
By now you know that the diet is surrounded by myths. Have you ever heard that bread crumbs are fattening more than crust? Surely, like that, many other myths have reached your ears by which you will have allowed yourself to be influenced. And, in the end, all you do is adapt your diet to them, right?
One of the most widespread myths and at the same time believed by most people is that carbohydrates should not be eaten at night. It is recommended not to eat pasta, rice cereals or bread because it fattens much more at night than if we consume it during the day. This way, we would be gaining weight quickly because we don’t burn those calories and go to bed directly.
But is that belief really true? Let us say no, and let’s see why. You should leave out worries because you can eat carbohydrates perfectly at night without gaining weight. Don’t believe us? Pay attention!
Are carbohydrates harmful at night?
While it is true that the strongest meal of the day should be breakfast and the softest dinner, we must keep in mind that each diet and each person is a world. Therefore, do not eliminate certain foods from dinner if they are not going to do you any harm, that is, you should not believe certain myths without first consulting them with a specialist in the field.
All you need to do is focus on how that carbohydrate intake affects your body. All this will be marked by those foods you are taking and how they affect your body. There are some differences that made us think years ago that we responded better to the intake of these foods during the day than at night, and hence the widespread belief that it is better to eat dishes full of carbohydrates in the meal. But that’s not really true.
Carbohydrates and their energy intake
In recent times there are several studies that have shown that people who dine carbohydrates, the next day have greater satiety and greater energy reserves. This does not mean that you can now dine every day this type of food to get up with energy, but you must follow a balanced diet and be aware of the calories you need. You must organize your diet in a distributed way, and without getting carried away by myths.
In this sense, the Obesity Society conducted a study in 2011 in which this myth of carbohydrates was completely debunked. It took a sample of groups of men and women who consumed carbohydrates, some during the day and others at night. After 6 months following guidelines, it was shown that those who consumed carbohydrates at night had lost 2% more weight and fat than the rest.
It is not that it is the best option and that is why we should do it daily, but you can contemplate it as such because it is not the worst. It all depends not on the time you consume the hydrates, but on how you combine the components and what you are going to use them for, as athletes do.
The type of carbohydrates, key in your diet
As a general rule, the belief that carbohydrates are harmful at dinner time comes from the flours, ultra-processed and sweets that are on the market. On many occasions, in addition to providing empty calories, they produce heavy nights and bad digestion. Therefore, if you are going to consume carbohydrates at night, you should worry about which ones you should eat.
If you eliminate a bowl of rice with egg, for example, and instead you make a food made from refined flours you will not be getting better. You must eliminate the buns and processed and introduce legumes, pasta, vegetables or cereals. In this way, you will achieve a completely balanced and healthy diet.
If you still have any doubts about the most advisable diet for you, or about the consumption of carbohydrates, click play on this video! In our First Meeting #EntreNosotras, nutritionists Marina Díaz-Naranjo and Axel Ceinos Moraza told us about the realization of certain diets that are not advisable for our health.