Late dinners, beware

From Japan, China, India and the ancient Mayan cultures, many traditional societies intuitively knew that eating late at night was not good for our digestive systems.Our medical science has repeatedly attempted to show that it shouldn’t matter how late we eat just as long as we are burning the calories. Well I think we all know by now how wrong the information provided by our modern medical system can be.We currently have more digestive and health problems than anytime in recorded history!

Ancient cultures on the other hand, tell us that our ideal digestion requires us to eat an earlier, lighter dinner.

How Eating Late Affects Your Body
Eating late affects the body in a different way than eating a larger meal at mid-day. If we consume most of our calories at night, our bodies are not able to process the food as efficiently as we do during the day.

Furthermore, unless you work the night shift, most of us are tired after a hard day of work. After dinner, we want to rest and settle in for the night. This is a good idea! It prepares our bodies for sleep and relaxation. Unfortunately, if we lie down with a huge belly full of food, we are putting a strain on our system.

This usually leads to a feeling of lethargy in the morning. We also experience disrupted sleep if the body is working so hard to digest what we ate the night before.

Red meat is an especially toxic food to consume late at night. Meat takes longer than any other food item to digest. We should particularly avoid the intake of meat late at night, as it tends to stay in our digestive track longer than grains, fruits or vegetables.

Research Into Late Night Eating
Studies by Dr. Louis J. Aronne, director of a weight control program for the Weill Cornell Medical Center, have shown that people who eat late, eat more than they would during a day-time meal.

Furthermore, these studies found a link between larger evening meals and an increase in triglyceride levels associated with diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and overall weight gain.

When our triglyceride levels are high, our body thinks that it needs to store the fat from this excessive night-time eating for later use. Quite literally, when we eat large meals at night, we unwillingly inform the body that there will be a shortage of food soon, so it needs to make us fat in the mean time!

Many people complain that they are able to eat healthy meals all day long, but at night they begin to crave sweets and heavy foods. This may involve an emotional component to eating. Are you stressed from a long day? Are you left exhausted? Look at how you missed out on areas of ‘sweetness’ in your own life. What emotional comfort are you seeking from large amounts of late night food? Try taking a warm bath with essential oils to comfort yourself.