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Yahoo
06-08-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
This Is the Best Time to Eat Dinner, According to Experts
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." When is the best time to eat dinner? Between work, a commute, fitting in a quick workout, and potentially addressing other family needs, eating before the sun goes down is no simple task. But according to experts we spoke to, if possible, it may be what's best for your health. Meet the Experts: Dana Cohen, M.D., integrative medical doctor and co-author of Quench, Michelle Routhenstein, M.S., R.D., preventive cardiology dietitian and certified diabetes educator, and Gretchen Zimmermann, R.D., vice president of clinical strategy at Vida Health. Below, they explain why, share their favorite easy meal options, and weigh in on nighttime snacks that won't mess with your sleep. When is the best time to eat dinner? While doctors and dietitians acknowledge that schedules and things outside of our control all influence dinnertime, they seem to agree on an ideal window of time. 'Eating between 5 to 7 p.m. would be ideal,' says Dana Cohen, M.D., integrative medical doctor and co-author of Quench. But, the exact time you dine has to do with your specific bedtime. Michelle Routhenstein, M.S., R.D., preventive cardiology dietitian and certified diabetes educator, recommends trying to eat two to three hours before bed because it helps with digestion, supports better sleep, and keeps blood sugar more stable. 'At night, the body becomes less efficient at handling sugar, so late meals can lead to higher blood sugar and may disrupt sleep in some people,' she says. Gretchen Zimmermann, R.D., vice president of clinical strategy at Vida Health agrees with those recommendations. 'Your GI tract slows down at night as part of your natural circadian rhythm, so eating close to bedtime may delay gastric emptying, increase bloating, cause uncomfortable heartburn, and throw off your regularity,' she says. You also want to avoid eating too early because going to bed hungry can disrupt your sleep quality, per the Mayo Clinic. All of this said, if you just can't eat dinner in this window (maybe you have a night class or family obligation), stick to lighter meals (see below for more) and try not to lay down immediately after you finish eating. Can eating dinner early help you lose weight? Eating dinner at least three hours before bedtime may aid weight loss by supporting metabolic health and maintaining steady blood sugar levels, explains Routhenstein. Eating earlier also helps regulate hunger hormones, which can reduce late-night snacking, she adds, and therefore make weight gain less likely. In fact, people who ate meals at 5 p.m. burned 60 more calories per day than those who ate dinner later, according to a study published in Cell Metabolism. The research participants who ate dinner later also stored fat differently and had higher levels of hunger. Another study, out of NYU Langone, found that eating earlier improves your metabolic health, which may help you lose weight. On the flip side, separate research, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, shows that eating later can prevent successful weight loss and lead to weight gain. 'More studies are needed to determine if eating early has a benefit for health and weight in the long term, but eating dinner early, between 5 and 7 p.m., or at least two to three hours before you go to bed may be a helpful strategy for supporting weight loss,' says Zimmermann. Another benefit of eating early is that you can squeeze in a 10- to 15-minute walk after dinner, which has positive benefits on blood sugar, digestion, and can provide a little extra calorie burn, she adds. Benefits of eating dinner up to three hours before bed Experts share other reasons you may want to consider having your last meal earlier in the evening. Facilitates better sleep Eating right before bedtime can have negative effects on the quality of your sleep, which means eating earlier has the potential to improve your rest and optimize your body's circadian rhythm. Prevents heartburn 'Health conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) require people to wait at least three hours after eating before lying down or going to sleep to prevent the contents of the stomach from going back up into the esophagus that may cause heartburn,' Dr. Cohen says. Improves blood sugar levels Research shows that eating earlier lowers blood glucose levels after dinner and throughout the night. This is because you don't metabolize glucose as efficiently when you eat out of phase with your circadian rhythm. According to the Mayo Clinic, diet, dehydration, stress, and more factors can cause blood sugar levels to rise, but having consistently high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) can lead to serious health complications. What to eat for dinner 'Having a good balance of essential nutrients such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water is important during any meal,' Dr. Cohen says. 'I love Mediterranean diet foods which include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts, healthy fats like olive oil, and moderate amounts of fish and other lean proteins.' One of Dr. Cohen's favorite dinners is escarole and beans drizzled with olive oil over crusty whole-grain bread. 'This light, delicious meal is easy to digest and filled with plant protein, good fats, and fiber making it a good choice for dinner,' she says. Best nighttime snack options If you end up feeling hungry after dinner, that's completely understandable. It's just important to choose healthy snacks that won't negatively impact your sleep. 'Try a light snack like chia pudding which is high in soluble fiber and omega-3s to support digestion and the microbiome,' Zimmermann suggests. 