Nutritionist Fred Amese has debunked the popular belief that eating late at night leads to the accumulation of fat around the stomach area, commonly known as a potbelly.
In an interview with Johnnie Hughes on 3FM’s Sunrise Morning Show, Mr Amese confidently stated that eating late at night does not cause a potbelly.
“People tend to say that when you eat late at night, you would get potbelly. It is not true,” he said.
He explained that physical activity is necessary between the time one eats and the time one sleeps to ensure proper digestion. Therefore, eating late at night is not the culprit, but rather eating and sleeping immediately afterwards.
Mr Amese emphasized that waiting enough time and engaging in physical activity, such as brisk walking, before sleeping is crucial.
‘So you can say “Oh for me, I eat my supper at 6 pm I don’t eat late at night.” If you eat at 6 pm and 6:15 pm you are sleeping and if someone eats at 11 pm and sleeps at 1 am you the one eating at 6 pm has done nothing. You would develop a pot belly and the one eating at 11 pm would not have a pot belly….So don’t worry yourself about oh it’s late I won’t eat. If it’s late and you are hungry, eat. But make sure that you wait enough, move around, do some brisk walking, etc, before you sleep,” he explained.
The issue of potbelly has become a significant concern for many, particularly young adults. The myth that eating late at night causes potbelly has been regularly blamed for this phenomenon.
Mr Amese’s revelation has surprised many who believed the myth to be true.
In conclusion, it is essential to understand that eating late at night does not cause potbelly. Instead, it is the lack of physical activity and immediate sleeping after eating that leads to the accumulation of fat around the stomach area.
Therefore, it is crucial to engage in physical activity and wait enough time before sleeping, regardless of the time of day one eats.
