Many friends believe that not eating dinner is the best and healthiest way to lose weight, and after adhering to this practice for a while, they have indeed found themselves getting slimmer. Is this method really effective? Actually, it's not. The weight lost from skipping dinner is mostly water weight, and it can lead to several harmful effects on the body.

The dangers of skipping dinner are significant, as most of the weight lost is water, making it prone to rebound, and it can also impact our health. I've encountered cases in my clinic where individuals, in an effort to lose weight, skipped dinner for an extended period, only to find that their weight did not decrease significantly, and they developed stomach pain as a result of hunger. Additionally, when people are extremely hungry, they are more likely to succumb to temptation and overeat, leading to further weight gain.

What are the harms of skipping dinner?

1. Decreased immunity: Our organs require adequate nutrition for normal functioning. Prolonged skipping of dinner leads to a lack of nutrients for the body's organs, resulting in a natural decrease in immunity.

2. Gastrointestinal damage: Hunger triggers the secretion of stomach acid. Without effective food stimulation and neutralization of stomach acid, it can cause damage to the stomach lining, leading to acute and chronic gastritis, digestive ulcers, and a range of digestive disorders.

3. Impaired brain function: The body naturally experiences lower blood sugar levels at night. Skipping dinner further lowers blood sugar levels, impacting brain function and significantly reducing memory and attention.

4. Increased risk of gallstones: Skipping dinner on an empty stomach increases the concentration of cholesterol in bile, leading to an increased risk of gallstones.

5. Low blood sugar: Prolonged lack of energy supply can lead to abnormal insulin secretion, causing a sharp decrease in blood sugar levels, resulting in dizziness, fatigue, sweating, palpitations, and trembling. For diabetic individuals, it can even trigger diabetic complications.

How to have a healthier dinner

Remember the "three and a half fistfuls" dietary approach

Dinner should be eaten earlier rather than later, one should eat until 70% full, focus on light and diverse ingredients, and avoid vigorous exercise after the meal.

In summary, a "healthy dinner = three and a half fistfuls," including "two fistfuls of vegetables," "one fistful of staple food," and "half a fistful of protein."

Two fistfuls of vegetables: Dark green leafy vegetables have multiple benefits, protecting eyesight and effectively preventing heart disease and stroke.

One fistful of staple food: Grains such as wheat, corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes contain a large amount of carbohydrates, providing energy for muscles and the brain.

Half a fistful of protein: It's best to focus on protein-rich white meats such as fish and chicken, which not only have low fat content but are also easily digestible.

Avoid eating these five types of food

Stay away from gastrointestinal discomfort

For dinner, it's best to avoid spicy food, gas-producing food, high-calcium food, greasy food, and hard-to-digest food.

Spicy food can cause constipation and indigestion; gas-producing food generates a large amount of gas during digestion, leading to bloating and affecting sleep; high-calcium food, when digested, can accumulate in the kidneys and ureters, leading to stone formation; greasy food not only leads to weight gain but also increases the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases; hard-to-digest food can lead to chronic gastritis.

Therefore, maintaining regular meal times and a balanced diet is essential for a healthy lifestyle. We should control our exercise and intake levels, as effective weight loss requires a balanced approach, and we should not mistakenly rely on skipping dinner as a solution.