Srinagar, July 25: Dinner isn’t merely the final meal of the day — it’s a vital opportunity to nourish your body before the longest period without food during sleep. Beyond nutrition, dinner also serves as a daily chance to connect with family. Research over the years, including a 2021 report by the American College of Pediatricians, has shown that shared evening meals can boost children’s academic performance, encourage healthier eating habits, and reduce childhood obesity.
It’s also the meal where people tend to prioritize vegetables, according to a 2020 article by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). Considering that 90% of Americans fall short of the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables (CDC), dinner offers a key moment to catch up on essential nutrients. In fact, adults consume more calories during dinner than any other meal, as reported by the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.
Every meal plays a crucial role in maintaining our health, and dinner is no exception,” says Dr. Sudeep Khanna, gastroenterologist and gastrointestinal medicine specialist at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi. “As the final major meal of the day, dinner is essential for everyone — whether you’re 20 or 50. Age is no barrier to its importance. It provides the necessary calories and nutrients to sustain the body through the longest fasting period — sleep.”
Dinner habits vary widely in timing — people typically eat dinner between 5:07 p.m. and 8:19 p.m., with the peak around 6:19 p.m. However, most people still dine at home: about 80% of dinners are homemade, according to IFT. Chicken remains a go-to dinner staple for 70% of millennials during the week.
Over the long term, skipping meals regularly can have a negative impact on your health. Eating just one meal a day was linked to a higher mortality risk, and skipping lunch or dinner specifically increased the risk of cardiovascular disease,
According to a study published in March 2023 in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition dietetics in the short term, skipping dinner can lead to fluctuations in blood sugar that can leave you feeling shaky or lacking energy. “It can make your body feel more stressed. It can make it harder to sleep,” says Lena Beal, RDN, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
In recent years, attitudes toward dinner have shifted. A study by Hunter PR found that 54% of Americans are cooking more often post-COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, dietary trends like intermittent fasting have become mainstream — one in ten Americans follow this pattern, potentially reducing how often dinner is consumed. Still, the majority — about 64%, according to the USDA — continue to eat three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Another study in 2020 had shown how skipping meals plunged older adults deeper into depression, anxiety and insomnia. A recent Harvard study has found that sticking to a healthy diet in midlife has a direct impact on healthy ageing.
