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我們知道網路上有太多關於營養和體重控制的資訊和建議，讓大家常常不知道要從哪裡開始、該看什麼好，所以我們讓佳格經驗豐富的營養師來幫你指引迷津！我們今天的獨家問答訪談中，佳格的專職營養師 Amanda 何佳蓉會幫你解答關於減重、減肥、體重控制、健康生活的各種問題。

她會從她多年的經驗來帶你看看怎麼進行飲食的熱量控制、怎麼在減重的過程中善用膳食纖維、怎麼調整三餐進食時間、補充品怎麼吃、什麼樣的減重計畫才能長長久久，把這些元素互相搭配、創造最好的結果！

我們希望大家能用科學的知識和方法，用自己的力量掌握健康的生活，Amanda 會解釋營養、高纖食物、有效體重控制間的三角關係，在回答的過程中理論與實務並進，讓你可以清楚地理解各種建議背後的原因、了解要怎麼依自己的需求和喜好調整你的飲食和體重計劃，讀完後就把體重控制的技巧現學現賣，不管你才剛開始認識這個領域還是已經熟能生巧，都可以在這篇問答中找到你要的答案！

如果你還想要了解減重常見五大問題或膳食纖維的超級好處，可以看完這篇問答後，點進去這兩篇文章繼續閱讀！

=★佳格營養師介紹★= 

★如果想要控制飲食、減少熱量攝取，應該少吃幾餐或不吃早餐嗎？

對於該不該吃早餐來幫助減輕體重其實目前未有定論，且效果可能會因飲食型態和生活習慣不同而有所差異。

一般來說早餐的熱量約占整天熱量的三成左右，以每天 1500 至 1800 大卡熱量攝取來計算，早餐熱量約為 400 - 600 大卡之間，對於平時有吃早餐習慣的人來說，少吃一頓早餐來減少熱量攝取，短期內可能會因熱量赤字而使體重下降，但也可能會造成專注力下降、飲食品質下降。對於兒童的影響可能甚至更多。

而對於吃早餐對體重或飲食控制又有什麼影響呢？

一篇以隨機交叉試驗觀察吃與不吃早餐對飽足感和飲食品質的相關研究，研究發現吃早餐更能提升飽足感，並且降低促進食慾和飢餓感荷爾蒙分泌；此外，這篇研究也發現與不吃早餐相比，吃早餐模式可減少晚上攝取高碳水化合物和高脂肪食物的情況，這也就可以解釋為什麼當沒吃早餐時，往往在下一餐會因為餓過頭而無法控制食量，反而吃進更多東西，導致體重不減反增，因此如果你常常在減重的道路上被飢餓和嘴饞打敗，或許你可以試試以吃早餐作為對抗飢餓的策略和手段喔。

★太多因素要考慮了，太困難 QQ！特定食物有什麼時候吃會比較好嗎？該怎麼分配三餐熱量？該怎麼搭配萃取物、補充品、維生素？

由上述提到吃早餐會為新的一天開啟活力、提供能量與減少飢餓感，而餐次中的營養分配也是相當重要。

經過一整夜的空腹，早餐建議優先選擇可快速提供身體能量的碳水化合物食物，例如像是全榖根莖類的地瓜、五穀飯糰、燕麥片等，其膳食纖維含量較白米飯、白吐司及白饅頭來得高，更容易有飽足感；另外建議搭配雞蛋、牛奶、優格、豆漿、里肌肉片等優質蛋白質食物，避免火腿、香腸、培根等加工肉品。優質蛋白質食物除了能提供身體所需的必需胺基酸外，更能提供飽足感、不易飢餓。

研究指出攝取富含蛋白質的早餐可降低進食慾望、使飢餓荷爾蒙分泌減少、提增飽足感荷爾蒙（PYY）分泌增加、減緩碳水化合物消化與吸收的速度，而達到減少飢餓感、減少飯後血糖波動等目的。 