'Kiwis are a great source of soluble fiber, and when combined with a handful of walnuts, provide a gut-healthy snack.' Routhenstein adds that cherries and pistachios may boost melatonin production, the hormone that regulates sleep. And yogurt with berries is another good choice because it contains tryptophan, an amino acid that promotes relaxation and better sleep. Worst nighttime snack options Unsurprisingly, nighttime snacks that experts recommend avoiding or minimizing are those that are generally not considered healthy, like ultra-processed chips or high-fat, high-sugar desserts, both of which can slow digestion and cause tummy trouble, experts say. Alcohol or excessive caffeine can dehydrate and mess with sleep, and large, protein-heavy meals eaten too late take longer to digest and may interfere with regularity. The bottom line In an ideal world, the experts recommend eating dinner two to three hours before bed. If you feel hungry after that, consider a light plant-based snack, preferably at least an hour before you plan to go to sleep. You Might Also Like Can Apple Cider Vinegar Lead to Weight Loss? Bobbi Brown Shares Her Top Face-Transforming Makeup Tips for Women Over 50
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists may have discovered why the pounds come back after losing weight
Many factors lead to the frustrating cycle of weight gain and weight loss — but the driving force may be fat cells keeping a memory of obesity. That's according to a recent study that was first published in the journal Nature last fall. Researchers say that fat cells influence abnormal metabolic pathways in the body long after pounds are shed, which could make it more likely for people to regain weight. Study Directly Compares Zepbound And Wegovy For Weight-loss Results The team of Swiss scientists were curious whether regaining weight after slimming down is due to "metabolic memory," where the body remembers and strives to return to its former state of obesity. They analyzed chemical markers on fat cells in mice who were fed a high-fat diet. Next, when the mice were fed only a standard meal, the researchers analyzed their fatty tissue after they had lost weight, according to the study write-up. Read On The Fox News App The team then compared these samples to a lean mice group that was fed a standard meal to see if the chemical markers on the fat cells were associated with unhealthy changes in the body. Doctors Warn Of 'Trifecta' Of Chronic Illnesses Plaguing Americans After Maha Report The mice on the high-fat diet continued to have unhealthy changes in their metabolism after losing weight, including more difficulty in regulating sugar metabolism, more inflammation and abnormal fat storage. Mice who were previously obese gained weight faster compared to the control group after they ate a high-fat diet — suggesting a continued impairment in metabolism after losing weight, the researchers found. The study also looked at human samples, analyzing how the genes in fat cells can lead to unhealthy changes in the body as they did in mice. The researchers analyzed the fatty tissues of participants before and after they underwent bariatric surgery, comparing them to the fatty cells of lean individuals who did not have a history of obesity. In obese individuals, the genes from fat cells continued to function abnormally in the body, leading to more inflammation and metabolic problems two years after losing weight. One limitation of the study is that it only looked at one type of cell – fat cells. More research is needed to determine whether other cells or tissues in the body also keep a memory of being overweight, the researchers acknowledged. Fat cells indeed have a memory of being obese, which can make it easier to regain weight and stay in a state that promotes inflammation and metabolic issues, confirmed Gretchen Zimmermann, registered dietitian and vice president of clinical strategy at Vida Health, a virtual obesity care provider. (She was not part of the study.) "This recent research suggests that after someone loses weight, their fat cells don't fully go back to 'normal,'" Zimmermann told Fox News Digital. But while biology plays a critical role in obesity, it's not everything, she cautioned. "A complex mix of genetics, biology, environment, psychology, medications and social determinants all shape obesity," Zimmermann said. Healthy habits can counteract the genetics that promote weight gain. Ideally, the expert said, this entails getting a combination of physical activity (including strength training), a sufficient amount of protein and fiber, and phytonutrients from plants that counter oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, according to Zimmermann. "Keep moving, eating real food and building muscle," she said. "These behaviors reduce inflammation, improve blood sugar control, contribute to a healthy microbiome and protect metabolism — even if weight doesn't drop much or stays the same." For some, however, the underlying issue may lie in epigenetics, which involves how a person's behaviors and surrounding environment influence how genes work in the body, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter "Obesity is a chronic relapsing condition that has an epigenetic cause," Dr. Caroline Apovian, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and co-director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at Brigham and Women's Hospital, told Fox News Digital. For more Health articles, visit People who are more prone to storing calories may have a harder time losing weight and keeping it off through diet and exercise, compared to those who may have an easier time, according to Apovian, who was not involved in the study. Fox News Digital reached out to the study authors for article source: Scientists may have discovered why the pounds come back after losing weight
