Experts suggest: Eat only 70% full for dinner! How full is "70% full"?

Expert of this article: Pa Lize, Chief Physician of Nutrition, Science Popularization Committee Member of Chinese Nutrition Society

Many people do not eat in the morning, eat just enough at noon, and eat a lot at night. This is the current dietary situation of many people.

In fact, many people don’t know that it is enough to eat until you are 70% full for dinner.

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So, why should we eat until we are 70% full for dinner? How full is 70% full? This article will teach you how to eat dinner properly...

Why should we eat until we are 70% full for dinner?

Food is the most important thing for people. As human beings have evolved to this day, although everyone knows that a reasonable diet is to maintain a balance between energy intake and energy expenditure, the physiological characteristics of the human appetite regulation system that tends to eat more has not changed due to changes in labor and survival patterns. The food modern people consume is becoming more and more refined, the energy intake is getting higher and higher, and the physical energy expenditure is gradually decreasing.

Since the beginning of the last century, several American biologists have conducted experiments on mice and concluded that mice that consume a nutritionally complete food but with 25-60% fewer calories have a reduced risk of chronic diseases and a longer lifespan.

Over the past century, more and more experiments have shown that mice and primates with restricted calorie diets not only live longer, but also appear healthier. Although such experiments are difficult to conduct on humans, many scientists have used some indirect evidence to show that restricted calorie diets may have a positive effect on the human body, and that even if restricted calorie diets cannot extend life, they can delay aging and be beneficial to health.

All of the above further verifies the health proverb "Eat 70% full at each meal, and you will live a healthy life until old age."

It can be seen from this that in today's society where overweight and obesity have become a threat to human health and longevity, it is particularly necessary to advocate a balance between eating and exercise and promote the concept of eating until 70% full.

What is the exact degree of being 70% full?

The so-called feeling of fullness means that after we have eaten enough food during the meal, the brain receives and feeds back information, which reduces our enthusiasm for eating, thereby limiting the amount of food we eat and no longer continuing to eat.

If we rate the feeling of fullness on a scale of 10, let's take a look at the state of the human body.

Half full: in a state of dizziness and hunger, like the starting gun for eating, it is a state that promotes appetite;

Very full: a state in which a series of nutrient metabolites produce a "stop" signal to suppress appetite after eating enough;

70% full: This is a state where you are full and can eat a few more bites, or not eat. You can think of it as the state before you can finish the fruit and dessert after the meal.

From this we can see that because we are sensitive to and difficult to overcome the feeling of hunger that prompts us to eat, and the contrasting feeling of fullness that makes us stop eating is always delayed and enjoyable, it is not easy for many people to follow the habit of eating 70% full for a long time.

What is the best time for dinner?

For a healthy adult, it takes 4-6 hours during the day to consume 70% of the energy intake. At night, because the body's metabolism slows down during sleep and energy demand also decreases, it takes more than 12 hours to consume it.

From this we can infer that if you eat dinner too late, you will cause insufficient consumption, which will affect your appetite and food intake for breakfast the next day; if you eat too early or don’t eat at all, you may wake up hungry in the middle of the night.

Therefore, in order to ensure that the energy intake and expenditure of dinner are equal, it is best to finish dinner 2 hours before going to bed.

How to have a healthy dinner?

The feeling of hunger is actually a physiological reaction to the need to eat caused by the emptying of the stomach stimulating the central nervous system. It is also a psychological reaction of the urge to obtain food and the unpleasant feeling of the urgent need to satisfy it.

If you are still hungry after eating 70% full at dinner, you can drink some water or eat some low-calorie fruits (such as cherries, strawberries, pineapples, etc.). You can also try to divert your attention by reading a book, doing a job you like, or doing handicrafts.

In fact, the feeling of hunger before going to bed can be prevented to a certain extent during dinner.

It is easy to feel hungry if you are 70% full at dinner, mostly because you eat too little or too light dinner.

In a healthy state, the energy intake of dinner should account for about 30% of the whole day, and the nutrients should also meet the physiological needs of the human body. If the energy of dinner is too low and the nutrient content is unreasonable, it will lead to fatigue and emotional disorders the next day, and even lead to certain physiological function decline, malnutrition, decreased immunity, amenorrhea and other problems.

Dinner intake requires not only balanced energy, but also important nutrients. It should contain at least three types of food:

(1) Whole grains, beans and potatoes: Note that whole grains should not account for more than one-third of the staple food for the elderly;

(2) Fruits and vegetables: Vegetables: choose dark-colored ones as much as possible, and fruits should be low in sugar. Do not drink fruit juice or beverages.

(3) Appropriate amounts of fish, poultry, lean meat, soybeans and their products that are rich in high-quality protein.

A healthy dinner should also adhere to the principles of food diversity and low fat and salt, increase foods rich in dietary fiber and mixed meals with animals and plants to achieve more comprehensive nutrition, not increase the burden on internal organs and prolong the feeling of fullness.

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