Written By: Tania Tarafdar | Updated : February 2, 2016 10:33 AM IST
When you are on a weight loss plan, every calorie will count. The last meal of the day is very crucial in helping you drop pounds but that doesn't mean that you should stick to salad. You need to eat enough food to stave off hunger and select low-calorie foods at the same time. Well-known nutritionist Prema Kodicaltells you what you should have for dinner to lose weight.
Calories
Aim for a range between 200-300kcal for dinner. Of your total calorie intake, you should consume the least at night. On an average, you should consume 1200 to 1600 Kcals/day based on your lifestyle, age, and activity level. So if you consume 1200 cal/day, the calories have to be divided in descending order from morning to night.
Carbohydrates
Do you fear eating carbs at night because you won't have time to burn them off? You can consume carbs in the night as long as you are sticking to your total calorie intake for the day. Have fibrous carbohydrates in the form of vegetable soup, salad, or steamed veggies.
Fat
Keep the fats you consume for dinner to the minimum. The total amount of fat for the day should not exceed 2-3 tsp oil. For your dinner stick to tsp oil. Go for monounsaturated fats or MUFA like olive oil, canola oil, rice bran or groundnut oil, fish oils or flaxseed oil.
Fibre
To reach the recommended daily total of 25g of fibre have at least 8 g in the night. Your diet should include both soluble and insoluble fibre. Whole grains, starchy veggies, beans, nuts and seeds are good sources of fibre. High fibre foods are good for weight loss. They increase metabolism and also ensure the feeling of fullness for a longer time.
Sugar
Try and avoid consuming sugar in the dinnertime as it will easily get stored as fat. When it comes to added sugar, do not exceed more than 4g - that is about one teaspoon of any sweetener used in dressing and sauces.
Dinner timing
Ideally, you should have your dinner 2-3 hours after your evening snack. To lose weight, you should preferably have dinner at 8 pm and go early to bed by about 10.30 pm.
Dinner mistakes to avoid
Sample meal plan for a perfect dinner
A bowl of soup/steamed veggies/raw salad + 1 phulka + sabzi + low-fat paneer or grilled chicken/fish
Follow these diet tips for dinner to start seeing results quickly.
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Disclaimer text TheHealthSite.com does not guarantee any weight loss through this method as the results may vary from person to person. We recommend you consult your nutritionist and physician before following any of the tips suggested here.
