Should we avoid eating starchy foods in the evening?

If starchy foods satiate and provide energy, they should be prohibited at sunset when you do not want to gain weight. Only two problems arise. First of all, we have not found anything faster to prepare a plate of pasta after a day of work, then, without a piece of bread, the salad is less heavy, but very sad. So starched or not starchy foods for dinner?

Also readWhy does the belly get bigger with age?

Essential for satiety

As a reminder: bread, cereals (rice, wheat, barley, oats, rye, etc.) and legumes (lentils, beans, chickpeas, dry beans, etc.) are part of the starch family. These foods provide complex sugars that are slowly assimilated by the body and give the energy it needs. In the evening, this energy will turn into fat if it is not spent. “Yes, we look at it if we eat a lot, but the complete elimination is not a good idea either,” comments the nutritionist Corinne Chicheportiche-Ayache. According to the practitioner, the satiety effect provided by starchy foods should be considered, even with a weight loss goal.

“You have to have it at every meal. In the evening, if the person is sedentary, I advise you to always have two slices of wholemeal bread to avoid having cravings and rushing towards cheese or chocolate mousse at the end of dinner because you are not full”, the doctor emphasizes. And be careful with rice or pasta dishes, “the problem is not so much the pasta as the amount we ingest and what we put in it”, he explains.

Also read“F-GOALS”: here is the list of essential ingredients for intestinal health according to a gastroenterologist

Do it according to your physical activity

In the absence of physical activity, it is preferable, according to the nutritionist, to have a good intake of starchy food at lunch so as not to be too hungry in the evening. “If we settle for a raw vegetable salad at lunchtime, we inevitably want to eat a piece of bread or a risotto in the evening instead of broccoli,” he warns.

For those who exercise after work, starchy foods are essential because they provide the energy the body needs to replenish its reserves. “They can therefore eat four to five spoons of pasta or brown rice,” advises the nutritionist.

Also readCan you eat cheese with every meal?

Prefer whole starchy foods

Athletes or non-athletes, whole starchy foods are preferred at all meals because of their low glycemic index. The lower the latter, the longer the body takes to digest it, the slower the blood sugar level. We feel fuller longer, and therefore without the desire to snack.

Finally, among the foods to avoid in the evening, Corinne Chicheportiche-Ayache lists potatoes and white rice. “Vinegar rice in sushi, for example, has too high a glycemic index,” he emphasizes. Prefer dry vegetables, such as beans or lentils, as long as they mix them with vegetables so as not to consume large amounts.