Introduction
Dinner is very important and must not be missed!
In recent years, there has been a high incidence of diseases such as fatty liver, high blood lipids, and hypertension, prompting people to pay more attention to vascular health.
On the road to pursuing health and longevity, a 62-year-old Mr. Zhang tried a seemingly miraculous health regimen – not eating dinner regularly.
However, the story behind this practice is quite lamentable, and it also serves as a warning to us about health management.
01
Is skipping dinner a cure for all diseases?
A year ago, Mr. Zhang was diagnosed with high blood lipids and carotid atherosclerosis during a physical examination, so he started a long-term life of medication and dietary control. However, after six months, there was not much improvement in his condition. As a result, he tried many methods to reduce blood lipids and soften blood vessels.
It wasn’t until half a year ago that he saw someone online sharing their successful experience of lowering blood lipids, and the key to success was “fasting to treat illness,” which means not eating dinner.
The internal logic behind this is simple and straightforward: since blood lipids are related to intake, skipping one meal would directly solve the issue, and skipping one meal wouldn’t do much harm.
So he started to follow suit, and indeed, when he stopped eating dinner, not only did his weight decrease, but he also felt light for a period. Thus, he believed that skipping dinner was effective and confidently thought that fasting in the evening was a shortcut to good health.
However, over time, upon reexamination, the results were disappointing. Not only did his blood lipids not decrease, but due to an unbalanced diet and irregular eating habits, some blood vessels showed slight signs of degradation, and his stomach developed problems.
In reality, many people make the same mistake as Mr. Zhang, thinking that not eating dinner can remove plaques and soften blood vessels. However, the real culprit behind elevated blood lipids is not dinner itself but the food consumed during dinner. The internal logic for reducing blood lipids lies in reducing high-cholesterol foods consumed during dinner.
02
What happens to those who don’t eat dinner in the end?
A research team from the University of Iowa and the University of Tennessee, when studying the association between daily meals and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality, found that skipping any meal would increase the risk of death. Specifically, eating only two meals a day or skipping breakfast increased the risk of cardiovascular mortality, while skipping lunch or dinner increased the risk of all-cause mortality.
Skipping dinner or eating too late, excessively, or too richly can harm health and lead to a series of health risks. Therefore, dinner may indeed determine one’s lifespan. So, what specific damages might occur?
1. Decreased immune system
Not eating dinner might lead to low blood sugar levels, and insufficient protein intake may lower the body’s immunity.
2. Accelerated aging
Skipping dinner can also lead to increased secretion of adrenaline, generating more free radicals and accelerating aging.
3. Sleep disturbances
Not eating at night can lead to digestion being completed by midnight, causing strong hunger later at night, affecting sleep quality, and being detrimental to health.
4. Disruption of gastrointestinal function
Skipping dinner keeps the stomach empty, rendering digestive juices such as stomach acid and bile unnecessary, which can eventually harm stomach health, leading to gastritis, gastric ulcers, gallstones, and other diseases.
A research team from Peking Union Medical College Hospital advises that the benefits of “time-restricted eating” are only limited to physical health and regular adults without chronic underlying diseases or regular routines, so don’t blindly follow trends.
03
Multiple studies indicate:
Making three changes to dinner may lead to a longer life!
Compared to skipping dinner, improper dinner habits are more likely to pose health risks.
1. Have dinner earlier
A research team from the University of Barcelona in Spain, in a study published in the International Journal of Cancer, observed the risk of breast and prostate cancer associated with mistimed eating patterns. They found that the earlier one eats dinner and has a gap of more than two hours before going to bed, the lower the cancer risk. This implies that the later you eat dinner, the more hazardous it is!
Data shows that compared to those who sleep right after eating, individuals who wait more than two hours after eating before sleeping reduce their overall cancer risk by 20%! Moreover, having dinner before 9 p.m. significantly lowers the risk of cancer.
2. Focus on the dinner menu
Eating less meat for dinner reduces the risk of heart disease. A research team from Harbin Medical University’s School of Public Health found that excessive intake of animal protein increases the risk of angina and heart disease by 44%. The recommended proportion of vegetables to meat and rice in dinner food combinations is approximately 2:1:1.
3. Pay attention to the amount consumed at dinner
Because the body is less active at night, the metabolic rate decreases. Eating too much can lead to fat accumulation, increasing the risks of obesity, diabetes, fatty liver, and other health issues. Therefore, the energy supply proportion of dinner should be adjusted appropriately according to the energy supply ratio – the optimal proportion being 30% for breakfast, 40% for lunch, and 30% for dinner.
Therefore, dinner is very important and must not be missed. However, pay attention to the timing of your meal, avoid lying down immediately after eating, correct these improper dinner habits to better maintain health, and live a long life!
Source: Health Times, China Science Popularization, Workers’ Daily
