There are countries, such as Spain and other Mediterranean countries, where having dinner late is almost a tradition. You come home after a long day at work and people end up having dinner at ten at night. It is something that is very common in these cultures, and probably no one has ever stopped to think about whether this habit is healthy or not for our health. Now, neurologist Conrado Estol, a great figure in health and well-being, has arrived to answer our questions on his Tiktok account. Below we are going to tell you what this neurologist says.
Why does it make sense to have dinner early?
Doctor Estol goes back to our ancestors, when humans still lived in caves and depended on hunting. Back then, everything revolved around the sun, there was no electric light, no ovens, no refrigerators… So, everything they hunted and gathered was eaten while there was light, and, once night fell, the body understood that it was time to rest until the next day. That pattern was engraved in our biology, and although we now have other motivations and other patterns, our body still works much better when there is still sunlight.
Is the connection with our ancestors real?
Our digestive system (and our body in general) has been preparing for many years to work in the early hours of the day when the sun rises. This has left an indelible mark on our biology, so that when the evening falls, the body reduces its capacity to digest food. Does the phrase “eat breakfast like a king, dinner like a pauper” sound familiar to you? Well, it comes from here. Our body takes longer to process the food we eat at dinner time, which is why we always feel fuller at dinner time and we are always advised to eat much less for dinner. So, it is as if our body has a programmed function to “slow down” its functions, including digestion.
But… are there any risks in eating late?
Not only eating late can cause an extremely heavy feeling in the stomach, but it can also affect the quality of your sleep. Have you ever eaten a lot of food and had strange dreams? And don’t even mention heartburn! Estol confirms that eating late and weight gain (and therefore the risk of metabolic diseases) are all related to eating late and poorly.
But there is more, according to Dr. Estol, when the body processes food during the last hours of the day, it could be affecting cell regeneration.
Would it be possible to change this habit in regions like Spain?
It would not be realistic to say yes, considering that working days in Spain usually end at 8 or 9 at night, so for many it would be practically impossible because at the time when other countries are going to sleep, they are just getting home.
What would be possible would be to opt for lighter or protein-rich dinners, so that your body does not feel the need to work hard at night and you can satisfy yourself with a delicious dinner!
Although it may sound complicated, we could try to see if our body feels better by eating dinner earlier. Who knows? We might discover infinite benefits for each of us! Do you dare to try it?