Starting a meal with protein will help reduce the blood sugar surge that usually occurs after eating most refined carbohydrates (white bread, potatoes, white pasta, energy bars, etc.). When your blood sugar increases, your body is more likely to store extra calories as fat at your next meal.
Physiologically, your body is constantly protecting your two major organs: your brain and your heart. Your brain needs fat (healthy fats) and your heart needs protein to function correctly. When your body receives carbohydrates first, a “message” about a potential lack of fat and protein is sent to your body’s digestive system, and you will store more “fat” for use later. Why? Because your body feels most “comfortable” when it has a reserve of energy (glycogen).
However ... how often are you in a situation of food deprivation so extreme that your body must draw energy from this reserve? Never! Therefore, the easiest way to prevent excess weight gain and to promote weight loss is to eat pure protein first (meat, fish) or foods which have a low impact on your blood sugar level (tofu, chick-peas, green vegetables, etc.), followed by the remainder of your nutritionally balanced meal. This will ensure that the right message is sent to the brain and you will store less fat ...
But beware: this is not a miracle trick. If you eat one kilo of chicken before each meal you will not lose weight! A guiding principle of healthy eating: If you consume more calories than you expend (even if they do come from pure protein), you will still gain weight (and there are other medical ramifications of this approach, too), but not as much as if you had started your meal by eating pure, white sugar.
