And what I am reading.

And watching.

So, before we get to a new reason I don’t eat large meals late at night, I’ll address those questions.

What I’m Listening To

My interests are eclectic.

I recently listened to the Little Desk versions of songs from the Icelandic Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Laufey:

I am also listening to Doechii on the Little Desk.

The lead singer, Jaylah Ji’mya Hickmon (known professionally as Doechii), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter.

Joyful.

What I’m Watching

I’m watching Light of My Lion on Netflix in Japanese (with subtitles).

Hiroto, a city hall employee, cares for his autistic brother Michito after their parents’ deaths.

Their lives dramatically change when they take in a young boy named Lion, who leads them into an unexpected and life-altering incident.

On to the subject of the day.

Large Meals After 5

There are several reasons that I avoid eating large meals late in the evening.

I prefer a longer time between my last and first meals of the day.

However, research suggests another good reason to avoid big meals late in the day: Large meals after 5 p.m. could increase one’s risk of type 2 diabetes.

The study, conducted by researchers in Spain and the United States, found this:

Consuming more than 45 percent of daily calories after 5 p.m. may negatively impact glucose tolerance, especially in those with pre-diabetes or early type 2 diabetes.

Study Details

To investigate the effects of late eating, researchers studied 26 participants aged 50 to 75 who were overweight or obese and also had pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes. Researchers divided the subjects into two groups:

• “Early eaters” consumed most of their daily calories before 5 p.m.
• “Late eaters” consumed 45% or more calories after 5 p.m.

Both groups maintained these eating patterns for 14 days, consuming similar total calories and macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats).

However, late eaters consume nearly twice as many calories after 5 p.m., with a higher intake of fats and carbohydrates.

Why?

I suspect that eating later in the day leads to weight gain because most people are much less active at night (and not active at all as they sleep).

If I eat late at night, I consume calories when my body does not need them.

For me, this activity translates to this:

I want my latest meal of the day to be the lowest carbohydrate (and simple carbohydrate) meal.

My metabolism is most active between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., so I avoid very large meals outside of that window.

My Take: Study Consequences

While we know that late-night eating can contribute to weight gain due to a slower metabolism during sleep, new research reveals a more significant concern.

This study indicates that eating late, specifically consuming more than 45% of your daily calories after 5 p.m., can disrupt blood sugar regulation (glucose metabolism), regardless of weight or overall calorie intake.

This disruption can lead to:

• Increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes: Poor blood sugar control is a major risk factor.
• Higher cardiovascular risk: Problems with glucose metabolism can negatively impact heart health.
• Chronic inflammation: This can contribute to various health issues over time.

These findings highlight the importance of what we eat and when we eat for optimal health.

Make a slight shift in your diet habits and reap the benefits.

The post One More Reason I Don’t Eat Large Meals Late at Night appeared first on Medika Life.

However, the habit of eating takeaway and delivery meals give a contribution to obesity global burden. In the United Kingdom, around 33% of adults were living with obesity. It is predicted that the prevalence of obesity will increase up to 35% in 2025.

A recent study from UK showed that consumption of takeaway and/or delivery meals was associated with higher BMI and percent body fat in both sexes. Individuals with high body mass index (BMI) often eat delivery and takeaway meals, while those with low BMI and percent body fat usually consume home-cooked meals.

There were 5,197 participants in this study, with 2,841 women and 2356 men. This study examined the association between consumption of different types of meals and BMI or percent body fat.

The researchers used data from the UK Biobank in response to a “Type of Meals Eaten” survey, which specified the sources of the meals consumed over the previous 24 h. They analyzed data with meal choice as the dependent variable first and then BMI as the dependent variable second due to the unknown direction of causality.

BMI and percent body fat were higher in individuals reporting consumption of takeaway and delivery foods the previous day.

Dine-in was also associated with higher BMI and percent body fat among men, but not women. Men and women who have higher BMI consume homecooked meals less. A previous study also reported that people who often had their meals at dine-in restaurants were more likely to be overweight or obese.

The researchers said this could happen because people who consumed takeaway meals had on average higher daily energy intake in comparison with people who rarely consume this type of meals and were more likely to have obesity or be overweight.

In contrast, people who consume homecooked and home-prepared meals have normal BI and normal percent body fat. Moreover, it was noticed that people who consume homecooked meals >5 times a week were 28% less likely to be overweight and 24% less likely to have excess percent body fat.

“Our investigation supports the widespread suggestion that eating homecooked and prepared meals was less likely to be linked with obesity,” the researchers said. “If the associations are causal, then delivery and takeaway foods may present a suitable target for intervention studies to reduce obesity.”

Takeaway food tend to make people fat because it is usually high in fat and salt, to stimulate appetite, making appetite, making them an attractive combo for food manufacturers — and low in vitamins and minerals.

The reason how consumption of home cooked meals can give dietary benefits could be attributable to healthier food preparation methods, increased dietary variety and/or consumption of healthier food groups. It may also be due to decreased intake of convenience foods, which tend to priorities ingredients such as fat, sugar and salt to increase palatability and preservation, over those for optimizing health.

The post Takeaway and Delivery Meals Make You Fat, Start Cooking Your Own Food appeared first on Medika Life.