Why Lee Jiah eats a salad with every meal?
[CelebHealth] Actress Lee Jiah Loves Salad
Actress Lee Jiah recently shared her eating habits for maintaining her figure on the tvN variety show "Juro Dureseo". During the show, she visited a restaurant with actress Kim GoEun, and they ordered a cabbage Caesar salad and a taco platter. After trying the salad, Kim GoEun said, “It’s so delicious. I started liking salads after traveling with you, unnie.”
In response, Lee Jiah said, “I always order salads. I like eating like that,” adding, “It helps prevent a big spike in blood sugar. Is that why I don’t gain much weight?” Lee Jiah is known to be 168 cm tall and weighs 48 kg.
Salad Rich in Fiber Provides Satiety and Prevents Blood Sugar Spikes
Like Lee Jiah , pairing a salad with your meals can help slow down digestion due to the high fiber content, preventing rapid increases in blood sugar. To maximize this effect, it’s recommended to eat the salad first, followed by proteins and carbohydrates, following the "reverse eating method."
The reverse eating method involves breaking down a meal's nutrients into fiber, protein, and carbohydrates, and consuming them in that order. By eating fiber first, followed by protein and then carbs, you can prevent blood sugar spikes and induce satiety quickly, which helps prevent overeating.
In fact, research from Cornell University found that a group of participants who ate fiber first and then protein and carbohydrates consumed fewer calories overall and felt less tempted by high-fat or fried foods compared to a group that ate in a different order.
Eating Fiber → Protein → Carbohydrates for Better Results
Eating fiber first makes digestion take longer, meaning that blood sugar rises more slowly and you don’t get hungry as quickly. Additionally, vegetables rich in fiber require more chewing, which stimulates the satiety center in the brain, helping you feel fuller. This makes it easier to reduce your intake of protein and carbohydrates afterward.
The reason to eat protein before carbohydrates is that protein is less likely to be converted into fat compared to carbohydrates, and it provides a greater feeling of fullness. Particularly, plant-based proteins (like beans) raise blood sugar more slowly than animal-based proteins (such as fish and meat), so it’s a good idea to eat plant-based protein first.
Carbohydrates should be consumed last, mainly to reduce their overall intake. Refined carbohydrates, such as rice, noodles, and bread, cause a rapid spike in blood sugar and are more likely to be stored as fat. By filling up on fiber and protein first, you’ll feel fuller, which naturally leads to reduced carbohydrate consumption.