Why supper should be light

She misses lunch at work and saves for a sumptuous supper which often includes a main course meal with beef, goat, chicken, fish or bean stew accompanied by an assortment of matooke, sweet potato, posho, rice and Irish potato. Depending on what time she gets home and starts cooking, the earliest she serves supper is 10.00 o'clock

Martha Nakigguli is not the only culprit, as many families have gotten into the habit of serving heavy late supper.  However, nutritionists discourage having a heavy supper.

Shafique Mayanja, a nutritionist in Kampala, advises against heavy supper because the body is less active in the night than during daytime.

 
"At night, the body requires little energy for vital body functions like maintaining heartbeat, breathing and brain function," he explains.  He adds that when not utilized, the food is stored as fat, resulting in weight gain, which predisposes one to complications such as hypertension and diabetes.

According to Mayanja, sleeping on a light stomach allows the body to draw energy towards body repairs and rejuvenate the cells other than focusing on digestion.en to take supper?

Supper should be taken 45 minutes to one hour before going to bed preferably between eight o'clock and nine o'clock to allow digestion to start.

"During sleep, digestion slows down and going to bed immediately after eating makes the body work throughout night causing one to wake up feeling tired or with a bloated stomach," Peterson Kikomeko, an assistant lecturer at the Department of Human nutrition and home economics, Kyambogo University cautions.

Recommended foods for supper

A light supper does not mean compromising one's nutrient intake, says Kikomeko.

The meal should adequately meet one's body nutrition requirements depending on age, sex and level of physical activity.

"A balanced diet should consist of vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, fats. A light meal should have all these values, except the quantity is reduced, compared to other meals during the day," Kikomeko explains.

The ideal supper plate should have some carbohydrates like rice or sweet potato. It should also include a meat which may be fish or chicken and a big portion of vegetables an equivalent of half the serving.

Fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables like nakatti, dodo, spinach and sukuma wiki or a serving of vegetable salad are light and rich in vitamins and minerals, Mayanja advises and says adding a piece of grilled lean meat, fish fillet or skinless chicken not exceeding 100g; an equivalent of your palm should cater for proteins or provide fats.

 
You can add two pieces of steamed Irish potato in medium size to cover for energy or have the Irish cooked with little oil to give you a little fat.

Milk, juice, bread, biscuits and banana

A glass (300ml) of warm milk accompanied with two-slices of brown bread because it contains fiber which is good for digestion and a finger of Bogoya is a perfect light supper.

Milk being a complete meal provides proteins, calcium, fat and other nutrients while the bread caters for carbohydrates and the banana gives the minerals and vitamins. People who do not take cow milk can opt for soya milk.

Sugar free fresh juice, biscuits and boiled egg

Sugar free fresh juice with two to three biscuits and one boiled egg is good enough. The fruit juice will provide Vitamins and while the egg gives you proteins. The sugar in biscuits compensates the sugar free fresh juice but also provide energy.

Water is a must

During night the time when the body is resting, it requires good amount of water to keep it hydrated. He says taking a glass of lukewarm or room temperature water before going to bed is a must, Kikomeko advises.

Foods to avoid

Reduce on quantities of fatty foods because fat supplies high amount of energy and keeps people satisfied for long, Kimomeko explains. Sometimes it reduces on the gastric emptying time, so one may take long to pass stool.