Many people don't take dinner seriously and often just eat something to fill their stomach. In fact, the time, what, and how much you eat for dinner are all important. Today, Rong'er will explain these points you should know about dinner, so be sure to remember them.
When is the best time for dinner?
The ideal time for dinner is about 3-4 hours before your bedtime. That is, if you go to bed at 10 PM, you should have dinner between 6-7 PM. This gives your stomach enough time to digest, and with little food left in your stomach, it won't affect your sleep quality at night.
However, for us office workers, it's basically impossible to eat at 6 PM if we have to prepare our own dinner. You can delay it appropriately, but try not to exceed 9 PM. It's also best not to eat any solid food after 9 PM. Eating dinner too late can bring these risks to our body:
① Weight Gain
First, after being hungry for a long time, the first thing we do when we get home is rummage for anything we can eat immediately to tide us over, and these things are often high-calorie, ready-to-eat foods.
Second, if you eat too late and haven't digested your food before lying down, the food just sits in your body. Excess calories are easily converted into fat, leading to weight gain. If you wait for it to digest, you'll have to stay up late.
② Affects Digestion
It takes 4-5 hours for food to be completely emptied from the gastrointestinal tract. Even if you go to sleep before that, your digestive system has to work overtime. If other parts of the body enter a slow metabolism "rest" state while only the digestive system is working, it can easily cause an imbalance in the body's state. Over time, this can easily lead to disorders in the body's digestive function and poor nutrient absorption.
③ Disrupts Sleep
The digestive system being forced to "work overtime" will directly affect sleep, causing problems like even insomnia. In mild cases, it can lead to indigestion, difficulty falling asleep, or having many dreams and light sleep. In severe cases, it can worsen bloating and nausea, and during deep sleep, food from the stomach can easily reflux into the trachea, causing pneumonia.
④ Increases Stroke Risk
A study presented at the 2011 European Society of Cardiology Annual Conference showed that the later you eat dinner, the higher your risk of stroke. Conversely, people who eat earlier and ensure at least 60-70 minutes between their meal and bedtime can reduce their risk of stroke by 66%.
⑤ Increases Risk of Stomach Cancer
In 2014, a survey by the University of Tokyo in Japan on the dietary habits of stomach cancer patients aged 30-40 before their diagnosis found that most had the habit of eating late-night snacks. Among them, 38.4% had irregular dinner times. Professor Hideo Kurata, who led the research, analyzed that eating too late keeps food in the stomach, promoting the secretion of large amounts of gastric juice, which irritates the gastric mucosa, weakening resistance and causing ulcers. If you often eat fried, grilled, or preserved foods, the carcinogens in them can further damage the stomach.
Black Rice and Coarse Grain Porridge
Eating Dinner Healthily: On Time + In Proper Amount + By Nutrition
On Time: It's best to eat between 18:00-19:00, and not after 21:00.
In Proper Amount: This means not eating too full. As the saying goes, "Breakfast should be good, lunch should be full, and dinner should be light." "Light" doesn't mean you shouldn't eat anything at all. This is a reminder to those who love to lose weight: never skip dinner for your weight loss plan. You should still eat dinner, but you can eat less.
For those who are not on a diet, eating until you are 70% full is ideal—your stomach doesn't feel hungry or bloated. Of course, if you have no appetite, eating 50% full is fine, just don't go hungry. If you suddenly get hungry before bed, it's recommended to drink water, milk, or some fresh juice. It's best not to eat solid food anymore.
By Nutrition:
First, rice with dishes. For example, animal liver, eggs, dark green vegetables, etc. Rice is rich in carbohydrates, which is very filling and has a good "sleep-inducing" effect.
Second, coarse grain and bean porridge. For example, millet, soybeans, red beans, etc. These grains can be boiled alone or mixed into a porridge, and then add some vegetables. It's nutritionally balanced, very filling, light and simple, and has health and beauty benefits.
Third, a fruit and yogurt combination. For example, bananas or apples. They are also filling and good for weight loss. However, people with poor digestion should choose this option with caution to avoid irritating the stomach and causing discomfort.
Fourth, a bowl of noodles with some vegetables. Noodles are especially filling and easy to digest. If you add an egg and some vegetables, it's even more nutritious and a great choice for dinner.
Black rice porridge