Why your dinner is important

Most nutritionists recommend the lightest meal to be dinner. The reason is obvious; your body does not have time to break down the food, leading to a number of consequent problems like weight gain, gastritis, disturbed sleep. This, however, does not mean that certain foods should be avoided. According to nutritionist Jyothi Prasad, an early supper or a very light dinner does the trick.
How much and when?
Don’t do: A heavy dinner. “When you eat a heavy dinner, your blood circulation focuses on digesting just the food,” says Joythi, adding, “Sleeping soon after a heavy dinner is not only unhealthy but also gives you discomfort.”
Do: Dinner should be the lightest of all the meals. An early supper, had two/three hours before bedtime is ideal; but if your meal is later in the evening, make it light.
What goes in?
Don’t do: Cheese, butter, cream and sugars. According to Jyothi, “High calorie meals are the main cause for gastritis, weight gain and disturbed sleep.” Avoid desserts, pizzas and junk to make it simpler for your body to break the food down. Extremely spicy food should also be avoided.
Do: An ice-cream may be substituted with a fruit.
Pop the bubble
Don’t do: Fizzy drinks. “Carbonated drinks are your worst enemies at night,” quips Jyothi. These high calorie drinks make you gain weight and the caffeine content interrupts the sleep process, as well as triggering unease and discomfort at night.
Do: For a pre-dinner drink, opt for fresh juices or a soup. After dinner, a warm glass of milk can do the trick.
For the latecomers
Working professionals often do not have the choice of an early dinner. Jyothi suggests a practical alternative. “A late dinner means more hunger, leading to overeating, and of the wrong kind of food. The best way to avoid this is to squeeze in a snack at around five in the evening,” she says. According to her, people feel most hungry at this time. It not only prevents you from overeating, it also fills your stomach enough for you to have a light dinner later.
“This snack can be followed by a soup, salad or sandwich once you get home,” adds Jyothi. It takes only a little planning to make that dinner fitness-friendly.

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