而除了餐次中營養的分配，熱量配比也需值得留意。在控制一天所攝取的總熱量為前提下，調整三餐的熱量分配或許可為正在實行控卡階段的你帶來不錯的幫助。 

根據一篇研究發現，將每日熱量攝取控制在 1400 大卡，並且三餐的熱量佔比為早餐 50%、午餐 35%、晚餐 15% 分配，在執行 12 周後可降低體重與腰圍。而另一篇發表在《細胞代謝科學》（Cell Metabolism）期刊的研究，同樣將熱量攝取減少並控制下分成兩組，一組為早餐熱量佔比較高的早餐組（三餐熱量佔比為早餐 45%、午餐 35%、晚餐 20%）、另一組為晚餐的熱量佔比高的晚餐組（三餐熱量佔比為早餐 20%、午餐 35%、晚餐 45%），實驗期滿後兩組體重皆有下降，且程度相當，其中研究發現早餐攝取較高熱量的組別其飢餓感和食慾都相對較低。

★如果平常就有在吃益生菌、人蔘、保健品⋯等等，該飯前還是飯後吃？如果吃錯時間是不是就浪費掉了？

餐次配比須考量每個人的生活差異與飲食習慣，因此若平時飲食以三餐為主，且過去經常在控卡期間感到飢餓，或許可以嘗試將熱量分配較多在早餐上，而晚餐則減少一些。

在攝取較多熱量的餐次中，攝取富含蛋白質以及膳食纖維食物的同時，也可補充一些含益生菌的食物，如優格、優酪乳、抑或是益生菌產品，這些好菌搭配食物裡的纖維可以幫助維持消化道機能。

另外，若平時有補充人蔘、雞精、蛋白粉等產品習慣，人蔘與雞精這類保健品所含的熱量不高，不太會影響整體熱量控制，因此可依平時的個人使用習慣或早上空腹飲用；蛋白粉則建議需與豆蛋魚肉類食物進行食物代換。 

 
<同場加映>：如果你對益生元、益生菌、消化酵素有興趣，營養師Amanda 在這篇文章也回答了一些關於這些補充品的常見問題。 

★如果平常血糖就比較低，可以限制自己的熱量攝取限制，而且不會頭暈、顫抖、疲累嗎？！

在執行減重飲食時造成心悸、顫抖、暈眩的原因有許多，在執行限制熱量的控卡階段，會因為飲食攝取量過少或不均衡而導致脫水、血鈉偏低，造成低血壓。

另外許多人認為減重就必須要戒掉澱粉、減少碳水化合物的攝取，因而飲食採取只有雞胸肉、生菜沙拉或者不含熱量的黑咖啡、無糖茶飲等較為單一的食物或液體，長期下來可能會因碳水化合物攝取過低、營養素不均衡而造成血糖偏低，若此時服用血糖藥用，更增加嚴重低血糖的風險，因此減重飲食應採取均衡的飲食原則，以漸進式的方式減少熱量，避免一下子熱量減少過多；此外，碳水化合物占總熱量應控制在50-60%，飲食不需過於清淡。

而若有些族群想嘗試更低碳水化合物攝取的低醣飲食，例如仍在發育階段的兒童與青少年、肝腎疾病患者、糖尿病患者等族群則建議在醫生與營養師的評估下進行。 

★要怎麼執行熱量赤字的飲食法？該執行多久？熱量赤字該是多少才不會傷害身體？比平常少 20 - 30% 夠嗎？ 

每到夏天就有一波接一波號稱最有效的減肥方式散布在社群平台上，像是 168 間歇斷食、韓星 4 周減肥法、OMAD 斷食、防彈咖啡等。像是飲食中以脂肪為主的生酮飲食或防彈咖啡，在長期執行不均衡的飲食方式會使身體缺乏足夠的營養素，使得基礎代謝率降低，減重效果無法持久，並且也容易造成免疫力下降及身體的損傷等問題。 

因此在健康與均衡飲食的前提下，適度的限制熱量攝取，將所攝取的熱量低於每日總消耗熱量（total daily energy expenditure，TDEE)，也就是我們常說的熱量赤字，而熱量赤字該堅持多久因人而異，一般來說每減少一公斤約需燃燒 7,700 大卡，換言之，每天減少攝取 500大卡，即可達到兩周減少一公斤體重的目標。 

那麼這個意思是只要持續的少吃一點就可以一直瘦下去嗎？其實不然，由下圖所示，以減少熱量攝取所造成的熱量赤字在前六個月內體重減輕是可行的，在減重過程中除了體脂肪減少外，水分與肌肉量也會同時流失，一段時間後身體會為了生存機制而降低基礎代謝率，而當所執行的熱量赤字與基礎代謝率相近時，就會進入停滯期狀態，此時若熱量攝取多於降低的基礎代謝率後體重也會隨之增加，這就是為什麼減重過程中會出現停滯與復胖的關卡，而究竟如何能夠突破關卡呢?  

