Don't eat after six: nutritionist debunked popular myth
'27.04.2021'
Source: Women's Health
Refusing food after six in the evening is the easiest and most popular method of losing weight. We figure out whether evening meals actually affect the figure.
What is the essence of evening "fasting"?
After 6 hours of the evening, any meal is completely ruled out. Allowed drinks: water, tea and herbal decoctions, writes Women’s Health. In fact, this method can be considered as part of the interval fasting system, but often people who adhere to this restriction do not observe the food intake regimen at certain intervals, simply prohibiting themselves from eating in the evening.
Myths and scientific facts about digestion at night
Adherents of the method are sure that at night the digestive system, like many other body systems, rests - and therefore food lies dead weight in the stomach, producing toxins and turning into fat deposits.
“Nothing of the kind, of course, happens,” comments Ksenia Benimetskaya, dietitian and candidate of medical sciences. - Naturally, diurnal rhythms affect the body, but the changes are not so serious as to interfere with the normal process of digesting food at night. That is, the digestive organs successfully perform their functions both in the daytime and at night, do not worry about it. "
Studies say that during sleep there is a decrease in salivation, swallowing frequency, a decrease in the pressure of the upper esophageal sphincter and the number of primary contractions of the esophagus, but all this does not mean that the gastrointestinal tract is not able to cope normally with food that enters the stomach before bedtime. - It is digested in almost the same way as at any other time.
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At the moment, there is no evidence confirming that sleep affects the secretion of gastric juice. In general, contrary to popular belief, the highest secretion of gastric juice at night is observed between 22 and 2 at night, regardless of whether a person is sleeping or not. Moreover, scientists believe that one should not forget about the body's adaptation systems: if a person is used to eating at night, his body will adapt to just such a diet, triggering the mechanisms and reactions necessary for the full digestion of food.
According to another popular opinion, metabolism slows down at night, which means that calories eaten at night are not burned to the same extent as they are consumed during the day. This theory is also quite far from reality: at night the metabolism really slows down, but only by insignificant 5% of the level of wakefulness. And the extra calories turn into fat reserves, regardless of what time of day you ate a piece of cake.
Why does evening fasting work?
In many ways, the effectiveness of the method is associated with its convenience: for many, it is much easier to adhere to one global rule than to change established eating habits, learn to count calories and switch to a healthier diet.
“In addition, by restricting oneself to eating in the evening, a person automatically reduces the daily calorie intake, and this is a key point in losing weight: it matters how much you eat throughout the day,” Benimetskaya explains.
The best time for evening meals
“If you are going to eat just before bedtime, it is better to give preference to products with a low glycemic index, which are more slowly broken down and saturate the body with energy, and it is better to have a tight dinner two to three hours before bedtime,” says Benimetskaya. - Few of us go to bed at eight or nine in the evening, more often we fall asleep after 23: 00 (and often later). And if you don’t eat with 18, then by 23 hours after eating, 5 hours pass - of course, a rather strong feeling of hunger appears. In my opinion, a diet that is accompanied by a feeling of hunger is doomed to failure: sooner or later a person will surely fail. ”
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Health risks during evening fasting
Starving in the evenings to reduce weight can cause many health problems, in particular the digestive tract.
“To reduce weight, the calorie content of the diet is always reduced, without which weight loss is impossible. If the weight goes away quickly, then the risks of developing gallstone disease increase, to minimize which any qualified dietitian will necessarily increase the amount of vegetables and fruits, water in the diet, prescribe a regular diet without prolonged breaks and be sure to introduce a moderate amount of vegetable fats, the doctor says nutritionist, founder of the center of weight loss Lydia Ionova. - All these measures prevent precipitation in the gallbladder and the formation of stones. If a person also skips dinner, then the gall bladder does not contract for a long time, which may be an additional factor to increase the risk of stone formation. ”
Also, do not forget that starvation is strictly contraindicated for people who have problems with the endocrine system, heart disease and gastrointestinal tract. In addition, even if there is no food, gastric juice, bile and lipase continue to be produced, and an increased concentration of these substances can cause damage to the walls of the stomach or intestines.
Personal experience
Anya, 32 of the year, height - 175 cm, weight - 72 kg
I was never thin, so my whole life struggled with excess, as it seemed to me, weight. At some point, I went in for fitness and decided not to eat after 6 in order to lose even more weight. At first I experienced euphoria - the weight really decreased quite quickly, although I sometimes even allowed myself a glass of low-fat kefir before bedtime - and I went to bed after 12 at night, an hour or two, by which time the hunger was becoming unbearable. I learned to deceive the body by drinking a couple of glasses of hot water or tea, but then it stopped helping. After a couple of months, I waited in horror for the evening, because I knew that I could only think about food, I almost stopped getting out to meet friends - they would eat, but I could not even drink a glass of wine, these are calories!
In short, I drove myself to such a state that I began to have attacks of bulimia: I pounced on food in the evening, and ate everything uncontrollably, could not eat two cookies, and ate the whole packet, did not stop on a slice of pizza, but stuffed myself her whole. Then she began to cry in disgust with herself and her own lack of will, went to the toilet, put two fingers in her mouth and got rid of what was eaten. I think that a little more - and I would have started a real depression, but, fortunately, it was at that moment that I got to a good coach, who realized that something was wrong with me, and recommended a good psychologist specializing in eating disorders behavior.
It took me several months to recover, moreover, now I myself have become a fitness instructor and nutrition consultant. Such a negative experience helped me to begin to be attentive to the body, to its signals, to more closely control the feelings of hunger and satiety. I like the way I look, although my weight is far from far-fetched ideals and formulas.
The material is published for informational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice and does not replace medical advice. ForumDaily Woman is not responsible for any diagnosis made by the reader based on the site's materials, as well as for the consequences of self-medication, and may not share the point of view of the author or expert.
