Eating throughout the day - from breakfast to late-night snacks - can be tempting. However, this habit, when scrutinized, has a negative impact on weight loss efforts and can actually worsen your health.
Nutrition experts say that eating too often is one of the common diet mistakes that hinder weight loss. They caution that snacking is not always necessary.
In contrast, intermittent fasting, which focuses on eating within specific time windows, has potential benefits for heart health and blood sugar levels.
In the healthiest diet, the last time to eat is at dinner. The earlier the better. The Start Today app, for example, offers hundreds of healthy and filling dinner recipes, plus heart-healthy weekly meal plans.
Cardiologist Tip of the Day: Avoid Late Night Snacking
"The number one recommendation for every patient who comes to my clinic is not to eat after dinner," Dr. William Kraus, a preventive cardiologist at Duke Health and professor at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, told today.com.
She herself avoids snacking to maintain a healthy weight and stays disciplined with a regular eating schedule. However, many people are tempted to snack or drink sugary drinks while watching TV in the evening, plus sit for too long-another unhealthy routine.
Why is this important?
Food consumed late at night or right before bed will only be stored as fat, instead of being burned into energy, warns Kraus.
"The body doesn't need it... so it's just excess calories going in. Also, eating too close to bedtime can disrupt sleep quality," she explains.
The body doesn't need it... so it's just excess calories going in.
Research shows that nighttime eating is associated with a higher risk of obesity, high cholesterol, heart disease, as well as faster hardening of the arteries. This may be because the body is forced to digest food when it should be fasting overnight.
According to the American Heart Association, intermittent fasting can protect the heart by controlling inflammation.
How to Start
Stop eating at least three hours before bedtime, advised Dr. Natalie Azar, NBC News medical contributor, in a Today segment that aired on July 14.
This allows the body to fast overnight and switch to fat-burning metabolism after sugar reserves are depleted on an empty stomach.
One popular option is the 16:8 intermittent fasting method. This is where you fast for 16 hours and then eat all your food within an 8-hour window that ends fairly early. For example, 10 am to 6 pm, or earlier.
To prevent hunger after a meal, consume a dinner packed with protein and fiber. Start Today app provides many quick and balanced dinner recipes, such as Sheet-Pan Chicken Fajita Bowls, Vegan Black Bean Burgers, or Crispy Salmon Rice Bowls.
Source: CNN
