Is Eating a Large Meal in the Evening Bad for Me?

The science isn’t as clear-cut as some evangelical nutrition gurus would have you believe, but nonetheless, eating large and late won’t enhance your health.

It is often claimed that eating late will make you put on weight. Strictly speaking, this isn’t true—it’s the calories you eat and burn over the entire day that determine weight management. That said, late eaters are more likely to be overweight than those who eat earlier, but this is because they also tend to lead less active lives and choose more fatty, high-calorie foods more often.

The later it gets, the weaker your self-control and the more impulsive you are. This can mean evening meals are larger than they need to be or that your impatience leads you to opt for a high-calorie “quick fix.”

Try planning dinners ahead of time to help avoid making impromptu, hunger-driven decisions. We’re creatures of habit—especially where food is involved—so look out for patterns of evening overindulgence (such as eating and drinking alcohol while cooking). Alcohol not only contains calories but also makes us hungrier by dialing up the brain’s appetite centers. Regularly eating large meals at nighttime does not seem to be good for overall health. During the dark hours, your body clock is winding down all systems into standby mode—including your intestines. Eating very late can disturb the body clock, leading to disrupted sleep. This in turn pushes up blood pressure and, ultimately, can damage your blood vessels and heart.

However, a small meal or snack late at night is not harmful and may actually be helpful for elderly people, those recovering from injuries, or athletes looking to improve their strength and general fitness.