabetes, or other metabolic challenges.)
In a more recent study conducted in late 2025, researchers not only confirmed these findings but also looked at post-meal satiety and how the body produced energy both at rest and during exercise.
When carbohydrates (rice in this case) were eaten first during a meal, the participants experienced a roughly 25% higher spike in blood sugar 30 minutes afterward compared to when they ate the rice last during another meal.
They also reported feeling less satiated when they ate the rice first.
And in terms of energy utilization, regular measurements performed during the next hour of rest and a subsequent half-hour run showed that participants’ bodies utilized slightly more carbs when the rice was eaten first instead of last.
While all of that might seem interesting, you might ask:
What’s the practical use?
In most (all?) cases, eating a normal meal on a regular day probably looks something like this:
- Eat a bite of chicken
- Eat a bite of broccoli
- Eat a bite of potato
- Repeat until done
Instead of like this:
- Eat all the broccoli
- Eat the entire chicken breast
- Eat the baked potato
And that’s totally fine, so long as you’re paying attention to the highest-impact nutritional strategies like eating mostly whole, minimally processed foods, getting enough protein and fiber, drinking enough water, and practicing being consistent most of the time.
But there’s also a simple strategy that you could experiment using occasionally, especially if you’re particularly concerned with managing your blood sugar, appetite, or weight or with gaining any slight edge in exercise performance—although the strategy will vary slightly based on your goal(s).
If your primary concern is blood sugar, appetite, or weight management…
Eat about half the protein (and veggies) on your plate first. Then finish the rest of the meal as you normally would.
This might look like:
- Breakfast—half of the eggs and sausage/bacon, followed by the rest along with toast, fruit, oatmeal, pancakes, etc.
- Snack—Greek yogurt or string cheese, followed by a piece of fruit
- Dinner—a salad, then half of the meat and veggies, all followed by the rest along with rice, potatoes, etc.
In this case, the hybrid strategy should be helpful in keeping your blood sugar level more stable and making you feel slightly more satisfied after the meal.
If your primary concern is exercise performance…
Utilizing carbohydrates as a fuel source produces energy more quickly than when utilizing fat—a characteristic that’s usually more useful for higher-intensity activities such as weight training or sprinting rather than yoga or long, slow runs.
So here you’d want to flip the script by first eating some of the carb-containing foods on your plate and then finishing with the rest.
That might look like:
- Breakfast—half of the toast, fruit, oatmeal, pancakes, etc., followed by the rest along with the eggs and sausage/bacon
- Snack—a piece of fruit, followed by Greek yogurt or string cheese
- Dinner—half of the rice, potato, etc., followed by the rest along with anything else on your plate
This might cause you to feel slightly less satiated after the meal, but that’s probably OK. Since exercise performance is your primary concern, you may need a few extra calories anyway!
Putting it into practice
Regardless of your primary concern, think of this meal strategy as the fine tuning of an already decent plan, not a foundational change for a suboptimal one.
And consider experimenting with it as often as you’re willing and able. (It’s hopefully obvious that picking the lettuce and tomato off your sandwich to eat first, then eating the meat, and finishing with the bread isn’t practical or necessary.)
It’s a relatively small adjustment that should capture most of the potential benefits without turning meals into full-fledged strategy sessions.