Have you ever wondered what effect the kinds of food you eat as supper, the time you eat those foods and the quantity of those foods have on your health and well-being? Read on as I delve into the possible effects our supper habits have on our health.
Some people think skipping supper all together will help them lose weight and stay healthier. This is because they would have heard sometime before that eating late is not a good habit.
Such people are very likely to eat breakfast around 9 a.m. and lunch around 3 p.m. and then avoid supper. It sounds so good to skip supper but it is not a healthy thing to do at all.
Often, it is when you eat heavy meals late in the night that you suffer. Some people are bound to experience acid reflux and heartburns, among others.
The food also gets stored as fat, which leads to excessive weight gain, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease, among others.
This does not, however, make skipping supper any better. Those who skip supper only give an opportunity to their body to fend for itself throughout the night till the following morning.
The result is often not a good one. In the end, you end up with a slow metabolic rate. This simply means that your body does not use the food you eat fast enough.
This situation makes weight loss impossible. You will rather gain weight no matter the quantity of food you eat.
One stands the chance to be healthier if they eat supper. However, the supper meal has to be cooked well.
What then is the best food for supper? Any well-balanced meal qualifies to be eaten for supper. First think of nutrition. Make sure that you are getting all the food nutrients from the foods you have for supper.
You make a big mistake if you have only fruits. You will get only sugar, vitamins and fibre. Those are just a few of the nutrients you should be getting from your meal.
You can eat banku, fufu, rice, yam or plantain. Make sure however that the time is right for these foods.
The best time for supper is from 5.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. Within this period, you can eat any of the “heavy meals” I have listed above.
This time period seems not possible for many people due to work schedules especially, but mind you; it will do you a lot of good. Just plan well and eat at the right time. Another question which comes to mind is: “What should we do if we only get back home very late. i.e. 9 p.m. onwards?”
If that happens often, skipping supper will still not be the best solution. Take something very light which may not give you as much energy as the heavy meals would do.
Examples are tea and bread; very few thin slices of the bread would do. You can eat salads as well; mind you salad creams are not healthy foods. Taking some fish light soup is not a bad idea too.
For supper to go well, you should not eat too much food; i.e. the total quantity of the food you eat must be determined. You should also judiciously follow these measurements anytime you eat.
A visit to a dietician will greatly help you know what amounts of these foods you should eat for supper.
• The writer of this article is a Dietician at Trust Hospital & Clinics. Grab copies of my book titled: “Diet, Health & Wellness” and my video and audio diet advice on CDs. Contact: 0244090262, [email protected]. Also available at Kingdom Books and Stationery Shops at the following locations: Osu, Marina mall, Tema, KNUST campus, UCC Campus.
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