Your morning cravings may start the night before: Here’s how dinner timing can influence what you want to eat

If you wake up craving some or other thing every morning, it’s time you watch your dinner timings from last night.

A lot of people nowadays finish their dinner late at night and just after that they go to sleep. The next morning, they wonder why they are craving something sweet. Tea and biscuits suddenly sound more appealing. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Eshanka Wahi, a Dubai- and Delhi-based culinary nutrition and holistic wellness coach and founder of Eat Clean With Eshanka, revealed how your dinner timings can impact the early morning cravings.

Can dinner timing shape the mornings?

Eshanka Wahi highlighted that dinner timing can absolutely shape how you feel the next morning, though. It’s not only about the time of having dinner but also what you ate, how much, and when you went to sleep after eating.

“When someone tells me they're waking up starving or craving sugar every single morning, I don't just ask about breakfast. I ask about dinner. And I ask about sleep,” said Eshanka.

It’s not only about the time of having dinner but also what you ate, how much, and when you went to sleep after eating. (Pexel)

A late dinner isn't automatically a bad one. “I'm not a fan of rules like "never eat after 8pm" that just don't work for most people's lives. You've got late meetings, travel, family dinners that run long. Eating late once in a while isn't going to wreck your health,” added Wahi.

What actually catches attention is when late, heavy dinners become the norm, especially when there's barely any gap between eating and sleeping. A big meal at 10:30 pm followed by lights out soon after tends to leave you feeling different the next morning than a lighter, earlier dinner would.

What you eat matters too

According to Eshanka, what's actually on the plate matters too. Most Indian dinners have roti or rice with barely any protein or fibre. People try to fix cravings by removing carbohydrates, but that’s not the solution to fix this. It's about building the meal. Try to add dal, paneer, tofu, eggs, fish, curd and vegetables in your dinner. It's about balance, not elimination.

What you do the next morning matters too

You had a heavy dinner because it was a celebration. The next morning guilt comes over, and you decide to skip breakfast to balance it. But this does not help that much. You think that because of one heavy meal, you don't need to punish your body by starving it the next day. If you are hungry, then try to consume something like moong dal chilla with curd, vegetable poha with peanuts, eggs, or oats. Any of these will set you up better than just tea and biscuits.

What's actually on the plate matters too. (Unsplash)

And if you are not hungry right after waking up, then don't force your body for the big meal either. Just listen to your body and get back accordingly.

Sleep matters too

According to Eshanka, late dinners usually come attached to late nights. When you're eating late, sleeping late, and not sleeping well, your morning hunger and cravings are probably being shaped by the whole routine, not just the meal.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.