Eating veggies first can help you lose weight like a ‘small form of Ozempic’

Your parents were on to something when they told you to eat your veggies first.

Scientists say that eating fiber-rich vegetables before carbohydrates makes you feel full longer, improves your blood sugar and could increase weight loss.

The practice of eating veggies first Is called meal sequencing and, according to a dietician from Alabama named Carolyn Williams, veggies can act like weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which signals to the body that it’s full.

“You could almost say your vegetables are like your own small form of Ozempic,” Carolyn Williams told the Daily Mail.

“They increased that GLP-1, and that’s part of what slows digestion and slows gastric emptying. When you slow gastric emptying your carbohydrates aren’t going to be digested quite as quickly and aren’t going to rush into the bloodstream as quickly,” she added. 

GLP-1 is a natural hormone that slows down the passage of food through the stomach, making people feel full longer. 

There are several studies that show the benefits of eating vegetables first.  

A study published in March by the journal Nutrients studied 18 healthy women, some of whom ate vegetables first and others who ate carbohydrates first. It also tested if the speed at which someone ate impacted their blood sugar levels.

The study found that even if someone ate faster, those who ate vegetables first had lower postprandial blood sugar, which means they had lower blood sugar after a meal. They also had lower insulin than those who began their meal by eating carbs. 

The study authors said that fiber in the veggies counteracted any spike in blood sugar from the carbohydrates. 

According to a study conducted in Japan in 2011 and published in the National Library of Medicine, Type 2 diabetics who ate veggies before carbs had better long-term blood sugar control than those who ate carbs first. 

Another 2016 study published in Diabetologia found those who practiced meal sequencing produced more of the hormone incretin, which tells the body it’s full.

However, high-fiber vegetables are healthy no matter when you eat them. A diet high in fiber reduces the risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“Women should try to eat at least 21 to 25 grams of fiber a day, while men should aim for 30 to 38 grams a day,” the website explained.

Veggies high in fiber include green peas, broccoli, turnip greens, Brussel sprouts, potato with skin, and cauliflower just to name a few.

Meal sequencing can have health benefits, but it’s more important that people vary their diet, according to an expert.

Mario Kratz, a former clinical researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and the founder of Nourished by Science, told the Washington Post that people should be avoiding “naked” carbs. Examples of this are a plate of crackers or chips or a bowl of breakfast cereal. Doing so makes your blood sugar spike then fall and create a cycle of cravings. 

“The key is to find ways that you can modify your meals a little so they’re still culturally acceptable while also reducing the extent to which they are naked carbs,” Kratz said. “I think for most people that’s the way to go.”