其實不二法門還是在於飲食與運動的搭配，搭配適度的運動可以避免肌肉流失過多，並且運動同時可以燃燒熱量，因此不需要完全依賴飲食限制一樣能夠製造出熱量赤字的狀態，例如：每天減少攝取 300 大卡熱量，並增加體能活動多消耗 200 大卡，一樣也可以達到每兩周減重約一公斤。 

★「低糖」和「低醣」的差別是什麼？哪個比較好？

在討論低糖與低醣的區別前，可能更多人對於糖與醣二字感到疑惑，在食品包裝上的營養標示中可看到其差異，糖指的是分子較小之單糖和雙糖的總和，也是我們所說的精緻糖，通常吃起來有甜味；而醣指的是碳水化合物，包括澱粉、膳食纖維、寡糖以及上述提到的糖，吃起來不一定具有甜味。

由於糖的分子較小，消化吸收快速，因此對於血糖的升幅較快，許多研究證實過量糖攝取會造成肥胖、蛀牙、增加代謝症候群與心血管疾病的罹患風險，因此世界衛生組織與衛福部國健署建議精緻糖的攝取不可超過總熱量的 10%，另外包裝食品營養宣稱的法規，固體產品每 100 公克其糖含量 5 公克以下或液體產品每 100 毫升其糖含量 2.5 公克以下方可標示為低糖或少糖宣稱。

而關於碳水化合物的醣，由於分子通常較大，吸收速度較精緻糖慢，且在身體中扮演許多功能，例如：提供全身與中樞神經系統的能量、確保體內的蛋白質可作為組織修補與生長發育之用、調節血糖等。而一般來說所謂的低碳水化合物飲食或稱低醣飲食是指碳水化合物的攝取占總熱量約 26 - 45%，或每日攝取碳水化合物在 120 - 225 公克之間。

過去研究雖然指出減少碳水化合物的低醣飲食能夠幫助體重減輕、降低血中三酸甘油酯，並為健康帶來效益，但以碳水化合物為主的全榖雜糧類食物含有豐富的膳食纖維、維生素與礦物質，為腸道菌叢提供養分，以維持腸道的蠕動與健康，因此建議低糖比低醣更為優先與重要，以天然來源的碳水化合物取代精緻糖，為飲食更營養均衡、為健康更加分。

★聽說照某個特定的順序吃東西就可以避免飯後血糖上升太快，這個順序是什麼？如果像 poke、炒飯、咖哩這些肉、澱粉、青菜、蛋白質全部混在一起的料理，要怎麼照順序吃？

食物經由消化道酵素分解成小分子並經由腸道吸收，將這些小分子的養分經由血液循環送至各器官以提供能量。另外，每餐食物的進食順序對血糖起伏也有所差異。根據日本的一篇研究發現，用餐時如果先吃飯、燉南瓜等含碳水化合物較高的食物，再配蔬菜和肉，其飯後 30 分鐘血糖會快速上升，之後才會緩慢下降；但如果是先吃蔬菜，再配肉，最後才吃白飯等主食類食物，其餐後的 30 分鐘至 2 個小時血糖起伏平緩、上升速度緩慢，這是因為蛋白質的消化時間較長，而蔬菜中的膳食纖維有助於減緩食物在腸胃道中吸收速度，使得餐後血糖的波動起伏較為和緩。

而含醣類的食物依消化吸收速度的不同，對飯後血糖的起伏速度也有差異，像是稀飯、白饅頭與吐司、麻糬、甜甜圈、薯片等高升糖指數的食物消化吸收速度快，血糖上升速度也快，這會促使胰島素大量分泌，並且以脂肪形式儲存下來，而膳食纖維含量較高、且加工度較低的糙米飯、早餐燕麥、雜糧或全麥麵包等食物消化吸收較慢、餐後血糖上升幅度也較為緩慢、平緩。

