When to Eat Last Meal of the Day - Facts and Myths

One of the well known fact of being healthy is proper meal times and food that you eat. But these facts also carry myths along with them. You might have heard people saying that there is certain meals that you should eat in the evening and certain meals that you should avoid. You might also have heard that are certain times to eat your dinner and if you fail to do that, then you are destined for diet fail.

Well, to tell truth, people hear something, understand something else and spread something else entirely. This post is to especially made to make myths and facts clear about evening, dinner and sleep.

Consider two situations 

Situation 1: People mostly eat their dinner (or supper) and go to bed within an hour or two.
Situation 2: Those who stay for three to five hours after their last meal and then sleep.

If we consider situation 1, and go to bed directly within an hour after your last supper, your body will not burn enough food and will start accumulating as fat.
If we consider situation 2, and you stay late at night, most of your food is been consumed and the next meal you have will be after nine hours if you consider sleeping for even six hours after you take your dinner and stay awake for three hours (3+6 = 9 hours) and can extend to eleven to twelve hours depending on your sleeping time.
This means your body is starving and is in slow mode causing it to store fat, completely undoing all your hard work.

The myth about dinner TIME is not true at all. You can eat your last meal of the day any time you want. The important part is when you sleep. The truth is time between when you eat and when you fall asleep that is important to keep you healthy. Body needs to have enough calorie to get you a good sleep and also need to burn enough calories so that you don't store fat.

So, the question that comes is what is the perfect evening routine?

Simply follow these steps:

• Have your dinner at defined time daily to keep body clock balanced and maintained. A day or two can be exception, but if you are doing it on regular basis, you are in health danger zone
• Try to keep difference of two hours (average) between your last meal of the day and your sleeping time.
• Include protein heavy and be light on crabs and fat
• Avoid sugar, red meat, fizzy drinks
• Eat breakfast! (Read: 5 Reasons not to Skip your Breakfast) This is the first thing that you'll need to restore energy.

Follow these and you have a healthy evening.

10 Ways to Increase Metabolism

Proper metabolism helps you to stay healthy, disease free and lose weight (if you are fat) and proper energy release. A healthy metabolism system is one of those things in your system that you cannot ignore, no matter how healthy you eat or what exercises you do. Here are the simple ways to boost your metabolism and stay healthy and fit

1. Eat smaller meals: Meals are steady source of energy and you should take it more frequently and in smaller amount rather than less frequently and heavier meals.

2. Add spices: Spices help to increase metabolism ten to twenty times faster. Add spices to your meals and start raise your metabolic rate.

3. Drink Water: At least 8 glasses of water depending on your daily activity is must for better metabolism rate. Cold water helps to burn more calories than warm water as more energy is required to convert cold water to hot water.

4. Sleep enough: Depriving sleep can lead to overeating, change in metabolic rate and other related effects. Seven to nine hours of sleep depending on your day and activity can help you to increase metabolism rate.

5. Have Breakfast: Even to start metabolism in your body, small energy is required after a long break between two meals. Eating breakfast can help to give your body those required calories and start your beautiful morning.

6. Have breakfast like a king lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. This will help to make your body adaptable to your activity and allocate the optimum food according to your activity level.

7. Small Exercises: Just like small meals, small exercises can help to increase metabolism rate in your body. (Read: Workout Tips You Should Know)

8. No Sugar: If spices help to increase metabolism, sugar switch that to fat storage mode. Try to take only the required amount in your diet and avoid adding extra just because you like eating sweet

9. Try Herbs: You need to some research before trying some herbs. Depending on your body, herbs can help as well as harm your body. Proper quantity, time, duration between two doses is as essential as the herb itself. Consult a doctor if you are not sure about the herb.

10. Don't Starve: You can go on fasting mode once a week or once every month, but that does not mean you can starve. Lowering down below 1,000 calories can be starvation and will hamper your metabolism.

Changing your metabolism rate can be beneficial if done in proper way. If you are not sure about what you are doing and if you are doing it correct, consult your doctor before starting.

What is Fiber and Why is Fiber Important in Our Diet

The question that many people ask is what is fiber and what importance does it play for us to keep healthy?

The definition of fiber goes like this - It is an essential carbohydrate that cannot be digested by the human body. Fibers are found only in walls of plant cell.

So, the question that arises is of this carbohydrate is not digested, then why is it necessary in our diet?

The function of fiber depends on type of fiber we take in our diet.
The insoluble fiber passes through mouth till large intestine unchanged. This helps in growth of bacteria which makes waste material soft and bulky and helps to pass through large intestine more quickly. Insoluble fire also fights constipation by making stool pass more easily and quickly.

Soluble fiber helps in reducing level of cholesterol in the blood. It also help to slow down digestion and sudden release of energy. In layman's term, blood sugar level are maintained, energy and glucose are released slowly and keeps you energize for longer time.

So the right question now to ask is what are the sources?
The sources of insoluble fiber are breads, brown rice, vegetables, edible peels of fruit, whole grain cereals, nuts and seeds. The sources of soluble fiber are refined cereals and white bread, animal and dairy products, white bread and fast food.

How much fiber should I take?
Depending on your bowl moments, energy levels, daily activity, the intake can differ from person to person. Less intake or excess of intake can hamper your body and weight. Eating foods that are high in fiber will help keep you feeling fuller for longer. This may help you if you are trying to lose weight.