I Changed My Dinner Time, Not My Minnesota Hotdish

For a Minnesotan who starts the day at 4 a.m., figuring out the "right" time for dinner can be a little complicated for me, and growing up on hotdish as a quick meal, I wonder...

So...is there a 'RIGHT TIME' to eat dinner?

BUSY PEOPLE

We all have different schedules. Some people are home and sitting down to dinner at 5:30 pm. Others are just getting off work at that time. Parents are running kids to practices, people are working second jobs, and sometimes dinner doesn't happen until 8 or 9 at night.

But according to health experts, the clock may play more of a role in our health than we realize.

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IS A MINNESOTA HOTDISH GOOD FOR DINNER?

That doesn't necessarily mean we have to throw away the Minnesota hotdish recipe or swear off comfort food forever. It may simply mean paying attention to WHEN we eat it, and how much of it we're eating.

EARLIER MAY BE BETTER - IF YOU CAN

Experts generally recommend finishing dinner about two to three hours before going to bed. So for me, dinnertime should be at about 7:30 pm. What about you?

The reason has to do with the way our bodies handle food later in the day. Research suggests that as the evening goes on, our bodies may become less efficient at processing blood sugar and fats.

Eating a large meal shortly before crawling into bed can also interfere with sleep and may leave us feeling hungry again the next day. For me, it's heartburn! Since I've been eating earlier, that problem has left the building, which means I've been getting better sleep throughout the night. What a relief.

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CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR BMI?

Could eating right before bed be the reason you can't lose weight? Possibly. One study involving thousands of adults found that people who regularly ate later in the evening were more likely to have a higher BMI.

SAME MEAL...DIFFERENT TIME

Other research has compared eating the same meal at different times. Participants who ate later had higher blood sugar and triglyceride levels than when they ate that same meal earlier in the evening.

Of course, dinner time isn't the only thing that matters. What we eat is still incredibly important.

SO WHAT ABOUT MINNESOTA HOTDISH

Good news, Minnesota. Comfort food can still have a place at the dinner table.

A healthier dinner doesn't have to mean a plain chicken breast and a sad little piece of lettuce every night. Our favorite hotdish can fit into a balanced way of eating with a few adjustments. My three bean and hamburger casserole? High in protein! I just have to limit how much of it I eat; and I LOVE IT!

HOW TO MAKE YOUR HOTDISH HEALTHIER

Could you add more vegetables? Use leaner meat? Add beans for fiber and protein? Serve a smaller portion of the hotdish alongside a big salad or some steamed vegetables? I refuse to give up my hotdish. I think it's a brilliant way to get more healthy foods in all at once.

The keys to a healthy hotdish? Protein, vegetables, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbohydrates. We can easily do this. It's all about portion control for me.

You don't necessarily have to stop eating the foods you love. You may just want to rethink the ingredients and portion sizes.

YOUR SCHEDULE STILL MATTERS

If you work late or have a schedule that makes an early dinner impossible, experts suggest looking at how your food is spread throughout the day. Eating more of your calories earlier and avoiding one huge meal late at night may be helpful.

I've recently lost weight that I haven't been able to lose for several years, and I think the key for me is eating a late breakfast, an early dinner, and portion control.

MY EATING SCHEDULE

I'm up at 4 am, but my breakfast usually happens around 10 am. My last meal is at 7:30 pm, and if I wake up and need a midnight snack, I usually try to make it a 1/2 glass of almond milk and then go straight back to bed. Otherwise, I always have a few fresh blueberries or strawberries handy, and a little dollop of coconut whip, or homemade whipped cream, hits the spot with low calories and some natural sugars.

BEING HUNGRY DOESN'T HAVE TO MEAN PIGGING OUT

If you find yourself genuinely hungry before bed, a small snack may make more sense than going to bed starving, according to the article I read. Something simple like fruit, nuts, or another light snack may help hold you over until morning.

THERE IS NO MAGIC BULLET

The biggest takeaway may be that there isn't one magic dinner hour that works for everyone, but giving yourself a couple of hours between dinner and bedtime could be worth trying. Enjoy that hotdish. Just remember not to eat TOO MUCH of it at one time.