Yes, for sure, because they are naturally coursed as starter + main.
But it’s also got me thinking about about how Indian meals are traditionally eaten as combinations (not dissimilar to the “triangle” approach described in the article about Japanese eating in the other thread) – as a thali, where veg, legumes, salad, carbs, and yogurt are all eaten in combinations rather than standalone, and that must have something to do with absorption and spikes too.
My mom used to serve us a vegetable soup every evening as a tide-over about a half hour before dinner. My grandmother would set out a big plate of “salad” (sliced raw veggies like carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, and radishes) so everyone could snack on them instead of bothering her while she finished dinner. My SIL makes everyone a bowl of salad (lettuce++) to start dinner, no matter what cuisine we are eating. Any of these would solve my own “problem” if I stocked the ingredients and had the foresight to do it, lol.
