When Do We Eat?

This topic is a hot button issue. Some believe eating late at night causes weight gain while others believe that a calorie is a calorie no matter what time of day or night it is. Let's break it all down (like digestion) shall we. Why do we eat? We eat to get nutrients, vitamins etc. which in turn can be converted into energy. With energy on our side we can move. If we have the right type and amount of nutrients and we move just the right amount we can attain balance. And with that balance we look and feel fit. We tend to eat during the day when we need the energy. (We're awake after all). At night when we sleep our body heals and repairs itself. If our body has any say in the matter restoration is what it wants to do when we sleep. But if we (you) have eaten too late at night and then head straight to bed then the body needs to spend energy digesting. If the body can't get the job done efficiently then the excess calories will be stored as fat. Yup, I said it-fat!

The general consensus is that the last meal should be all said and done by 7pm. Why 7pm? I don't know, it sounds kind of arbitrary to me. Let's try this: give your body 2-3 hours of digestion time after your last meal before putting head to pillow. That way when we are asleep the body can groove on what it needs to do. The bigger issue here is balanced meals throughout the day. Eating 4-5 small meals during the day keeps the tank balanced and makes for easier digestion than eating three huge meals. This eating habit leads to a lesser chance of you craving the late night munchies. But if you must; a fruit or vegetable will do it. If your last big dinner was at 5:30 and you normally go to bed at 11pm then by 10pm those potato chips, fries topped off with ice cream for desert are going to look pretty good.

Getting back to the school of 'a calorie is a calorie'. This is actually true. It's like that old joke/trick from the 1970's,"...what weighs more a thousand pounds of feathers or a thousand pounds of bricks?" A calorie, which is a unit of energy is the same at 6pm as it is at 7pm. But digestion time is the key. Furthermore, if you've done all of your running around during the day, and eaten right then the late night calories are not necessary. Your cup overflows and not in a good way. And as I said earlier what you don't spend or get rid of as waste heads straight for the fat party mezzanine to party with the other fat cells.

FURTHER PRICE TO PAY

Another side effect to the late night binge can be acid reflux. Here's the formula: Big meal. Lie down in bed with full stomach. Acid comes in to work on meal. Gravity moves excess acid up toward the esophagus as opposed to the other direction to the small intestine.

THE WRAP UP

Once again common sense wins out. If you must snack, eat the good stuff and not too much. If you've done your 4-5 meals during the day you won't be craving that big a snack. But in the event you do grab the snack give yourself ample time to digest before you hit the rack. Keep up the exercise routines, eat right and it'll all be cool.