The New Healthy Eating Guide - Who Says No Carbs After 6 PM?

So where did the idea of an evening curfew on eating carbohydrates come from? Any traditional notion of a healthy eating guide has banned night time consumption of foods like potatoes, pasta and bread. These are the foods which are supposed to do nasty things to our bodies overnight, producing loads of sugar and fat resulting in weight gain.

The "no late night carbs" weight loss advice has been around as part of a healthy eating guide for quite a few years now and is regularly quoted by many so called "experts". There are slight variations as to the exact time that carbohydrates should no longer enter the mouth, ranging from 5pm to 7pm, or even later for some night owl promoters of the theory.

However, the time of carbohydrates consumption is completely irrelevant as scientific evidence proves that the carbs assertion is a complete myth. Instead, the critical aspect of weight loss is the balance between calories consumed and calories burned throughout the day. Simply put, when you eat more than you burn off, you will gain weight, period. However, the type of food you eat and when you eat it makes no difference at all to weight loss.

The overall daily consumption of calories and how they are used up is more important than what portion of the calorie intake occurs at night. Furthermore, the calories do not have to come from carbohydrates to be considered a problem as evening consumption of protein, fat or even alcohol will have the same result.

Some people argue that consuming most of your daily food intake in the evening will contribute to weight gain because we are generally less physically active at this time of the day. However, research has again shown the time of day the food is eaten is irrelevant - it still comes down to the total calories consumed during our waking hours.

The final aspect of the healthy eating guide relates to the benefits of eating six small meals a day versus three larger meals a day. Once again, studies comparing the two styles of eating have found it makes no difference although eating more frequently is probably better for weight loss as we tend to make more rational decisions about what to eat when we are not starving hungry.

While the calorie aspect of food consumption is important for weight loss, the type of foods we eat to comprise our daily calorie intake play a huge role in our health and general well being. A healthy eating guide will include the correct mix of natural food types to ensure a well balanced diet.

It is well known that a lean and healthy body goes hand in hand with a strong and active mind. P G King writes about health and fitness matters, mindful of the need to have fun while enjoying proper foods and exercise.