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Weight loss help |
The last meal of the day
Making a good choice for the last meal of a diet plan
When attempting to lose weight dieters will not only need to
construct a diet plan they’ll also need to think about each and every meal
or snack, especially if they are trying to stick to a specific calorie
intake. I have found some people struggle when it comes to selecting a good
choice for the last meal of the day. Some people can be influenced by what
they read or hear which may lead to a bad choice. Some of the ideas they
hear are; don’t eat after 8pm, don’t eat certain food items before bed or
the last meal should contain specific nutrients or a specific combination of
the macronutrients. Listening to all the many “rules” about what we should
or shouldn’t eat can be very confusing for anyone trying to lose weight.
The last meal can be important to get it right in order to lose fat stores.
The correct choice is important because before sleep the body’s metabolism
slows down and we burn fewer calories. The body is also at a point where
many nutrient-storing enzymes are active, this means that food high in fats,
or even essential oils can cause them to be stored in fat cells. Even a meal
composed mostly of carbs with little or no fat can cause some of the sugar
to be converted to fat for storage. Another problem is if the meal has a
high G.I. (glycemic index) as this releases insulin and causes the cells to
take up any fat present in the meal.
The last meal may change from day to day depending on what
you’ve done or even what you've eaten during the day. What could be
considered a "bad" choice may be ok one day if there is a change in the
nutritional status of the body.
Here we will provide some guidelines as to what would make a suitable last
meal that helps limit any fat storage.
Some guidelines as to what the last meal should be made up of:
Choose natural, wholesome foods
Low Glycemic index food
Low in fat
Low in calories
Contain high quality protein, up to 35 grams
Low in sodium
High in nutrients
If you’ve been working out intensely during the day then you may be able to
get away with a snack higher in calories, or even high in protein. If you’ve
not eaten much during the day then maybe try eating more of a high quality
protein meal to help replenish any muscle protein loss.
In any case I believe the last meal should still contain
low G.I. foods or
maybe even contain no carbs, I would also try to keep the fat content quite
low, probably less than 5 percent total.
Some sample meals and snacks I may include as my last meal:
Fruit such as pear, plum, apple or prunes
Low-fat yoghurt with cherries
Tuna salad
All-Bran or Muesli with skimmed milk
Fettuccini (pasta) with tuna
Lean chicken breast (small portion) with sweet potato
Fresh fish with broccoli, cabbage and green peas
To help keep calories low try to only have small portions. In the example of
a meal lean chicken with sweet potato try cooking then simply split the
quantity into two or three meals and snacks. This way you can eat little and
often but still have a low calorie, low fat, and low G.I. meal.
The listed foods above may not be the best for everyone, it may be best to
think about your personal food preferences. Remember to omit foods which you
may cause an allergic reaction!
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