Dinner is the subject of many questions when losing weight: What to eat at night to lose weight? Shouldn’t I be eating? Avoid starches?
To sort through all these preconceived ideas, our nutritionist gives you her advice and two examples of lean and diet meals for the evening.
What to eat at night to lose weight?
Dinner must solve three main problems: avoid storage so as not to cause weight gain, be digestible so as not to interfere with sleep, and provide essential sleep-promoting nutrients.
So, to address these issues at the same time, dinner must be light but nutritious.
How to prepare a nutritious meal for evening?
200 to 250 grams of vegetables: raw vegetables, cooked vegetables or soups;
100 to 125 grams of lean protein: poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, legumes;
120 to 150 grams whole grains: quinoa, whole pasta, whole rice, etc. or 40g whole grain bread;
125g yoghurt or equivalent: 125g plant-based yoghurt, 100g white cheese, 30g cottage cheese, 2 small Swiss cheeses, etc. ,
Sources of high-quality fatty acids: 5 milliliters of vegetable oil, 15 grams of oil seeds, etc. ;
1 fresh seasonal fruit or equivalent: 100g compote, homemade smoothie, etc.
What are the foods to avoid at night to lose weight?
Instead, avoid certain foods at night that can promote weight gain or interfere with sleep and make digestion difficult. When you sleep, the organism doesn’t sleep! A whole set of physiological processes and mechanisms take place at night.
Eating the wrong foods can wreak havoc on the body and cause sleep disturbances and excess storage. We also know that poor sleep quality also directly affects weight gain.
List of Weight Loss Foods to Quit for Dinner
industrial meals and processed foods;
cereals and refined breads;
sugar and sweet products;
Heavy dishes: fried food, pickles, etc. ;
fast food ;
red meat and cooked food;
Saturated and trans fats;
butter, cream, cheese;
coffee ;
Alcohol ;
Soda and sparkling water.
Should we eat less at night? nutritionist opinion
Views on the matter often differ. One thing is for sure: dinner is not to be skipped and must constitute at least 30 to 35 percent of your total daily energy intake. Skipping dinner or not eating enough can be detrimental to your health and figure.
a light but complete meal
Not eating in the evening, on the one hand, disrupts sleep, and on the other hand, promotes excessive storage at subsequent meals. Therefore, a light, nutritious dinner is still the best choice for lasting weight loss.
Should I abstain from starchy foods at night?
In fact, this is a very common misconception. It is absolutely not necessary to systematically eliminate starch at night. Instead, starch stimulates the synthesis of tryptophan in the body, promoting sleep. Therefore, a reasonable intake of whole starches may be sensible for improving sleep.
Starches for dinner have no reason to make you fat if eaten in moderation. It’s all about quality and quantity.
Weight Loss Meals: Low-Calorie Meals
Here are two examples of the perfect weight loss meal for the night. These basic structures can (and should) be adapted to your specific tastes and needs.
low calorie dinner
250ml zucchini soup with coconut milk and curry;
mushroom omelette;
120 g brown rice;
cardamom mango soup;
Weight loss herbal tea.
Other meals for dinner in the evening
Roasted Vegetable Salad with Walnut Oil;
Fish en papillote with chives and candied lemon;
120 g quinoa and small vegetables;
plain yogurt with whole red fruit;
Weight loss herbal tea.
After Dinner: Evening Herbal Tea Recipes for Weight Loss
After a full and well-balanced meal, there’s nothing like a weight-loss herbal tea to promote digestion, organ drainage, and fat burning. This is a weight loss herbal tea recipe that contains all the elements you need to lose weight naturally.
This herbal tea should be taken after your last meal of the day and at least 1 hour before bed. Ginger and cinnamon promote digestion and fat burning. Lemons, on the other hand, help in the drainage of the digestive organs. Finally, fennel has an ideal diuretic effect, which prevents water retention and promotes excretion.
Materials for 1 person
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds;
1 cm ginger root;
juice of half a lemon;
a pinch of cinnamon;
250ml of water.
Preparation of herbal tea for weight loss at night
To make this weight loss herbal tea, combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Pour water over it and bring to a boil. Let the herbal tea steep for 7 to 10 minutes for best results.
Then, strain the herbal tea through a strainer and pour into cups. You can add a small teaspoon of high-quality honey to enhance the taste of this herbal tea and make it even more delicious.