最後由於上班族外食頻率較高，幾點小秘訣分享給你：

• 若選擇傳統自助餐或近年流行的 Poke 夏威夷拌飯可自選菜色，建議點選2-4樣蔬菜並且掌握蔬菜總量多於主食米飯 
• 若餐廳店家提供不同米飯選擇，建議可將白米飯改換成糙米或五穀米。或者只買燙青菜、涼拌海帶、小黃瓜等配菜，並再自行以燕麥片取代白飯，都是增加膳食纖維攝取的好辦法 
• 避免選擇加工製品較多、或以勾芡、糖醋、燴羹等烹調方式的配菜 
• 主菜肉類的部分建議以烤魚排、滷雞腿、白斬雞肉等油脂較少的主菜取代控肉、炸雞排 

★與體重控制相關的食品或保健品，有建議的使用方法嗎？該怎麼和三餐搭配？

原型食物為主的均衡飲食是健康型態的不二法門，但通常在控制熱量期間，最難掌握的就是計算每天所吃進去的卡路里有多少，因此，搭配使用提供熱量與營養資訊的產品組合，可以作為控卡階段的工具之一，將每餐的飲食以高纖維、低精緻糖的健康商品部份取代複雜的食物選擇，並搭配簡單的外食選購技巧，讓控制卡路里攝取變成一件容易且輕鬆的事，另外搭配運動提升能量消耗以及同步調整不良的生活習慣，都是讓你在結束熱量控制期後，讓飲食與生活型態更加健康的方式。

而使用高纖、低糖的食品做為輔助工具的頻率因每個人的習慣而異，若你經常為了不知道該選擇哪種食物而傷透腦筋或者因生活忙碌沒時間準備，或許你可以考慮每天以這些產品輔助和部分取代兩個餐次中的食物；若你想輕鬆嘗試或在下班後簡單備個輕食餐，也建議可以使用提供 500 - 700 大卡熱量的產品組合。無論你選擇哪一種方式，善用這些產品組合來作為控卡期間的工具，讓你可以在沒有計算複雜卡路里的壓力下來執行。

以上是營養師的建議，如果想要了解更多，歡迎聯繫佳格！想知道更多產品組合相關訊息，可以參考同系列其他文章。

<同場加映>：延伸閱讀《飲食控制必備》、《膳食纖維食物對減肥有幫助嗎？什麼是水溶性膳食纖維？高纖維食物有哪些？》

Fiber-Fueled Wellness: Your Weight Management Q&A with Our Nutrition Expert

Welcome to our exclusive Q&A session, where our in-house nutritionist addresses questions on weight loss and management and the path to healthier living.

In this insightful article, Amanda Ho answers various inquiries, ranging from reducing calorie intake to how to distribute calories throughout your day to succeed in your weight-loss journey.

★ Introducing Our Nutritionist ★

Amanda Ho graduated from Taipei Medical University's Institute of Health and Nutrition. She worked for several years as a clinical nutritionist at Chang Gung Hospital, Taipei. She has assisted in developing specialized formula foods for specific diseases and has also co-authored books on cancer diets. Amanda aims to help everyone understand their health better and lead a more fulfilling and satisfying life.

Our expert is here to unravel the mysteries of when to eat foods and supplements for optimal results. Read this article for more information on some of the common concerns of weight loss, or find out more about the amazing benefits of dietary fiber.  

We know that navigating the world of nutrition and weight management can be overwhelming, with a deluge of advice and information available. That's why we've tapped into the expertise of our seasoned nutritionist to bring you comprehensive and reliable answers that cut through the noise. 

★ I would like to lose weight. Should I skip breakfast or reduce the number of meals I have to reduce my calorie intake?
 

Choosing whether to skip breakfast or limit the number of meals you have to help control your calorie intake is a choice many people consider. The truth is, there's no definitive answer to whether this will help with weight loss – it can vary depending on individual eating habits and lifestyles.

If you’re used to having breakfast in the morning, skipping breakfast for weight loss may not be a good idea for you. To put this in context, if you generally consume 1,500-1,800 calories every day, your breakfast would take up 30% of that, which is 400-600 calories. When you skip breakfast, you create a calorie deficit. You might lose weight because of it, but it could also negatively impact your attention and the overall quality of your diet. The effects on children are even more significant.

