Gym, going for a run, avoiding sweets, and watching excesses are usually the most common initiatives taken to reach the desired weight goal.
Although exercise is important to help lose body fat, caloric deficit that we achieve through a healthy diet is the most important factor in weight loss.
That is why a light dinner, besides helping us fall asleep by not overloading the digestive system before sleeping, is also a perfect way to control the amount of calories consumed throughout the day without feeling hungry.
Ideas for quick and healthy dinners for the whole family
Whether to lose weight, control body fat, improve our nighttime digestion, or sleep quality, healthy dinners for the whole family are a very beneficial habit if done correctly and balanced.
Ideally, you should have dinner early, with a margin of two or three hours before sleeping to allow our digestive system to work while we are still awake, and thus fall asleep better when it's time to go to bed.
Here we bring you a selection of the best recipes for a healthy and quick dinner for the whole family. Oh! And we also invite you to discover foods with plant protein for your diet perfect for helping to repair and protect the cells of your body.
Soups and broths
Whether hot to warm up on winter nights, or cold recipes for summer like the classic gazpacho, soups are a perfect resource for a light dinner.
Having a high water content, they hydrate us as well as being quite filling. In the case of cold soups, which are usually pureed vegetables and other ingredients, their nutritional contribution is ideal for a light and complete dinner.
If you choose to add pasta to your hot soup, keep in mind that carbohydrates at night are not highly recommended, and as a light dinner it might not be the best option.
Winter salads
The drawback of winter compared to vegetables is that the seasonal offer is much more limited. However, with a bit of imagination and ingenuity, we can prepare surprisingly delicious, complete salads for our light dinners in just a few minutes.
Endive is at its best during January, making it a good candidate as a base for our winter salad. Also oranges, the quintessential winter fruit that will add a citrus touch to our dinner.
A salad of grilled chicken, broccoli, and orange or an escarole one with caramelized pears and goat cheese can be a great choice.
Summer salads
If summer is just around the corner and you want to start preparing, we are going to suggest some ideas for your light and healthy dinners.
For example, strawberries that start to arrive at the beginning of spring are an excellent ingredient to give a sweet and sour touch at the same time to your salad.
Lettuce is also in season, although it is not the most recommended for dinner as it can cause gas and heavy digestion during the night. As a substitute, we suggest watercress or spinach, which besides being a much more digestible base for your light dinners, provide many nutrients such as iron or vitamins A and C.
Creams
Of course, a collection of light dinners is not complete without creams: a very appealing resource to eat at night, which can provide us with a multitude of nutrients, in addition to to facilitate digestion during the night.
Although a cream can be made with almost any ingredient you can imagine, as a light and quick dinner we will always recommend vegetables as a basic element for your cream.
If your goal is to lose weight, avoid those with high carbohydrate loads, such as potato or sweet potato. Also pay special attention to what you add to the cream, since the butter or cheeses can make it feel heavy and add more calories than necessary.
Stir-fries
It is a warm alternative to salads, thanks to which we can consume foods from all groups, such as proteins or carbohydrates, all in one dish.
Stir-fries of chicken with vegetables are a very good option as light and balanced dinner. Also tuna with various vegetables like pepper, carrot, or onion. In both cases, a splash of soy sauce will give it a delicious flavor.
The primary recommendation for a good stir-fry, healthy, balanced, and light, is to opt for seasonal products and choose a dressing and spices that harmonize the flavors and give the dish a special touch.
Although ideally you prepare the stir-fry yourself with your own ingredients, you should know that the frozen stir-fries are another quite affordable option that will help you save time and always have a light and healthy dinner on hand.
Other recommendations for healthy dinners
Although often overlooked, dinner is a very important meal, especially if you have a weight loss goal in mind. Here are other recommendations to make your dinners much healthier from now on. And if you want, you can take a look at this post from types of diets to choose those that best fit your lifestyle.
- Have dinner early, enough to to digest before going to sleep.
- Avoid indigestible foods like lettuce. Legumes, although not in all cases, can also cause digestion problems during nighttime hours.
- The carbohydrates are not the most recommended option if we want to lose weight.
- Always opt for seasonal products for healthier dinners.
- Include vegetables and sources of protein such as meat, eggs, or fish for more balanced dishes.
- Don't forget the dessert: skimmed yogurts or seasonal fruit they can be the perfect finishing touch to a complete, light, and healthy dinner.
Now that you know how to prepare the best healthy recipes in very little time, we encourage you to include them in your diet to improve your health and get the best night's sleep.
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