Eating vegetables and protein before starch and sugar lowers the glucose and insulin rise after a meal and flattens daily swings. The effect is consistently found, but acts only on the meal it is applied to. Whether it changes long-term average glucose is unsettled. It is free, adds no calories, and changes no foods. (Full Review)
| Marker | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Fasting glucose | 75–86 mg/dL | Baseline control before the change |
| HbA1c | 4.8–5.4% | The endpoint on which the meal-order trials disagree |
| Fasting insulin | 2–5 µIU/mL | Detects compensatory high insulin before glucose rises |
| HOMA-IR | Below 1.0 | Single figure for insulin resistance |
| One-hour post-meal glucose | Below 140 mg/dL, rise below 30 mg/dL over baseline | The outcome meal sequencing acts on most directly |
| Sensor time in range | Above 90% of readings between 70 and 140 mg/dL | Captures what single draws miss |
| Mean amplitude of glycemic excursions | No established target outside diabetes; track the change from the individual's own baseline | Direct measure of swing size, the variable most changed in trials |
| Fasting triglycerides | Below 80 mg/dL | Marker of carbohydrate handling and liver fat |
Cadence: Baseline before the change, a paired comparison at two weeks, laboratory work at three months, then every six to twelve months while the habit persists