Eating Meals Later in the Day by Cindy Weinberger, MS RD CDN

Health & F tness Eating Meals Later in the Day

By Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN

Eating at night has long been associated with weight gain. Still, many people feel that a calorie is a calorie, regardless of when you eat it, and that what causes weight gain is simply eating more calories than you burn. Yet the question remains, does eating at night really make you gain weight?

The short answer is yes. Dr. Daniela Jakubowicz, an Israeli researcher at the Wolfson Medical Center in Tel Aviv, recruited dozens of obese and overweight women with metabolic problems. She placed them all on identical 1,400-calorie-a-day diets. Half of the women were instructed to consume 700 calories at breakfast, 500 calories at lunch and 200 calories at supper. The other group was told to reverse the order. The large meal included foods like tuna, whole wheat bread, a tomato and mozzarella salad, skim milk and a small amount of chocolate, regardless of when it was eaten.

Results showed that after 12 weeks, the women in both groups lost weight. However, those who ate the large meal in the morning lost two-and-a-half times as much as those eating the large dinner. Additionally, the large breakfast group also lost more body fat (mostly belly fat) and saw more of an overall improvement in metabolic factors like fasting glucose levels.

Dr. Jakubowicz stated, “We observed that the time of the meal is more important than what you eat and how much you eat – it’s more important than anything else in regulating metabolism.”

Of course, she means that all meals should be balanced with lean protein, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, but the bottom line is that the timing of the meal has a great impact on your metabolism and your weight.

Another study reviewed the dietary patterns of 50,000 adults who are Seventh Day Adventists. The study followed these individuals’ eating patterns over seven years. The results indicated that we should frontload our calories early in the day to jumpstart our metabolisms and prevent obesity. Ideally, one should start with a big breakfast, slow down to a smaller lunch and a light supper. A big breakfast doesn’t mean a hamburger, French fries and cake for breakfast. A “big” breakfast may include eggs, whole grain toast, cut up vege-

tables, fresh fruit, or hot cereal. A smaller lunch can be salad and grilled chicken cutlets, or a piece of fish, or a scoop of tuna. A light dinner can be yogurt and granola with a fruit, oatmeal and berries, fruit smoothie, or a salad. Basically, the idea is that breakfast should be your main meal, and your meals should get lighter as the day goes on.

While some might still be skeptical, the American Heart Association endorsed the principle that “the timing of meals may help reduce risk factors for heart disease, like high blood pressure and high cholesterol.” They further explained that skipping breakfast, which includes approximately 20 to 30% of Americans, is linked to a higher risk of obesity and diabetes.

No meals should be skipped. It is no secret that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Now we see that breakfast should be the main meal of the day and slowly trend down as the day goes on. A pioneer nutritionist once said, “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.”

“Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.”

Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN, is a Master’s level Registered Dietitian and Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist. She graduated CUNY Brooklyn College receiving a Bachelor’s in Science and Master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Sciences. She is currently a private nutritionist. She can be reached at CindyWeinberger1@gmail.com or 917-623-6237.