Why is eating LATE AT NIGHT associated with WEIGHT GAIN

There is a proverb – enjoy your breakfast, share your lunch with a friend, and give your dinner to your enemy. What does this proverb mean?

She explains the main principle of nutrition and our biorhythm, that is, meals should follow the day – breakfast should be nutritious and caloric, lunch should be healthy and nutritious, but not excessive, and dinner should be as small and light as possible.

But why does this recommendation exist and how can it help maintain a healthy body weight? – this is exactly what we will talk about in the following.

What does a good and healthy breakfast mean and why is it important?

Breakfast is the first meal of the day and is the first food we eat after sleeping, that is, after the nightly “fast”. It “wakes up” our metabolism and digestion and restores blood sugar levels. All that gives us the energy to start our day. In addition, it improves alertness and concentration and provides a range of nutrients the body needs.

Breakfast has been the subject of numerous researches and they have established certain benefits from its practice. It is believed that breakfast contributes to better regulation of body weight, and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Healthy breakfast options can be:

• Whole grains (wholemeal bread or oatmeal)
• Foods with protein (eggs, nuts, legumes, etc.)
• Low-fat dairy products – milk, yogurt, Greek yogurt, kefir, cheese, cottage cheese, etc.
• Fruits and vegetables – can be used fresh or frozen, as whole fruits, squeezed, pureed, etc.

Why should dinner be light and small, and breakfast can be more calorific?

Scientific evidence shows that a healthier body weight can be better and more easily managed by eating a larger breakfast and a smaller dinner. This eating pattern aligns with the body’s natural circadian rhythm and metabolic processes.

In the morning, the metabolism is accelerated and the insulin sensitivity is generally higher, which allows better utilization of the calories consumed.

By consuming calories earlier in the day, research shows that people are more likely to metabolize and utilize nutrients efficiently and use up the energy (calories) they consume throughout the day, rather than storing them as fat.

In addition, science shows that a larger breakfast reduces hunger and cravings for food and snacks later in the day, leading to an overall reduced calorie intake.

Conversely, eating at night, especially close to bedtime, can disrupt sleep quality and contribute to weight gain by supplying excess energy (calories) that are unlikely to be used because the body does not need energy immediately before sleep.

Moreover, metabolism at night, and especially during sleep, is significantly slowed and the body’s ability to efficiently process carbohydrates and fats is reduced, potentially leading to the storage of these nutrients as adipose tissue.

This would mean that most of the calories and nutrients should come from breakfast and lunch, and it is best if dinner is as light and small as possible. This will allow easier management and control of body weight, but also better quality sleep.

This principle is also compatible with the so-called intermittent fasting, that is, limiting eating in a certain time frame, and in the remaining part of the day – complete fasting, that is, no intake of calories.