Drinking only porridge for dinner can aid weight loss. Many people skip dinner to diet, but this can harm the body and lead to late-night cravings that are hard to resist. Therefore, having porridge in the evening is a good alternative.
Eating only porridge for dinner can indeed aid weight loss, as porridge contains minimal calories. However, it's important to note that dinner takes approximately five hours to fully digest. Over time, these excess calories can accumulate as subcutaneous fat, leading to weight gain. Therefore, remember to strictly avoid eating after 9 PM.
Porridge's primary nutrients are carbohydrates, and it's in liquid form. Research shows that when ghrelin levels rise in the stomach, hunger pangs kick in, triggering intense appetite. Nutrients like sugar and protein suppress ghrelin, creating a feeling of fullness. Compared to protein, sugar has a weaker ability to inhibit ghrelin.If you skip protein in a meal and consume only high-carbohydrate foods, you'll feel hungry quickly. In other words, drinking porridge alone will leave you hungry soon after dinner. When hungry, people crave high-fat, high-sugar foods more intensely, which can easily lead to weight gain. Therefore, porridge should never be consumed alone at night; it must be paired with protein-rich and fiber-dense foods.
Five Recommended Weight-Loss Porridges for Dinner
Mung Bean, Job's Tears, and Euryale Seed Porridge
Ingredients: Mung beans, Job's tears, Euryale seeds
Method: Rinse mung beans and Job's tears, then soak in water for 2 hours.Place mung beans and Job's tears in a pot and simmer over low heat until tender. Add water chestnuts near the end of cooking. If desired, sweeten with sugar or honey to taste.
Oatmeal and Red Date Porridge
Ingredients: Oats, rice, red dates
Method: Rinse oats and rice, soak in water for 30 minutes. Pit the red dates. Bring water to a boil in a pot, then add oats, rice, and red dates. This not only saves cooking time but also prevents sticking.Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer on low for 30 minutes. Near the end of cooking, stir continuously in one direction with a spoon to thicken the porridge.Wash and peel the yam, then cut into chunks. Pour the soaking water and grains into the pot. Add the yam chunks, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer. Once the porridge thickens, turn off the heat. This takes about an hour and a half.
Red Bean and Job's Tears Porridge
Ingredients: Red beans, Job's tears, water, rock sugar
Method:For red bean and job's tears porridge, prepare equal parts red beans and job's tears. Rinse thoroughly. Soak red beans for 2-3 hours; job's tears require only 1 hour. Begin by cooking the red beans first, as they take longer. Bring to a boil, then add cold water. Once boiling again, add more cold water. This method helps the beans split open, cook faster, and reportedly enhances their aroma.Once the red beans have split open, add the barley. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer until thick and sticky. Finally, add rock sugar to taste.
Corn Porridge
Ingredients: Corn, rice
Method: Rinse an appropriate amount of rice. Remove the corn kernels from the cob and wash them. Place the corn and rice in a pot, then add an appropriate amount of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes.
Dinner Weight Loss Principle: Eat until 70% full.
Dinner Weight Loss Principles
Eat Until 70% Full
70% fullness should feel like this: your stomach isn't yet full, but your enthusiasm for food has waned, and your eating pace has noticeably slowed—though you may still habitually want to eat more. If the food is removed and the topic changed, you'll quickly forget about eating.When you reach 70% fullness, promptly put down your chopsticks and leave the table to avoid overeating. Use smaller plates and bowls for dinner to help control portion sizes. Avoid eating while watching TV, as distractions often lead to overeating.
Opt for Lightness
Avoid heavy, greasy, or high-fat meals for dinner; instead, prioritize light flavors. Many office workers skip proper meals during the day and try to compensate by eating more at night, which is even worse for health. Dinner should include a small portion of grains, supplemented with vegetables and fruits. Clear congee with simple side dishes makes an excellent choice; small amounts of meat are acceptable, but lean options like fish or poultry are preferable.
Nutritional Supplementation
Dinner offers an ideal opportunity to address nutritional gaps from the day. For instance, if whole grains were missing from breakfast and lunch, steam sweet potatoes or pumpkin, or have a bowl of multigrain porridge in the evening. If you fell short of the recommended 500 grams of vegetables, increase your intake of greens at dinner. If soy products were absent during the day, supplement them appropriately in the evening... Remember, moderation is key—avoid excessive consumption.
Avoid Late Dinners
While ancient wisdom advised against eating after noon, modern schedules suggest having dinner between 5 and 7 PM. Maintain consistent meal times daily.Eating too late burdens digestion and disrupts sleep quality. If overtime is unavoidable, eat dinner first or snack on crackers/pastries during work to avoid overeating later.
Limit social engagements
Chinese people often entertain guests in the evening. If you cannot decline, take a small portion of each dish onto your plate when it's served and stop taking more after finishing your portion. Alternatively, put down your chopsticks halfway through the meal to help control your intake.Internationally, more people are scheduling social gatherings and dinners during lunchtime, returning home for evening meals. This practice not only strengthens family bonds but also promotes health—a trend worth encouraging.