Want to lose weight without frustration? Then skipping dinner is out of the question! In fact, eating a light, balanced meal in the evening will help you lose weight while promoting satiety. But you still need to know a few basic rules of nutrition to prepare it properly. What are the best ways to compose your evening menu? What foods should you choose to create a truly slimming dinner? What foods should you avoid in the evening? We answer all your questions and suggest 7 balanced evening menus to help you achieve your slimming goals.
Above all, it’s a question of metabolism. More specifically, the human body is never at rest. Even during periods of sleep, it performs many necessary tasks, including :
cell regeneration;
maintaining hormonal balance;
elimination of toxins, etc.
All this requires energy, which pushes the body to burn calories during the night. This is where eating a light, low-calorie, well-balanced evening meal comes into its own: it’s essential for keeping blood sugar levels stable, which helps burn stored fat.
On the other hand, an excessively rich dinner is more likely to store them… Does this mean we should prepare a 100% sugar- and fat-free evening meal? Of course not! There’s no need to be so restrictive. It’s all a question of moderation, as we’ll see in the rest of this article.
Choosing foods with a low glycemic index is the key to a successful slimming dinner. As a reminder, the glycemic index, or GI, corresponds to the speed at which a food causes a rise in blood sugar levels. Unfortunately, when blood sugar levels rise rapidly, the body secretes a hormone called insulin, which encourages fat storage… Hence the importance of choosing foods with a low GI (between 35 and 50), or even very low GI (below 20) for your evening slimming menu.
Gone, then, are the cream desserts, cakes and other “sweets” overloaded with added sugar found in the shops. The good news is that, despite their natural content, many fruits have a sufficiently low GI to merit a place in your slimming dinner. These include apples, pears, oranges and strawberries!
Good to know too
When it comes to the glycemic index, there are many “false friends”. In other words, foods with a high GI that don’t even taste sweet. This is particularly true of products made with refined wheat flour. Refined wheat flour has a GI of 85, which is really high (for information, a GI is considered high at 70).
Another factor to consider: the way you prepare your food can also change its GI. A concrete example: when raw, the GI of carrots is around 35, which is very good. But once cooked, their GI can rise to 85, depending on the cooking method… Bear in mind that gentle steaming greatly limits the rise in glycemic index.
In short, knowing the true GI of a preparation is a real art. To avoid blunders, you may want to use applications. Most of them are designed for diabetics, but they’re also interesting for people who “just” want to assess the GI of their dishes. If you’re interested, Santé Magazine offers a list of applications for controlling blood sugar levels, with commentary by a diabetologist. Many of them are free.
There’s nothing like a heavy meal to slow down your digestion and disrupt your sleep. And lack of regular sleep is very bad for your health.
The result? You risk waking up hungry and craving more during the day, on top of everything else. That’s why lack of sleep is considered a risk factor for overweight andexcess visceral fat, which in turn are risk factors for cancer, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. So avoid excessive portions in the evening… Conversely, a light dinner promotes restful sleep and a feeling of satiety. Great when you’re trying to lose weight!
Bonus tip: don’t eat too late to lose weight
Did you know? According to a Harvard publication entitled “Late-Night Eating Impact”, eating late at night is associated with obesity. The cause? A disturbance in the production of the satiety hormone. The same phenomenon is observed when we also eat shortly before bedtime. To lose weight more easily, the ideal is to eat as early as possible, at least 2 to 3 hours before going to bed.
What if you skipped dinner altogether to lose weight faster? It’s a tempting idea, but it’s completely counterproductive. In fact, skipping the evening meal encourages multiple awakenings and nocturnal cravings. To top it all, it can also slow down your metabolism, which encourages fat storage… So it’s better to eat a light dinner, rather than no dinner at all, to promote weight loss.
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To concoct a good slimming dinner, bet on :
vegetables (e.g. broccoli, carrots, green beans, spinach, tomatoes, lettuce), ideally raw or gently steamed. Rich in fiber, they promote digestion and a feeling of fullness;
wholegrain cereals (e.g. brown rice, quinoa, wholemeal bread), which quickly quench the appetite;
white meats (e.g. skinless turkey and chicken, veal), eggs, fatty fish (e.g. salmon and sardines, for their good-fat content) and lean fish (e.g. hake, cod, whiting)… Or their vegetable equivalents (e.g. tofu). As important sources of protein, these foods will help you maintain your muscle mass, while also promoting a feeling of satiety;
low-GI fruits (e.g. strawberries, apples), for their fiber and vitamin content.
