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The question of the right time to eat at night is controversial. Experts now explain why 3 hours before bedtime is best.
The question of the best time to eat dinner is a constant source of debate. But what do scientists say? According to the director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, Valter Longo, the ideal time depends primarily on when you go to sleep.
The key is to finish your plate at least three hours before you go to bed. If you usually go to bed at 11 pm, you should have eaten by 8 pm. “If you push dinner further and further back, you send a message to your system that it should remain active,” explains Longo.
There is also another advantage. If you eat dinner early, you extend the gap between your last and first meal. According to Adam Collins, a nutrition researcher at the University of Surrey, you should fast for at least twelve hours in between. “This allows the body to go into a more catabolic phase where it starts to oxidize fat,” says Collins. “It does what it’s designed to do: burn carbs when you eat carbs and burn fat when you don’t eat carbs.”
A rather light supper can promote well-being and health. “But don’t panic if your dinner is the biggest meal of the day,” Collins reassures us. Low hunger in the morning and stress over lunch leave many people with no other choice—plus a big meal with protein and carbohydrates could be just the thing after training with weights. It is more important to give your body enough rest after a large meal and start the next day with a light, low-carb breakfast.
However, you should avoid late-night snacks in front of the TV: alcohol, chocolate, or potato chips just before going to bed put additional strain on your body. A more significant portion is the better option if you still feel hungry after dinner; the best schedule for dinner is to eat all meals of the day within twelve hours, keep dinner light, and finish eating at least three hours before bed. If you have no problems with this and have a good night’s sleep, no further adjustments are necessary, according to Longo. Want even more? “A bigger breakfast, a more substantial lunch, and a light dinner is usually the healthiest pattern.”
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