Early Dinner

In this week's challenge you must Dine Early. The health benefits of having an early dinner do not result only in weight loss. There are other health benefits too. It helps you to lead a better lifestyle. So, if you have been following a late night dinner all this while, it is time to start afresh and begin a healthier one. The best way to start is by having an early dinner.Thus, the timing of your meals can affect your body’s weight regulation, metabolic regulation, heart health and sleep cycle too.

Benefits of an Early Dinner:

1. Manages weight

   When you eat dinner late at night, you are likely to gain weight. The later you eat your last meal of the day, the more of it gets stored as fat and thus, you run a risk of putting on weight. Moreover, you also have the time to take a walk and burn the excess calories that you consumed.



2. Better Sleep

   Late-night meals and snacking can interfere with your sleep. These behaviours can cause indigestion which can rob you of deep sleep and REM sleep. If lately you have stared to have sleeping troubles, try to make dinnertime earlier in the evening and avoid heavy foods within two hours of bed.



3. Heart Health

   Eating dinner on time and hitting the sack early has a link with heart health. Here is another reason to eat dinner early – lower the risk of heart attack and stroke. Waiting to eat dinner increases the tendency to eat more and when those calories aren’t burnt off, they are turned into triglycerides which increase one’s risk of heart attack and stroke.



4. Headstart the next day

   When you eat late and stay up late till night, you are likely to miss breakfast the next day. When you don’t eat meals on time and wait all day for dinner, your body responds by storing insulin and ups the risk for body fat storage. On the other hand, early dinner gives you a headstart the next time and provides plenty of time for breakfast.



5. Better Energy

   When you are eating dinner on time and not missing out on the next day's breakfast, your energy levels will remain high and intact. When you postpone the meals, it can zap your energy. Besides, it leaves you reeling with low blood sugar and fatigue.



6. You can make time for exercise

   When you have an early dinner and go to bed soon, it gives you a chance to wake up early and exercise. And we all are aware of the value of exercise and its contribution to a healthy body.

Our body doesn’t have an actual clock, but it does have an internal rhythm according to which it schedules major body functions. Called the ‘circadian rhythm’, this internal clock helps the body adjust to environmental changes, sleep, and activities like digestion and eating. To keep your body fit and healthy, skipping meals is not a good option, especially at night. Many feel that skipping dinner will aid in the weight loss programme. However, when you skip a meal, the body starts to crave for food, thus making you overeat at times.

The health benefits of having an early dinner do not result only in weight loss. There are other health benefits too. It helps you to lead a better lifestyle. So, if you have been following a late night dinner all this while, it is time to start afresh and begin a healthier one. The best way to start is by having an early dinner.

Thus, the timing of your meals can affect your body’s weight regulation, metabolic regulation, heart health and sleep cycle too.

Here are a few tricks to stop eating at night:

1. Plan Your Meals


2. Include Protein at Every Meal


3. Don't Keep Junk Food in the House


4. Ask yourself, “Why am I eating?”


5. Distract Yourself


6. Get Plenty of Sleep


7. Eat Regularly Throughout the Day


8. De-Stress


9. Seek Emotional Support


10. Use a Routine


11. Identify Your Triggers


12. Identify the Cause

Suggested Reading:

Tips to help avoid late night eating - Learn more here.

5 Tips to Curb the Cravings and Stop Eating at Night - Learn more here.

3 Reasons to Eat Dinner Early - Learn more here.

Early Dinner - Learn more here.