Now let’s look at what scientific studies say about the relationship between breakfast and weight management and diet control. A randomized crossover-design study on satiety and diet quality showed that breakfast can increase satiation and reduce secretion of the hunger hormone, ghrelin, that increases your appetite. The same study also found that in the two groups of people, the researchers studied, the group that had breakfast didn’t eat as much high carbohydrate and high-fat foods in the evening, compared to the group that skipped breakfast. This study could explain why when you skip breakfast, you often can't control how much you eat in the next meal because you’re simply too hungry, so you eat more and end up gaining, instead of losing weight.

If you frequently find yourself giving in to hunger and cravings when you try to lose weight, try having breakfast in the morning and see how you feel throughout the day and whether the quality of your diet improves!

★ I am so confused! What time of day is it best to eat certain foods and what should the calorie distribution of the three meals be?

After fasting overnight, you should ideally have carbohydrates and protein in your breakfast to fuel your body quickly, reduce feelings of hunger, and avoid glucose spikes or dips afterward.

For carbohydrates, consider whole grains, plant roots, or plant rhizomes. Foods like sweet potatoes, whole grain rice balls, and oatmeal are better than white rice, toast, and buns since they have more dietary fiber in them and you’ll feel full more easily from these foods. 

For protein, pair quality foods with your carbohydrates, like eggs, milk, yogurt drinks, soy milk, and cuts of meat like pork loin. Not only will they provide you with the amino acids your body needs, but they’ll also satiate you better so you don’t feel hungry so easily. Try to avoid processed proteins like ham, sausage, and bacon.

Studies suggest that a protein-rich breakfast can lower food cravings, reduce the secretion of the hunger hormone (ghrelin), increase the secretion of the satiety hormone Peptide YY (PYY), and slow down the digestion of carbohydrates.

Having lots of protein at breakfast can help you avoid hunger pangs and give you a smoother glucose curve after eating.

Aside from making sure you have the right nutritional balance in a meal, wisely distributing the calories you need among each meal is also important. If you are restricting your calorie intake, this is something you can consider. 

One study suggests distributing your daily calories like so: 50% to breakfast, 35% to lunch, and 15% to dinner. This study, conducted over 12 weeks, has proven this division can reduce both weight and waist circumference.  

Another study compared the results between allocating more calories to breakfast and more to dinner while also reducing calorie intake. One group had more calories at breakfast (daily distribution: 45% for breakfast, 35% for lunch, 20% for dinner), and the other group had more at dinner (daily distribution: 20% for breakfast, 35% for lunch, 45% for dinner). 

Both groups lost a similar amount of weight at the end of the experiment, yet the group that consumed more calories at breakfast experienced fewer cravings and feelings of hunger.

However, meal planning should still consider individual lifestyle differences and dietary habits. If you typically have three meals a day and have experienced hunger during calorie control periods in the past, you might consider allocating more calories to your breakfast and reducing them for dinner. 

During meals with higher calorie intake, such as breakfast or lunch, incorporating foods rich in protein and dietary fiber along with some probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, kefir, or probiotic products can help maintain digestive function. 

★ Is there anything I should know about eating my meals if I am also taking vitamins, extracts, and supplements? For example, I am taking probiotics, ginseng, protein powders, etc. Do I take these before or after meals? If I take them at the wrong time, am I missing out or wasting my money and time?

If you usually take supplements and products like ginseng, probiotics, or chicken essence, they have relatively low-calorie content and are less likely to impact overall calorie control. Therefore, it's advisable to consume them according to your usual personal habits or on an empty stomach in the morning. 

As for protein powder, it's recommended to replace it with food items like legumes, eggs, fish, or meat.

If you want to learn more about prebiotics, probiotics, and digestive enzymes, Amanda answered some questions about them in this article.

★I have low blood sugar levels and want to make sure I don’t experience shakiness, dizziness, and weakness during the day. Can I eat a lower-calorie diet? Do you have any suggestions for this?

There are many reasons why you may experience palpitations, trembling, or dizziness when trying to lose weight. If you’re not eating enough or you don’t have a balanced diet, you could become dehydrated and have low sodium levels, and these symptoms could lead to lower blood pressure.

Many people think that weight loss requires completely cutting out carbohydrates. This leaves them with a very homogenous diet consisting only of chicken breasts, salads, and calorie-free beverages that don’t contain sugar (like black coffee or unsweetened tea).

