Eating fruit at night – yes or no?
There is a tendency to believe that eating fruit at night results in weight gain. The myth is that eating fruit or other carbohydrates for dinner is inaccurate.
Studies confirm (1) (2) that eating at night does not change the basal metabolic rate. Eating fruit at night is a permitted habit in the weight loss process and maintaining it.
While it is true that less energy is used at night, eating a piece of fruit at night is not a problem. Studies that have evaluated the effects of including fruit at dinner on body weight have made this very clear.
You have to know that the proportion of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats must be respected at dinner. Dinner is just another meal, so eating only fruit in the evening is not the best.
Eliminating fat and protein from dinner will result in a hormonal imbalance. (5)
Effect of carbohydrates at dinner
Research from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1) studied the effects of eating more carbohydrate foods at night than during the day on body weight. (1) 78 people participated in this study over six months.
People who went on a reduced-calorie diet, even eating carbohydrates at night, had similar lower body mass index results. TO
Furthermore, the levels of the main hormones related to hunger (the hormones leptin, insulin, and ghrelin) remained stable.
Does eating fruit at night make you fat?
Research makes it clear that eating fruit at night is not fattening. Weight gain occurs from excess calories or macro imbalance.
A person does not get fat by eating a banana for dinner. You lose weight by following a low-calorie diet with a macro ratio of 20% protein, 30-35% fat, and 45-50% carbohydrates. (3)
In summary, it cannot be said that the time of day or the number of times is the main factor in weight loss. The most critical factor in gaining weight or not is the control of total calories.
Therefore, it can be taken for granted that eating fruit at night does not make you fat; it is a myth.
Insufficient sleep is worse than eating a piece of fruit at night.
Research on the relationship between sleep and body weight (5) (6) has shown that a sleepless night wreaks havoc on your metabolism.
This fact can make a person gain weight as well, as it has been confirmed that the levels of the stress hormone: cortisol increase.
To lose weight, it is more effective to be strict with the hours of sleep than to wonder whether to eat fruit at night or not.
Falling into a deep and lasting sleep will make your metabolism work better in the long and short term. (6)
Hunger at night What to do?
Hunger at night can wake up and prompt 1.5% of the population to go to the kitchen to search for food (3). This situation is 25% more frequent in overweight people (3).
To avoid the feeling of hunger during the night, it is necessary to provide the body with quality energy at dinner time.
Excluding carbohydrates overnight is one of the most common nutrition mistakes. Eating fruit at night is an effective way to regulate hormone levels.
What to eat for weight loss?
The best choice at night to lose weight is a 450-500 Kcal caloric value meal. They are composed of 25-35g of protein, 15-25g of healthy fats, and about 125g of complex carbohydrates.
This is the equivalent of a serving of meat with pseudo-cereals ( buckwheat, amaranth) and fruit for dessert.
Having dinner 2-3 hours before going to sleep will allow the food to be digested and assimilated, making the digestion process more accessible.
Both at dinner and any other meal of the day, an excess of sugar and refined flours should be avoided.
Eating fruit at night does not make you fat.
For weight gain to occur, there must be excess calories. Claiming that eating fruit at night is fattening is a mistake.
When there is an imbalance in calories, it does not matter what time they were consumed is when body fat increases.
Some eating methods or weight-loss diets, such as the keto diet, restrict the consumption of fruits to the maximum. While these methods are effective for weight loss, they are not the healthiest weight loss strategy.
In these methods, the only ones allowed are low-carbohydrate fruits.
ABSTRACT
- Eating fruit at night does not make you fat. Weight gain occurs when there is a positive balance of calories.
- To lose weight, it is more important to get a good night’s sleep than to decide whether to eat a piece of fruit at night or not. A banana or a handful of blueberries at night does not make a difference.
- Dinner can’t just be fruit. One of the rules of healthy eating is to respect the balance of macronutrients.
- Limiting the consumption of sugars to 10% of total calories and fried foods is the most important to regulate weight. Deciding whether to eat fruit at night or in the morning is not essential.
