Does dinner really need to be the smallest meal during the day? Here’s what experts say – life

Marta Garaulet, Professor of Physiology at Murci University in Spain, spends several months per year outside the country. She noticed that many people often take so much to have no time for a more abundant meal until dinner.

Why dinner should not be your biggest meal

Scientists still explore exactly how meal size and time can affect health. But they know one thing: probably best avoid that dinner is your biggest meal, said Dr. Garaulet, reports Miss7.

Why are meal size and time important

For decades, scientists focused on what people eat, so there were many great or long-term studies on the influence of meals on health, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Mailman Public Health School of Columbia University School. However, previous research show consistent connections.

People who enter a greater percentage of daily calories have a higher risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and increased inflammation in the body. The internal clock of your body, which regulates your cells, could be at least partly guilty, told New York Times Frank Isla Lender, director of Medical Hroniobiology in Bridge and the Women’s Hospital in Boston.

In the morning, your body is ready to consume and process a large meal. It is ready to absorb nutrients and distributes them to your cells to ensure energy for everyday activities. But gradually, as the day progresses, organizations helping you metabolize nutrients, such as liver and pancreas, start reacting slower. Scientists see these effects clearest in blood sugar levels. If you consume two identical meals, one in the morning and one evening, the blood sugar jump will be higher and will remain elevated longer after evening mealsaid Dr. Latter.

And when the levels of Melatonin – a hormone that signals that sleep time – increases an hour or two before bed, it suppresses insulin insultions, making it difficult for your body to regulate blood sugar. If blood sugar is often elevated due to large evening meals, the risk of developing high blood pressure, chronic inflammation, obesity and diabetes type 2 can be increased.

Research also suggests that a heavy dinner can increase the activity of certain metabolic roads that lead to fat storage while you sleep, said Dr. Lat

In fact, in the analysis of nine weight losses from 2022. years, scientists have found that they have introduced the most calories for breakfast or lunch to lose something more than those who consumed the most calories during dinner. They also had better levels of insulin, glucose and LDL (or « bad ») cholesterol.

Another recent research showed that people were less hungry during the day when their greatest meal was breakfast, said Aleksandra Johnston, professor of food at Aberdeen University in Scotland she led the studio. Dinner doesn’t necessarily need to be your smallest meal in the day, said Dr., but it would be best to avoid meals until late at night. She proposed to gradually introduce more calories earlier during the day.

Start with a nutritious breakfast containing proteins and saturated food, such as Greek yogurt, eggs or beans, proposes Dr. Johnston. Many people say they are not hungry in the morning, but it can be the result of a heavy dinner last night.

Also try to find time for a copious lunch, Dr. Garaulet added. When dinner comes, you will be less hungry and is less likely to eat a bigger meal. And you may be less tempted by late night snacks.

If you still feel great hunger, Dr. Makarem advises to avoid processed foods with rich sugar and salt. Instead, give the advantage of a low-calorie food that will saturate you without a sudden increase in blood sugar, such as legumes, grilled fish, chicken breasts, vegetables, fruits and integral cereals.