If you follow this kind of diet, you won’t be getting enough carbohydrates or have a balanced nutrient intake. It could leave your blood sugar level relatively low. This is particularly dangerous if you’re also taking medication to lower your blood sugar level, as it could increase the risk of having serious low blood sugar levels. This is why you should still adopt a balanced diet and gradually reduce your calorie intake instead of dramatically dropping your calorie intake. 

In short, remember that 50 - 60% of the calories you eat should come from carbohydrates. Moreover, if you have diabetes or any liver disease and kidney disease, or if you are at important stages of growth and development (e.g., children and teens), it’s recommended that you work with a doctor or nutritionist to decide whether a low-carb diet would be a good idea for you.

★ How long do you suggest someone stick to a caloric deficit diet? What is a healthy deficit? Is 20-30% less than my usual diet enough?  

Every summer, you see a slew of weight loss methods flood your social media feed, and they all claim they’re “the most effective.” Methods that rose to fame like this include 16:8 intermittent fasting, 4-week weight loss plans from Korean celebrities, the one-meal-a-day (OMAD) diet, and bulletproof coffee.

Bulletproof coffee and the ketogenic diet are diets mainly composed of fats. They are diets that, if followed long-term, would lead to lower basal metabolic rate (BMR), nutrient deficiency, and a compromised immune system. 

Ultimately, to keep a calorie-deficit diet without negatively impacting your body, you have to exercise and make sure your daily calorie intake is lower than your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). 

The truth is, the answer to how long you should stick to a calorie restriction diet varies from person to person. I’ll put it in numbers to paint a clearer picture for you:

Generally, to lose one kilogram, you need to burn approximately 7,700 calories. Cutting 500 calories per day would allow you to lose about one kilogram in two weeks. Nonetheless, this doesn't mean you can continue to lose weight indefinitely by eating less. From the chart below, you can see that having a calorie-restricted diet just from reducing calories only works during the first six months. 

However, since you lose not only fat mass but also water and muscle mass, your body will eventually lower its basal metabolic rate as a survival mechanism, making your total calorie intake from the calorie restriction diet close to your BMR. This is when you plateau on your weight loss journey. 

During your plateau, if more calories go into your body than your BMR requires, you’ll gain weight. This is the main reason why people rebound or hit a bottleneck they can’t seem to break through. 

What is the key to breaking through this plateau? The answer still lies in exercising and a healthy diet. Moderate exercise can help you prevent losing too much muscle mass. It also burns calories so you don’t have to depend completely on food for calorie restriction. 

For example, if you reduce your calories by 300 each day, and burn 200 calories by increasing your physical activities, you could still lose one kilogram every two weeks.

★What is the difference between low sugar and low carb? Which is better?

It’s very common to mix up “sugar” and “carbs” or think they’re the same thing. You can tell from the nutritional labels on food packaging that they are different. “Carbs” refers to carbohydrates, which include starch, dietary fiber, oligosaccharides, and “sugar”. Carbs don’t necessarily taste sweet, but sugar usually does. 

“Sugars” are smaller carbohydrate molecules. Monosaccharides and disaccharides make up this umbrella term “sugar”, which people also call “refined sugar”.Because sugars are smaller, your body digests and absorbs them faster, and thus your blood sugar level shoots up after you ingest sugars. 

Many studies have confirmed that an excessive amount of sugar intake will cause obesity and cavities; it will also increase one’s risk of developing metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases. 

This is why the World Health Organization (WHO) and Taiwan’s Health Promotion Administration under the Ministry of Health and Welfare recommend that calories from refined sugars take up no more than 10% of your total calorie intake. 

Taiwan’s Regulations on Nutrition Claim for Prepackaged Food Products also stipulate that a product can be claimed to contain “little” sugar or has “low” sugar levels only when it has less than 5 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters if it’s solid; 2.5 grams per 100 milliliters if it’s liquid.

“Carbs” are bigger molecules and they are absorbed more slowly than sugars. They play many roles in the body: they provide energy for the entire body and the central nervous system, ensure proteins are available for tissue repair and growth, and help regulate your blood sugar levels. 

A low-carb diet typically means that carbs make up about 26-45% of your total caloric intake, or that your daily carb intake is between 120-225 grams.

While past research suggests that low-carb diets can help with weight loss and lowering triglycerides, having certain kinds of carbohydrates will also benefit you. Whole grains are mainly made up of carbohydrates, but they contain lots of dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, too! 

