Skipping Dinner For Weight Loss? Here's Why You Must Stop This Practice Instantly

Weight Loss: Skipping dinner can cause sleep disturbances and make you feel lack of energy

Weight loss diet: Eating a healthy dinner is important for your health and fitness. In fact, to stay healthy and in shape, you should not skip any meals and try to get optimum nutrition in every meal, says nutritionist Rupali Datta. In this article, we are going to talk about the importance of eating healthy dinners, and why you must not skip dinners, even if you are trying to lose weight. Dinner ought to be light, yet nutritious. It is the last meal of the day after you which you fast for 10-12 hours. Skipping dinner can make you feel lethargic and weak, and may even cause sleep disturbances.

Importance of healthy dinners for weight loss

You must eat all your three meals, each in set quantities, says Dr Rupali. "The body has a certain limit for digestion and assimilation. It is not wise to skip one meal and club it another meal," she explains.

Also read: 5 Underrated Health Benefits Of Eating Dinner Early

She goes on to add that dinner is important because you are going to fast for a long period of time after that. "Eating a healthy dinner allows you to experience sufficient energy through the night and the next morning. It helps the body nourish itself and maintains a healthy metabolic rate," says Dr Rupali.

At night time, your body is exhausted from the day and dinner provides the nourishment you need, before going to bed. Eating your lunch at around 2.30-3 pm, and then skipping dinner and not having your next meal until 9 am the next day, is too long a gap. "In such a long gap, the body begins to cannibalising it's own energy stores. So, it is important to eat light, but nutritious dinners," Dr Rupali asserts.

What's more is that skipping dinner can lead to acidity, constipation, heartburn, etc. At times, it may make you feel hungry at the middle of the night and make room for sugar cravings. Not only does this interfere with your weight loss regime, but also cause sleep disturbance.

Skipping dinners can make room for cravings and cause sleep disturbance
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Also read: What Is Sleep Hygiene? Know Why It Is One Of The Most Important Parts Of Sleeping Well

Quick and healthy dinner options

Now that it has been established that eating dinners is important for your health, let's take a look at some healthy options you can bank on for dinner. Following are some quick, healthy and weight loss-friendly dinner options by Dr Rupali that you must try:

• Boiled potato with paneer chunks (dressed with your favourite salad dressings) and a vegetable soup
• Prepare grilled cutlets with boiled potatoes and paneer and have them with grilled vegetables
• Khichdi and dahi
• Pulao and dahi

Make sure that there is a gap of 2 hours between your dinner and bed time. You can plan your day in a way that dinner is half-prepared by the time you reach home. Keeping a gap before dinner and bedtime can promote good sleep and prevent acidity, bloating etc.

Practice portion control and avoid eating deep fried or carb-heavy meal for dinner.

Eat light and nutritious meals for dinner to stay healthy and maintain weight
Photo Credit: iStock

Also read: Add These Protein-Packed Foods In Your Dinner For Quick Weight Loss

(Rupali Datta is a Clinical Nutritionist based in Delhi)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.