Carbohydrate intake in the evening

A popular opinion in connection with carbohydrates and weight loss is that carbohydrate-containing meals in the evening provoke overweight. Especially the low-carb diets supported by many celebrities are based on this thesis. But can it be so generally confirmed?

In order to get to the bottom of this question, the role of insulin must be considered again. Carbohydrate intake causes the pancreas to increase the secretion of insulin, whose task it is to keep blood sugar levels in check. However, it also inhibits the breakdown of fat.

During the day, the body covers its energy requirements mainly through the meals it eats; at night, to a greater extent through the reduction of reserves. If this nocturnal breakdown is now inhibited by the increased insulin level after carbohydrate-rich evening meals, it is easy to see that carbohydrates in the evening can lead to weight gain or make weight loss difficult. However, if you assume that you can consume more carbohydrates during the day if you do without carbohydrates in the evening, you are deceiving yourself.

Because the total amount of calories consumed during the day is and remains the decisive factor.Those who eat more calories than they consume gain weight, regardless of the time of eating. Therefore, abstaining in the evening cannot work miracles and make you forget the “sins” of the day! On the other hand, there are even aspects that speak in favor of eating carbohydrates in the evening.

The production of melatonin, which is known as the “sleep hormone”, should be mentioned here, as it promotes sleep. Melatonin is built from tyrosine, an amino acid. So if you eat food containing tyrosine in the evening, you trigger the production of melatonin and can thus sleep better – sufficient sleep, in turn, is an important component of numerous weight loss tactics.

Pros and cons can be summarized as follows: The most important factor in weight control is still the total amount of calories consumed throughout the day. However, a longer carbohydrate break per day can help to get the fat burning process going. Although this break does not necessarily have to be in the evening, this model is a good idea because it allows you to “sleep through” the break – and you don’t have to discipline yourself as much as if you took your carbohydrate break during the day.