Is it what you eat or when you eat that matters? How does the time of day affect your weight loss and is there any truth in the saying: “breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper”?
You may have heard that if you eat late at night, your body will pile on the kilos but if you eat earlier in the day, you are more likely to work it off. In other words, it is better to eat a big breakfast, a smaller lunch and a modest dinner. True? No, actually, it’s false. You don’t have to eat this way unless you want to. That’s because your body processes foods in exactly the same way regardless of the time of day; food has the same calories whether you eat it at 9am or 9pm. Yet, for most of us, late night eating has a bad image; why?
The picture of late-night snacking for many of us is one of careless munching in front of the TV without really noticing what’s going in. Look at the label and you’ll find that many of the foods marketed as ‘snack’ foods tend to be high in fat, high in calories and low in nutrition. Another reason for late night eating’s bad image could be that snacking on fatty foods goes hand in hand with drinking – the alcoholic variety. Picture, then, the late-night snacker who shovels it in not because of real hunger, but out of habit, or due to boredom, tiredness or stress or as a ‘reward’ after a particularly long day.
There’s no doubt that eating the wrong foods late at night is a definite no no if you want to stay on track with your health goals – the same is true whenever you eat them. This is backed by recent research from Oregon Health and Science University. The scientists found that there was no greater risk of weight gain by eating late at night compared with eating earlier on in the day and these results are similar to previous research which came to similar conclusions.
In fact, the only time that time is important for eating is breakfast time. There are lots of studies that show that eating a sustaining breakfast (and one that you enjoy) is really important if you want to control your weight; it gives you the energy you need to focus on daily tasks until your next meal or snack.
So, it is not when you eat the calories that is important, but the quantity you eat that affects weight gain – and weight loss.
Banning late night eating is not a practical reality for many of us who go out to work and/or are busy with family earlier on, and it’s not necessary, either. Yet, how can you help to prevent late night eating steering you off course? Here are three suggestions:
- Keep eating! Don’t leave long gaps between eating or you could be ravenous and overeat at your next meal/snack. So, if hunger is the cause of night-time eating, try to eat more of the right foods and drink spread out during the day.
- Focus on dinner. Be prepared. High-fat, snack foods are so much more tempting when you’re tired and not in the mood to cook. So, where you can, prepare meals the weekends and keep in the fridge in one serve sizes, opt for quick and easy stir fries and to make things even easier, buy some of your vegies ready prepared! Eat a filling and healthy dinner – if you are satisfied, you’re less likely to raid the pantry or fridge later.
- Make sure your evening meal combines lots of vegies with protein and carbohydrates to help your feel satisfied – and don’t forget a drink of water or two.
- If you prefer to have your main meal at lunch and your light meal at night, that’s fine. In any case, do try to sit down at the dinner table without the distractions of TV and really enjoy your meal.
- Have a light supper – like toast and a banana or some low fat milk or lite hot chocolate, or bread and Vegemite or some high fibre breakfast cereal and low fat milk. This could also aid restful sleep.
Snack healthy
Good snacks are also your friends where it comes to not feeling hungry...
- If you are in the late night snacking habit, save a healthy snack from your day to have in the evening.
- Fill up on raw vegetables with a low calorie dip; you’ll be less likely to overindulge on snacks that make controlling your weight harder.
- Try air popped, fat–free popcorn.
- Sip some homemade vegetable soup which is low in fat and salt, and packed with filling vegetables and flavour.
- Drink water or camomile or peppermint tea.
- If some high–fat snacks such as potato chips are occasionally inevitable, place a few in a serving bowl so you can control the quantity you eat or eat a small pack size – don’t dip into a family size pack – it will be gone before you know it, your resolve will plummet and your guilt will soar!
- Get out of the habit of using food as a treat after a long day – try a relaxing massage, a good book, a pedicure, some yoga, some great music to listen to or to dance to, or make your own beauty treatment...
Reference: Oregon Health and Science University: http://www.ohsu.edu/ohsuedu/newspub/releases/020106myth.cfm