HE SAID IT

If you need motivation to make meal planning a part of your routine, remember the words of author Alan Lakein: “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

that’s it. So, 7pm is actually late for me, but it’s become the new normal.”

The situation is different for different people, he agrees. “It can be really difficult to get home after a stressful day and then spend another couple of hours preparing food.” Most of his colleagues often order takeaway, but Hallvard says he rarely does — thanks to his wife. “She usually tries to make all the food we eat. So, I always bring packed food to work. Without her though, I don’t know… I’d probably be ordering in too. I guess I’m lucky,” he laughs.

“I TAKE MY DINNER TO WORK”

For 37- year- old Archana Arun, the norm was to eat by 8.30 or 9pm, and go to bed an hour later. The meal had to be a heavy, home- cooked one, because she was convinced that if her tummy wasn’t full, she wouldn’t be able to sleep. All of that changed after she signed up for a weight loss programme at VLCC, where her dietician immediately pointed out the need to revise meals and mealtimes. “The first couple of weeks of the new routine were very difficult… but soon I realised that I could get up at 6am everyday without any tiredness ( something I could never do before); that bloated feeling was gone — plus, my weight started dropping. It was a big change.”

Archana’s work in sales and marketing involves late hours, so she started taking her dinner to work: if she knew she was going to be late, she’d either pack some food, or else order a salad, and try to finish it off at the office itself. If the family was going out, they would dine first and then go shopping, instead of vice versa. Social gatherings also needed to be carefully considered. “Every weekend, we have some party or the other,” says the Indian expat. “Naturally, if I don’t eat there, the hosts will be offended. So, before leaving the house, I usually have the protein part of my meal and then have some vegetables at the party. It’s all about portion control.”

Aligning this new timetable with her family’s regular mealtimes was a struggle initially, because she was always tempted to join them when they ate. “But if you start finishing dinner early, you’ll soon observe a big change in your health,” she promises. “So will your family, and they’ll soon follow you.”

“PLANNING AHEAD IS CRITICAL”

As managing partner of PR agency Soul Communications, founder of culinary website Cookingwithamanicure. com and mother of three boys aged 2- 6, Farah Elhaj Sawaf is a very busy woman. The Palestinian- Lebanese expat admits that though she and her husband might not always be able to maintain the early dinner timetable, she tries to ensure that’s not the case for her kids. “I try my very best to feed my boys at 6pm, so they not

— meaning, what you see is what you eat: no preservatives, only good- for- you ingredients that are easy to digest and not too complicated.”

One of her favourite ‘ busy mom’ recipes is “a delicious white chili with roasted chicken, white beans, and other fresh ingredients” ( see recipe, right) that can be left simmering all day in a plug- in slow cooker. “All you have to do is combine the ingredients and switch on, and by the time you come home — voila, it’s done!” Another option is having breakfast for dinner. “My husband and I have long days and a small salad sadly does not suffice. We need a proper meal and so, we tend to opt for a well- thought out protein- filled healthy dish. The Shakshuka, for example, is a favourite in the Sawaf household!”

“DEFINITE LINK”

Maya Kobeissi, clinical dietician at the Obesity Medicine Institute in Dubai, says, “There was a time we used to say a calorie is a calorie, no matter what you do. But we can’t say that anymore. There’s a lot of emerging research that shows that the timing of the meal can potentially impact one’s weight and health. I recently read a study that was done on 420 obese people and published in the International Journal of Obesity, which found that the group that consumed early dinners showed greater weight loss compared to the ones who ate late — even though both groups ate the same amount of calories and did the same amount of physical activities.”

There’s a link for sure, she says, but we don’t have enough evidence yet to determine whether calories consumed at night are more likely to cause weight gain. “For now, I’d say the timing certainly helps. It’s better to have an early dinner, or to at least finish the big meal 2- 3 hours before bedtime, so that you allow your digestive system to rest.”

Her advice? Don’t wait until you’re starving to figure out what to eat. “Planning makes your decisions while hungry much easier. If you get really hungry and then wonder what to eat, you’ll be tempted to make unhealthy choices because you want food now. Your blood sugar level then controls what you opt for, and you may end up having a dense caloric meal to satisfy your cravings.”

A balanced meal, she always tells clients, means filling half your plate with vegetables, a quarter with grain ( ideally whole grains like quinoa, buckwheat or brown bread), and a quarter with protein. “It’s true that we have a fast pace of work here in Dubai,” she says, “but with a little bit of planning and organisation, eating early can definitely be a reality.”

karen@ khaleejtimes. com