What we mean by light
dinner Dinner should be the lightest meal of the day.
Loading food in advance for the day gives our body the ability to use all that good energy during the day, leaving us more satisfied and less hungry at dinner time. If you are not feeling hungry at all, dinner can also be a very light snack, such as fruit or tea. How to prepare a light meal in the evening
Contents
- How to prepare a light meal in the evening
- Prefer vegetables
- The fiber
- The ideal way to consume them
- Don’t forget the proteins
- Legumes
- Nuts and seeds
- Halve the portions
- Eat at least 3 hours before bed
- A typical shopping list
Here are 4 simple ways to start lightening your last meal of the day:
-Skip the cereals. The ideal would be to eat only proteins, vegetables and fruit for dinner. You can also replace cereals with starchy vegetables, beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash.
-Moderate the size of the protein portions. Pay attention to how much protein you are consuming during lunch and divide by half for dinner.
-Keep nuts and seeds into consideration. These can offer you a touch of nutrient density without too much heaviness.
-Eat slowly. Take the time to savor, chew and enjoy your food. Spend dinner with your family or friends and focus on conversation instead of food.
After dinner, if you are still feeling hungry, you can try drinking green tea which will also give you a chance to relax.
Experiment with different foods and portions for dinner. Everyone’s body is different, listen to what your body is telling you. Prefer Vegetables
A vegetable base and immediately less filling than pasta, rice, potatoes or bread.
For a super-quick, super-light meal, just throw together everything you have around: lettuce or iceberg, carrots, a handful of walnuts, leftover quinoa or even parmesan flakes. You can also make it a little more imaginative by using more unusual vegetables like artichokes and beets.
You can easily make your salad more substantial by taking inspiration from your favorite sandwich, but without the bread. For example, by adding ingredients like chicken, cucumber, or onion, you can create a main dish that will satisfy your hunger without weighing you down.
Most vegetables are lower in calories than meat, which means you can consume almost the same amount of food you would normally eat, but you won’t be full. Try some delicious roasted vegetables, or a soup. Fiber
You can add fiber to any meal or snack to increase your overall daily intake. Do this gradually, so that your digestive system can tolerate it; in addition, the fibers help you feel fuller and indirectly make you lose weight.
Don’t worry too much about getting all the different types of fiber (soluble, insoluble and prebiotic). As long as you follow a high-fiber diet in general, you can still reap the benefits.
Whenever possible, get fiber from dietary sources rather than using fiber supplements. Products that are referred to as “fortified with fiber” may also contain added sugars and other artificial ingredients, so check the nutrition label carefully.
Fiber can be useful for people with certain digestive conditions. Consult your doctor to determine how much fiber you should be consuming and whether fiber supplements can be helpful. The ideal way to consume them
Choose whole grains over refined ones to increase fiber intake. For example, choose 100% whole wheat bread instead of white bread (or wheat bread that is not 100% whole wheat). Choose whole grains as much as possible to increase your fiber intake; this will also allow you to eliminate the extra kg.
Oats are a great way to get the fiber you need, but not all rolled oats are created equal. Start with old-fashioned dry oats – half a cup contains four grams of fiber. Don’t forget the proteins
If you crave meat for dinner, eat it without the carbohydrates. It is worth remembering that starchy foods will often leave you more satiated than their protein counterparts.
Fish can be a particularly light choice for dinner. You can combine both peaches and meat with a nice light salad or grilled vegetables. Legumes
Beans are a great food to incorporate into your diet. Not only are they naturally high in fiber, they are also high in protein. Black beans and garbanzo beans are real stars: half a cup of each contains about 5-6 grams of fiber. And they are also very versatile.
Pea and lentil soups are mainly made from legumes. You can also add flavor to it by adding pearl barley (a high-fiber whole grain) and high-fiber vegetables such as squash and potatoes.
Homemade soups can be made with less fat and salt than is often found in grocery store soups. Nuts and seeds
Chia seeds contain 6 grams of fiber per tablespoon and ground flax seeds have around 3 grams. They are easy to add to smoothies, oatmeal, yogurt, or salad dressings. Furthermore, they are a rich source of omega 3 fatty acids, which are very important for our body.
Ground flaxseed lends a good nutty flavor to your dishes and can be used for cooking or breading. Chia seeds can also be used to make chia pudding, which is a very satisfying and tasty breakfast (or dessert) at the same time.
Roasted nuts and pumpkin seeds are a great snack. Season them with fall spices like cinnamon and nutmeg or salty spices like curry or cayenne.
One gram of pumpkin seeds (the whole seed, not the unshelled kernels) gives us just over 5 grams of fiber.
Also try hemp seeds with unexpected benefits. Cut your portions in
half It may not seem obvious, but you can still enjoy your usual favorite dishes at dinner time just by eating less. Plus, this allows you to take care of two meals at once. For example, if you only eat half your serving of chicken in the evening, you can prepare the rest for lunch the following day.
Bringing lunch from home to the office could reduce the likelihood of not accepting your co-workers’ lunch out proposal. Eat at least 3 hours before bed
Why stop eating 3 hours before bed
During the day, we are active and moving and are able to burn all the calories we consume.
In the evening, our digestion slows down and lighter foods are easier for our body to process.
Anything not consumed within 2-3 hours of a meal will be stored as fat. Let’s face it, many of us don’t go out for a tennis match after dinner, we usually sit on the sofa and relax.
Many of you will already be experiencing something like this as a result of eating more filling and satisfying breakfasts and lunches, with lots of protein and good fats, if you follow a Mediterranean diet. A typical shopping list
Depending on your needs, the amount of fiber you add to your diet can vary. Choose a variety of nutrient-dense foods that are good sources of dietary fiber, as well as sources of lean protein and healthy fats for a balanced diet.
The following shopping list offers a wide range of tips to get you started on a high-fiber plan. Note that this is not a definitive shopping list and everyone can vary as they like.
- Dark leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, chard
- Vegetables such as broccoli, beets, artichokes, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, peppers, eggplant, carrots, sweet potatoes
- Fresh fruits such as grapefruit, oranges, berries, bananas, apples, pears
- Healthy fats like avocado, walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, olive oil
- Whole grains quinoa, barley, amaranth, brown rice, oats;
- Dried legumes such as black beans, lentils, dried peas, chickpeas
- Lean proteins such as chicken breast, turkey, tofu, salmon, eggs
- Dairy products Feta, Parmesan, Greek yogurt.
