Updated 2026/11/03 17:00Actress Chae Jung-an, 48 years old, ate perilla leaves first to help prevent blood sugar spikes. /Photo captured from Chae Jung-an’s YouTube channelEven paying a little attention to the order in which you eat can help ease sharp rises in post-meal blood sugar. In particular, eating vegetables rich in dietary fiber, such as perilla leaves, first may help with blood sugar management. Actress Chae Jung-an, 48 years old, also recently said on her YouTube channel, “Perilla leaves are good for preventing blood sugar spikes,” adding, “That’s why I ate perilla leaves first before the meal.”The perilla leaves Chae Jung-an ate are rich in dietary fiber, and eating them first at the beginning of a meal may help with blood sugar management. /Photo captured from Chae Jung-an’s YouTube channelPerilla leaves are rich in dietary fiber, and eating them first at the beginning of a meal may help with blood sugar management. Dietary fiber absorbs water in the intestines and forms a sticky gel. This gel slows the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates consumed afterward, preventing glucose from being absorbed rapidly into the bloodstream. As a result, post-meal blood sugar spikes are eased. In fact, according to a study published in the international journal Diabetes Care, an analysis of changes in blood sugar according to meal order among 40 adults found that the rise in post-meal blood sugar was significantly lower when participants ate vegetables rich in dietary fiber first than when they ate carbohydrates first.Perilla leaves in particular contain polyphenols such as rosmarinic acid and luteolin, and these compounds also contribute to blood sugar regulation. According to a study published in the international journal Foods, perilla leaf extract was found to have the effect of lowering blood sugar in diabetic mice. The research team analyzed that rosmarinic acid and luteolin in perilla leaf extract likely affected blood sugar regulation by inhibiting the activity of alpha-glucosidase, an enzyme that breaks down carbohydrates.However, perilla leaves served as a side dish are often seasoned with ingredients such as soy sauce, sugar, and corn syrup. The simple sugars in the seasoning are absorbed rapidly by the body, so consuming too much can instead cause post-meal blood sugar to rise. Therefore, if you want to eat vegetables before a meal to manage blood sugar, it is better to eat them as raw vegetables rather than as seasoned side dishes. In addition to perilla leaves, eating a variety of nonstarchy vegetables rich in dietary fiber, including cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, and cucumbers, may help with blood sugar management.
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