How do you use your diet smartly to keep your sugar levels in balance?

We often take a few bites of the things we like best first. But the order in which you eat meat, pasta, desserts and vegetables affects your sugar levels. It's best to start with your vegetables. First of all, of course, because it ensures that your stomach is already filled with nutrient-rich products before you start eating the heavier products. In most cases, you therefore eat slightly less of those heavier products. This is better than the other way around: too much pasta carbonara means that there is less space left for the vegetables when you need them more. But eating your vegetables first is especially good for your sugar levels.

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Vegetables can be seen as scouts in an army. They advance the rest of the troops and prepare the environment for the arrival of all those other units. In short, this is how it works: the fibers in vegetables prepare the intestines and ensure that the sugar in your blood rises less, so you feel less hungry. While starches and sugars (including those from carbohydrates) actually cause a higher peak of sugar in your blood, your pancreas goes to work producing insulin, causing sugar levels to drop again and make you hungry. You want to keep your sugar levels stable, that's what it comes down to.

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This is best done if you eat your meals in the following order:

— First, the fibers (fruits and vegetables)

— Then the proteins and fats (meat, fish, eggs, etc.)

— Only starch and sugars (potatoes, pasta, bread and desserts) at the end

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So from now on, always eat vegetables first, with every meal. Most people do this more easily at lunch and dinner than at breakfast. For breakfast, think of tomatoes alongside your omelette, a spinach shake, or an avocado. But fruit is also high in fiber. It contains a bit more sugar, but starting with fruit before you eat the rest of your breakfast is definitely better than sinking your teeth into that caramel butter pancake right away.

A few tips:

1. Tell a restaurant that you don't want to receive the bread until your main course, so they won't put a basket on the table if you're still waiting for your food.

2. Get a soup cookbook. Soup is a fantastic starter. And you can vary endlessly with it.

3. Work with appetizers. Also at home. The appetizer is your friend. Make tasty salads or dishes with snack vegetables.

4. Drink a vegetable smoothie first every day