Sometimes, it isn’t just about what you eat, but how you eat it. When looking at a full plate of food, you might instinctively start with your favorite item first — but there could be a better way. “Meal sequencing” (also called “food sequencing”) suggests that, to feel your best, there’s a specific order to follow while clearing your plate. While this approach is particularly helpful for those with diabetes or prediabetes, anyone can benefit from this simple practice. Here’s what you need to know.

What the Research Says

Research suggests that eating non-starchy foods — fiber, protein, and healthy fats — before carbohydrates may reduce short-term glucose spikes by slowing digestion. This results in a more gradual rise in insulin and blood glucose levels, giving you more energy throughout the day while avoiding post-mealtime slumps. This approach may also improve long-term health as large, repeated swings in blood sugar are linked to an increased risk of developing insulin resistance, which can lead to high blood sugar levels, prediabetes, and even Type 2 diabetes.

Clinical studies worldwide have shown promising results. In Japan, one study asked participants to eat the same meal — protein, vegetables, and white rice — on three separate occasions, each time in a different order. Insulin and blood glucose levels were recorded after each meal. The findings revealed that when participants began their meal with a simple carbohydrate (white rice), their post-meal insulin and blood glucose levels were highest.

While meal sequencing is a useful tool, it doesn’t replace overall healthy eating habits, such as maintaining a balanced diet, practicing portion control, choosing whole foods, and limiting processed foods. Instead, it works alongside these habits to support blood sugar levels, helping you feel good throughout the day. Here’s how to incorporate meal sequencing into your routine.

Meal Sequencing, Step by Step

Step 1: Fiber

Begin your meal with fiber-rich foods, which help slow digestion. This supports steadier glucose absorption, leading to a more gradual release of energy into the bloodstream (rather than a single large wave). Keep in mind that some high-fiber foods — such as beans, lentils, grains, and vegetables like corn and potatoes — are also higher in carbohydrates, so you should save them for later in the meal. Instead, start with salads and non-starchy vegetables, including broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, cucumbers, and zucchini. For breakfast, choose lower-sugar fruits that are high in fiber, such as avocados, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries.

Step 2: Protein

The second item to reach for on your plate is protein. It increases satiety, helping you feel full longer, and improves blood glucose levels by slowing digestion, similar to high-fiber foods. Lean proteins are ideal for supporting blood sugar. They include poultry, such as chicken and turkey, as well as lean cuts of beef and pork. White fish such as cod, haddock, grouper, halibut, tilapia, and bass, as well as shrimp, are also good options.

Low-carb plant-based choices include tempeh, tofu, and edamame, which are all soybean-based. Some popular plant-based proteins, such as beans and lentils, are high in complex carbohydrates, which digest more slowly than simple carbohydrates, preventing sharp blood sugar spikes. In moderation, they can be a good choice for plant-based protein, but low-carb options are better. For breakfast, egg whites, plain Greek yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, powdered peanut butter, and low-fat milk can work well.

Step 3: Healthy Fats

Healthy unsaturated fats are key to a well-balanced diet and should be incorporated after fiber and protein. They help the body absorb vitamins, increase satiety, boost metabolism, and support blood sugar regulation. Foods with healthy fats you can incorporate include avocados, nuts, and seeds (along with their butters and oils). Some protein sources, such as poultry and fish, also provide healthy fats.

When cooking, consider using oils rich in monounsaturated fats — such as olive, canola, peanut, or sesame oil — in place of butter, shortening, or coconut oil, which are higher in saturated fat. Remember to avoid trans fats, which are found in fried foods, fast foods, and processed snacks.

Step 4: Carbohydrates

Finally, it’s time to enjoy some carbohydrates. Eating these foods on a partially full stomach will make your body process them more gradually. For better nutritional value, focus on healthy (complex) carbs, such as whole-grain pastas and breads, quinoa, brown rice, starchy vegetables (potatoes, corn, squash, etc.), and starchy beans (black beans, lima beans, chickpeas, split peas, and lentils).

It’s still best to limit refined, processed carbs such as white flour, added sugars, and sugary drinks, as these foods can cause blood sugar spikes, even if meal sequencing helps reduce their impact. 

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Realizing you let an expensive loaf of artisanal bread get moldy on your kitchen counter is not a good feeling. You face a conundrum: Do you throw it out, wasting both food and money, or slice off those few inconspicuous spots and proceed with your sandwich like nothing ever happened? What if you realize the bread is moldy after you eat that sandwich?

Mold is all around us — outdoors, in our homes, and on our food. Most molds are harmless, and some even help produce certain foods: Penicillium roqueforti gives blue cheese its deliciously sharp taste and blue streaks, and Penicillium camemberti allows soft cheeses like brie to build white rinds. But not every mold is as appetizing as those.

Here’s what to know about mold on your food — and what to do if some accidentally goes down the hatch.

Fungus Among Us

Molds are microscopic, multicellular fungi that have threadlike roots and reproduce by spores. The spores can spread through the air, land on food, and multiply if the conditions are right. Mold especially loves humidity. Moist baked goods left unwrapped on a kitchen countertop are the perfect landing strips for airborne spores to burrow into. Even food that’s in the fridge can get moldy after a few weeks if there are high levels of moisture inside the packaging. 

Just about any kind of food can get moldy: Meats, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, breads, and condiments are all fair game. Even jams and pickles are susceptible because some molds thrive in sugary, salty, and highly acidic environments. 

Most molds, including ones we may eat, present no danger to people, so accidentally ingesting them won’t cause any problems beyond grossing you out. However, some molds typically found on grains, nuts, and fruit do produce compounds called mycotoxins, which may result in gastrointestinal discomfort, flu-like symptoms, and short-term memory loss if eaten by mistake. Severe cases of poisoning by some forms of mycotoxins can lead to more serious issues, including cancer.  

 How To Handle Mold on Your Food

It’s impossible to tell which molds are toxic just by looking at them, so food safety experts say you should throw out most foods with visible mold. Cutting off the moldy part of a doughnut or tomato to save the rest isn’t advised because the mold’s filaments can extend deep into the food, especially if it’s soft and has a lot of moisture. Those qualities also attract bacteria. Dairy products, most fruits and veggies, cooked rice and pasta, cooked meats and legumes, and breads all fall under this umbrella.

There are some exceptions to this rule: hard-textured blocks of cheese such as Parmesan or cheddar (make sure to toss any shredded cheese with mold, though); cured meats like hard salami; and hard vegetables including carrots and cabbage. Mold filaments can’t penetrate these foods easily, so in these cases, you can trim off the moldy part plus a 1-inch margin around and below it (or, in the case of salami, scrub the mold off) and salvage the remaining portion.

A Mouthful of Mold

If you accidentally chow down on some spoiled or moldy food, remain calm. Keep watch for nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomachache, or brain fog — symptoms that may be more severe in people who have existing health issues — for the next 24 hours in case you develop a delayed reaction. Call your doctor if you notice any discomfort, but if that period ends without new symptoms, rest assured that you’ll probably be fine. (But you should still toss the moldy food in question.)

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