Eating late doesn’t have to make you pack on pounds

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CAROLYN O'NEIL / AJC Special

Diners in Argentina often eat their main meal late in the day and have a light dinner after 9 p.m. and still tend to remain fit and fab.

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You’ve probably heard people say that eating late at night is the worst thing you can do if you want to stay slim and trim because calories consumed close to bedtime are quickly converted into body fat.

Well, that’s not necessarily the case, according to registered dietitian Jo-Ann Heslin, co-author of “The Calorie Counter” (Pocket Books, $7.99 paperback). “You can eat all the calories you need for an entire day between midnight and 6 a.m., if you wish. As long as you don’t eat anymore during the rest of the day, you won’t gain weight,” she said.

According to nutrition researchers, it’s how much food you put your hands on, not the position of the hands on the clock that affects body weight.

A study of middle-aged men and women in Pennsylvania and Copenhagen, Denmark, reported in the International Journal of Obesity, found that night eating was not associated with weight gain, except in already obese women who had eaten their allotment of calories earlier in the day.

Heslin said, “The warning against late-night eating does have value if the calories eaten watching TV or coping with stress are on top of the calories you’ve already eaten during the day.”

Marsha Hudnall, dietitian and director of Green Mountain at Fox Run, a healthy living retreat for women in Vermont, says most of her clients struggle with overeating at night because they don’t eat enough during the day.

“They get into the starve all day, then binge at night cycle. If you’re listening to cues, then you eat when hungry and stop when satisfied so you’re less likely to overeat regardless of the time of day,” she said.

What Argentines do

The fact that night eating doesn’t have to mean over eating is comforting nutrition news for folks who work late and can’t eat dinner until way after 8 p.m.

Or maybe you just like living la vida loca as in Latin cultures where the evening meal is often served closer to 10.

On a recent trip to Argentina to attend the Masters of Food & Wine at the Park Hyatt-Buenos Aires, I was struck by the fact our dinners were scheduled for 9 p.m. or later, but locals were fit and fabulous. Was it the tango?

Sure, after-dinner dancing burns more calories than heading off to bed.

But I think it was more about the rhythm of the day and total intake of food.

It starts with a light breakfast, lots of walking during the day, a late lunch (often the largest meal of the day), maybe a late afternoon short siesta (research shows that getting enough sleep helps your metabolism burn more efficiently) and then dinner with relatively small portions after 9 p.m.

After-dinner activities, whether dancing or city strolling, add physical activity before it’s time to say “buenas noches.”

So, here’s to those who order seafood or salads from the 24-hour menu at Pied du Cochon restaurant at the Intercontinental Hotel Buckhead, and those who find themselves craving scrambled eggs in an all-night diner.

Is it time for dinner? It all depends on how you read the clock.

Carolyn O’Neil is a registered dietitian and co-author of “The Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous!” E-mail her at carolyn@carolynoneil.com.