Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are a part of our daily lives. But yet several myths continue to be associated with our food habits. Back in the day, dinner was taken to be the meal of the day. This was a times when our lives were different from the way it is today.
The world is now driven by technology and as health takes precedence, breakfast has assumed more importance. And many even think it is okay to skip dinner altogether.
Our activities start building up as the day progresses and it is recommended that we eat a filling breakfast, a lunch that powers the day, and a lighter dinner preceding bedtime. The time that our body devotes to resting before we break an overnight fast or breakfast is the time we sleep.
MEAL schedule
The first meal of the day is the one that gives us our supply of glucose. It helps us refill our energy needs and boosts our alertness to proceed with the day. Dinner is preceded by lunch which assumes importance as we depend on a timely afternoon meal to give fuel to the body and brain to continue working efficiently. The mid-day rise of blood sugar levels that comes from lunch helps the body garner energy that helps us function efficiently till dinner time.
Small portions
Dinner being the last meal of the day is also equally important. We must ensure an adequate gap between each meal — breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Skipping a meal is never an option as it has adverse health effects in the long run. Many believe that it is okay to pass up dinner. What we must rather do is observe a health regime that offers regular gaps of three to five hours between each meal, a light dinner included.
Health woes
Having dinner ensures that we avoid an extra long gap between the last and first meal of the day. Such a long gap can contribute to blood pressure problems, affect sleep patterns, introduce digestive troubles, and lead to weight-related issues, and a few other health issues. It is a myth that striking off dinner will help in weight reduction. On the contrary, this will lead to nutritional deficiencies. While dinner can be light it should be satisfying in terms of the nutrition values it offers. So yes, a light but satiating dinner is the one to have.
What’s light dinner
Another wrong notion about eating light is that a fruit or a glass of juice will suffice. A light dinner is a means of making up for the loss of energy, especially after a tiring day. Some proteins, vegetables, and fruits would help in replenishing energy. If your idea of dinner is to have it at seven or eight then it will ensure a good time gap between your last and first meal. Dinner should be satiating. Late-night snacking can occur because of improper portioning of dinner. However, it can be set right with a cup of tea before going to bed rather than eating an unhealthy midnight snack.
The body, thanks to its day-long activity, burns away all the calories that we consume, during the day. By evening activities reduce and therefore processing lighter foods becomes easier. A light dinner ensures better digestion of food. A timely light dinner helps the body burn calories quickly and not store them as fat.
What your body needs
Though light dinner is good, it is also important to eat what is right. Understanding what your body needs will do the trick. Including starchy vegetables, fish, chicken, eggs, quinoa, or millets is a good idea. It fills you up and keeps away the midnight hunger pangs. Also, experts suggest eating a lesser amount of protein than the lunch earlier.
While myths surrounding dinner are plenty, it is important to be aware so that they can be debunked and our overall health can be protected.
Treating dinner as an important meal of the day is also an acknowledgement of the fact that food protects overall health, both from within and on the outside.
(The writer is Fitness and Nutritional Scientist, Co-Founder — Food Darzee)
