Everyones heard the platitude that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
But dinner matters, too.
Going without dinner can happen by accident when lunch leaves you feeling full well past dinnertime.
Dinner may not be the most important meal of the day, but there are many reasons it’s still crucial for your health.
We looked at the research and asked a nutrition expert to find out.
What is the Importance of Dinner?
Dinner is not just a third daily meal.
Its also a nightly occasion to connect with loved ones.
The timing of the evening meal varies considerably among households.
Whats on the menu varies, but there are familiar themes.
For example, 70 percent of millennials say that chicken is typical of their weeknight meals.
The past few years have changed how people think about dinner, however.
With all those people skipping meals, dinner may also be happening less than it used to.
What Happens When You Skip Dinner?
Whenever you eat or dont eat it triggers a series of reactions in your body.
Over the long term, skipping meals regularly can have a negative impact on your health.
It can make your body feel more stressed.
It may even be better to skip dinner if you havent had an evening meal and its gotten late.
I recommend cutting off eating two hours before bedtime, says Beal.
There are research-backed reasons for that advice.
Have a light dinner of a little canned tuna and crackers instead of a full dinner, she suggests.
Skipping meals can also do a number on your mental health.
Can Skipping Dinner Help With Weight Loss?
Eliminating meals can seem like a shortcut to dropping a few pounds.
Its possible that skipping dinner can result in weight loss.
Its all about calories, says Beal.
Eat less than you burn and you will lose weight.
Over time, though, skipping dinner isnt a good strategy for weight loss.
People who front-loaded their calories that way lost more weight, according to asystematic review.
Should You Skip Dinner?
People who want to experiment with intermittent fasting could also give this way of eating a try.
The Takeaway
Theres a reason the idea of three square meals a day is so entrenched.
Just dont make it a habit, advises Beal.
Joy Manning is a health writer and former nutrition editor forPreventionmagazine.
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