But you can also indulge in plain yoghurt or even a small piece of dark chocolate, containing at least 70% cocoa. Also consider vegetable oils rich in “good fats” (omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids) to season your dishes, such as olive oil or linseed oil, for example.
Don’t hesitate to take inspiration from our top 20 weight-loss foods.
In general, it’s best to avoid all commercially prepared foods (e.g. ketchup and other sauces, ready-made meals, commercial fruit juices, alcohol, soft drinks, burgers, pizzas and other fast-food products, etc.). To promote weight loss, also avoid :
heavy dishes, such as fried foods;
red meats and charcuterie;
ice creams, cakes and other sweets.
You should also be careful with certain fruits. For example, the GI of a ripe banana can be as high as 55. But that’s nothing compared to the score of a cooked plantain: 70 on the counter, all the same.
To be avoided: no. Consume in moderation: yes. You also need to choose them wisely. Specifically, it’s best to :
avoid all refined cereal-based products for dinner. In other words, cereals stripped of their husks (rich in fiber) and their germ (which normally contains most of the vitamins and trace elements of interest). They have a fairly high GI, for very little nutritional benefit. Examples of products to avoid: white rice, bread made with white flour, “classic” pasta, etc. ;
prefer wholegrain cereals. They have a lower GI and contain many more interesting nutrients. Like wholegrain bread, wholegrain rice, wholegrain bulgur, etc.
Sweet potatoes are also preferable to potatoes: their GI is lower. The right portion of starches in the evening? No more than 100 to 120 grams, if possible. This should fill you up without weighing down your stomach too much.
Preparation time :
Ingredients: 15 min
Slimming benefits: Rich in protein and fibre, low GI, satiating and easily digestible.
Preparation time: 20 min
Ingredients:
Broccoli, green beans, zucchini (steamed or sautéed in coconut oil, for its very low GI)
1 soft-boiled egg
Spices: turmeric, garlic, pepper
Slimming benefits: Low in calories, rich in fibre, protein and antioxidants.
Preparation time: 25 min
Ingredients:
1 zucchini, 1 leek, 1/2 onion, fresh ginger
Salt-free vegetable broth
1 teaspoon linseed oil (added after cooking, as it can break down at high temperatures)
Slimming benefits: Draining, satiating and ideal for a light evening meal.
Preparation time: 25 min
Ingredients:
Slimming benefits: Draining, satiating and ideal for a light evening meal.
Preparation time: 15min
Ingredients:
2 eggs, parsley, chives, garlic, sliced mushrooms
1 tsp. olive oil
Slimming benefits: Rich in proteins and micronutrients, low in carbohydrates.
Preparation time: 10 min
Ingredients:
1/2 avocado, 1/2 cucumber, 6 shrimp
Lemon juice, dill, plain 0% yoghurt for binding
Slimming benefits: Fresh, nourishing, satiating without weighing down digestion.
Preparation time: 30 min
Ingredients:
Quinoa (50 g, ideally cooked al dente to avoid raising its GI), steamed sweet potato (GI around 45 vs. 95 for oven-roasted sweet potato), grated carrots, grilled tofu
Light yogurt sauce + lemon + mustard
Slimming benefits: Provides good carbohydrates, vegetable protein and fiber.
In addition to good eating habits, we remind you that it is also important to :
eat slowly to lose weight. On the one hand, taking the time to chew properly facilitates digestion and absorption of nutrients by the body. On the other hand, it also helps you feel full more quickly;
Whenever possible, use gentle cooking methods (e.g. steaming, boiling). This preserves valuable nutrients and limits the GI explosion of many foods. Not to mention the fact that it avoids adding more fat than necessary;
keep sufficiently hydrated, preferring still water (carbonated water can cause gas to swell your belly) or even herbal teas. As a guideline, Anses recommends that adults drink at least 1.5 to 2 liters of water a day. But depending on your state of health and/or your level of physical activity, you may need to drink more or less water. If in doubt, ask your doctor for advice.
Finally, we can’t stress this enough: healthy eating habits must always go hand in hand with regular physical activity. This promotes fat burning, while preserving your muscle mass. Looking for inspiration? Then take a look at our selection of belly-burning exercises.
That said, if you prefer the gentle method, you can also consider losing weight by walking !