They provide nutrition for the gut microbiota and aid in the movement of the digestive tract. This is why prioritizing low sugar over low carb is generally advised. You can also replace refined sugars with carbohydrates from natural foods to make your diet more nutritionally balanced and give your health an extra boost.

★ I have heard that there is a specific order for eating foods that can help people avoid glucose spikes. Is this true? What is the best order for eating food? What do you suggest I do if the food naturally contains meats, vegetables, cereals or grains, and protein all in one bowl? Like a poke bowl, a stir fry, or a curry? 

The food you eat is broken down into smaller molecules by digestive enzymes and absorbed through the intestines. These nutrients are then circulated through the bloodstream to various organs to provide energy for them, but not all nutrients are broken down at the same rate, and other particles may slow down the absorption process, which is why the order you eat your food in changes how your blood sugar level responds after your meal.

A study conducted in Japan confirms this. The trial participants who started their meal with high-carbohydrate foods (like rice or stewed pumpkin) followed by vegetables and meat experienced rapid blood sugar spikes 30 minutes after their meal. 30 minutes later their blood sugar levels gradually declined. 

On the other hand, the participants who ate their food the other way around – with vegetables first, meat next, then carbohydrates – had less drastic blood sugar level changes. Their glucose level curves were smooth because proteins take longer to be digested, and the dietary fiber in vegetables helps the intestines absorb foods more slowly.

What’s more, not all carbohydrates are digested at the same rate. High glycemic index foods like congee, baozi, white bread, mochi, doughnuts, and potato chips are digested and absorbed quickly, which immediately drives up blood sugar levels. In response, your body prompts the secretion of a large amount of insulin and stores the sugars in the form of fat.

On the other hand, foods like brown rice, oats, grains, and whole-wheat bread, which are rich in dietary fiber and not heavily processed, are broken down and absorbed more slowly. This leads to a steadier and more moderate rise in post-meal blood sugar levels.

If you eat out frequently, here are a few tips on food selection for you:

• If you eat at a place where you have control over what you put on your plate (like traditional Taiwanese buffets or poke restaurants), it’s recommended that you get 2-4 kinds of vegetables and make sure that they’re larger in volume compared to the rice you get.
• Two great ways to up your fiber intake: choose brown rice or multigrain rice over white rice, or get vegetables to-go and replace the rice with some oats. Common vegetable options you could consider are blanched vegetables, cucumbers, and cold braised kelp.
• Avoid dishes with heavily processed ingredients or those cooked using a lot of potato starch, tapioca starch, and sweet and sour sauce.
• For your meat entrée, choose options with less fat, like grilled fish filets, braised chicken legs, and Cantonese white sliced chicken instead of braised fatty pork or fried chicken chops.

★ I noticed that Standard Foods now offers a bundle of products for weight management. Is there a recommended way to consume these products? Any suggestions on how to best add them to my meals throughout the day? 

Eating a balanced diet primarily consisting of whole foods is crucial to a healthy lifestyle. However, when you're trying to control your calorie intake, figuring out how many calories you're consuming each day can be tricky, so using a product bundle that gives you both its calorie and nutrition information can be a very effective tool when you’re counting those calories.

What you need to do is to simply incorporate healthy foods that are high in fiber and low in refined sugar into each of your meals and you won’t have to struggle to pick the best combination of foods when you eat out. 

Even after your calorie-restricting period ends, you can complement this method with exercising to shed more calories and maintain healthy lifestyle habits.

Everyone might have their preference as to how frequently they would use these products to supplement their diet, but if you often find yourself scratching your head over which foods to choose or if you're too busy to prepare meals, you can consider using these products to supplement or partially replace two of your daily meals. 

This 500 - 700 calorie bundle is also very useful if you just want a no-fuss light meal after work, especially if you choose to separate your calories as mentioned above 50% to breakfast, 35% to lunch, and 15% to dinner.

No matter which approach you decide on, using these product bundles as tools when you’re restricting your calorie intake will take a lot of stress out of complicated calorie planning.

That’s all folks

There you have it, straight from a certified nutritionist. If you are looking for more information on our bundles, check out this article. If you are interested in learning more about dietary fiber, this article has the low down on it.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not substitute professional medical advice. If you have specific health concerns or conditions, consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new dietary regimen or supplement.