Five common foods that are widely consumed incorrectly

There are so many different diets and eating habits and everyone simply gravitates towards their own dietary preferences. Nonetheless, it is prudent to note that certain foods need to be eaten at particular times of the day in order to get their full nutritional benefits.

You might be eating all the right things but miss on their health benefits because you are eating them at the wrong time. Below are five common foods that are widely consumed incorrectly.

Milk is typically drunk in the morning in different forms such as tea, coffee, cereal or simply plain. Contrary to this popular breakfast habit, the best time of the day to drink milk is at night right before bed. Milk contains an amino acid called ‘tryptophan’ which pretty much induces sleep. Nighttime is when the body needs to wind down and be in a relaxed state, hence the benefits of milk at that time.

This fruit is rich in fibre, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and potassium among other nutrients. Its high levels of fibre promote gut health and ease digestion. For this reason, its best to eat bananas at lunchtime. Eating them at dinnertime will have a negative effect on your digestive system which may result in excess mucus production.

These red, juicy vegetables are the perfect base for a rich stew. However, you should avoid having these stews and sauces at dinnertime because tomatoes can cause swelling due to its effect on water-salt metabolism in the body. This means that the best time to eat tomatoes is during breakfast as they best regulate digestive processes during that time.

Rice is such a simple grain and yet so versatile. There are endless different recipes you can pull off with rice as your base. That being said, the best time to enjoy rice is at lunchtime when you’re still awake and active because the high levels of carbohydrates in rice will keep your body energized. The same large amounts of carbohydrates could lead to unhealthy weight gain if you constantly eat rice for dinner, which is a time when you’re less active and energetic to burn off the extra calories.

Meat is a slightly controversial food, especially with the growing global population of plant-based dieters. Red meat has its pros and cons but its health benefits include stronger bones, increased metabolism and muscle mass retention. Red meat can, however, take up to five hours to digest which is why it’s better to eat it at lunch hour and not at dinnertime so that your digestive system can function efficiently and fully break it down.