What foods should you avoid at dinner? And most importantly, when should you eat in the evening? Different countries, different traditions: while in Denmark, Norway and Finland, you may dine at 5 or 6p.m., in Spain, Greece and the south of Italy, the time of the evening meal, especially in summer, can exceed 10 p.m. According to experts, the Nordic countries have it right: eating after 6 p.m. is neither good for your health nor for your figure.
“The rate at which the body digests food and metabolizes nutrients does not slow down dramatically when the clock strikes a certain time. However, for most of us, physical activity levels decline in the evening, which affects how efficiently calories are burned. Additionally, some research suggests that eating late can disrupt circadian rhythms, which affects metabolic processes, and that it is best to finish your last meal early, at both for weight management, better quality sleep, and increased longevity,” explains Rose Ferguson, nutritionist, functional medicine expert, podcast creator, and author of the books Juice and Juice + Nourish.
Eating late at night is thus never a good idea. And if diversifying our diet is necessary to stock up on nutrients, certain foods consumed after 6 p.m. turn out to be real burdens for our digestive system. Additionally, they can disrupt our nights and reflect on our waistline due to extra unburned calories. In short, certain foods, and categories of foods, should be avoided after dark.
Below are 9 foods not to eat after 6 p.m. if you want to stay in shape, have lighter evenings and more peaceful nights.
Fat and mature cheese
Gorgonzola, taleggio, mascarpone, brie, camembert… A treat for cheese addicts but terrible for the digestive system (they are rich in saturated fats), since they can take up to five hours before being digested. In the evening, opt for low-fat fresh cheeses such as cow’s milk ricotta, fromage blanc or stracchino.
Chocolate
Bad news for chocolate addicts: it contains exciting substances that can keep us from sleeping. If it is milk chocolate, it is high in fat and puts a strain on the liver. “Chocolate contains not only caffeine, but also theobromine, another stimulant that can increase the heart rate and disrupt sleep,” says Rose Ferguson. Replace it with bitter, sugar-free chocolate.
Fatty meats
If a good steak or hamburger is part of your evening menu, think again: fatty meats are hard to digest, they can cause heaviness and drowsiness. Choose lean meats like chicken or turkey, small portions of pulses or eggs.
Fried foods
Fried foods have a reputation for sitting on your stomach and causing various unpleasant digestive issues (like heartburn or acid reflux) that can make your evening or night a nightmare. Opt for gentler cooking methods, such as baking or steaming. And skip on the chips.
Ice cream
Real sweet bombs, ice cream provides a huge quantity of calories that we do not burn (unless we go out dancing in the evening). Additionally, sugars cause blood sugar spikes. Avoid ice cream, and opt for sugar-free sorbets (or better yet, fresh seasonal fruit).
Spicy food
“Spicy foods can not only cause indigestion, but also increase body temperature, making it harder to fall asleep,” says Rose Ferguson. Avoid pepper and chili, and instead flavor your evening meals with herbs like parsley, sage, oregano, rosemary and basil.
Mixed salads
Even though mixed salads are very healthy, they are composed of a variety of difficult to digest raw vegetables which, in the evening, when digestion may be slowed by inertia, can begin to ferment already in the stomach, causing bloating and interrupted sleep. Save large salads for lunch.
Cabbage
Rich in beneficial nutrients, cabbage however takes a long time to assimilate: up to 5 hours. Broccoli, brussels sprouts and cauliflower also take a long time to digest and can cause bloating. Eat them, but not in the evening.
Fish in oil
Oily fish (salmon, herring, mackerel) are more difficult to digest than white fish. If they are also marinated in oil, our digestive system is doubly stressed. Avoid them in the evening, and opt instead for white fish fillets, such as cod or hake.
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