Nutella is bad for weight loss, as it has many calories, while it’s packed with sugar and saturated fat. We should consume small amounts as an occasional treat. It shouldn’t be a regular part of our diet.
In fact, the best time of the day to eat Nutella is after strenuous exercise. Sugar is Nutella promotes muscle recovery. Also, you can eat small amounts at breakfast or dessert.
The best time to eat Nutella is After Exercise
The main ingredients of Nutella are sugar, milk, palm oil, cocoa, hazelnuts, lecithin and vanillin.[1]
A typical serving of Nutella is 2 tablespoons. Nutella can make you gain weight, as a serving provides:
- 200 calories
- 21 grams of sugar
- 4 grams of saturated fat
Sugar
As Nutella is particularly high in sugar, the best time to consume it is after strenuous exercise. Sugar helps replenish muscle glycogen stores. This process is crucial for fast muscle recovery!
After a workout, the body has increased insulin sensitivity. It easily stores sugar from food as muscle glycogen, instead of body fat. The body stores up to 50% more glycogen right after strenuous exercise.
So, eating Nutella in your post-workout meal won’t make you fat. On the contrary, it may help hard-training athletes recover faster and build muscle mass.
But, even athletes should be very cautious with portion sizes. According to the American Heart Association, the maximum safe dose of sugar a day is:[2]
- men: 9 teaspoons or 36 grams
- women: 6 teaspoons, or 25 grams
A 2-tablespoon serving of Nutella provides 21 grams of sugar. This amount is equivalent to 5 teaspoons of table sugar!
Hence, just a serving of Nutella provides 58% and 84% of the maximum recommended daily intake of added sugar for men and women, respectively.
Moreover, a serving of Nutella has 2 grams of protein. Every post-workout meal should have some protein.
How to eat Nutella after exercise?
The only time of the day that increased insulin levels are beneficial for you is right after a workout. So, it’s the only time of the day that it may be beneficial to eat Nutella with white bread as a post-workout snack.
White bread can spike blood sugar levels, as it’s one of the common foods with the highest Glycemic Index!
You can eat Nutella in the morning
The second-best time of the day to eat Nutella hazelnut spread is at breakfast or at brunch. The body also has increased insulin sensitivity at that time. So, a high percentage of sugar of Nutella is stored as muscle glycogen, instead of body fat.
If you want to lose weight, it’s crucial to have breakfast with foods high in fiber, though. Whole grain cereals and whole fruits are excellent choices. If you insist on eating Nutella at breakfast, at least eat it with whole grain bread. It has substantially more fiber than white bread.
Nutella at breakfast is bad for you
Certainly, Nutella isn’t healthy. It’s high in calories, sugar, and saturated fat, while it lacks of minerals and vitamins.
Just a serving provides 30% of the Daily Value of saturated fat. Eating too much saturated fat can raise the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke![3]
Therefore, it’s better for you to consume healthier, natural nut spreads, such as peanut butter and almond butter. They also have too many calories. But, they’re very nutritious foods. They’re packed with vitamins, and minerals that involved in energy metabolism. Also, they’re high in fiber and protein, which promote a feeling of fullness for hours!
However, the most nutrient-dense spread is tahini. In fact, tahini is healthier than peanut butter and Nutella!
Eat Nutella as a dessert
Also, you could eat small portions of Nutella as a dessert in order to satisfy your sweet tooth.
However, it’s healthier to eat dark chocolate as dessert. It has significantly less sugar than Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread. In addition, dark chocolate has a great nutritional value. It’s rich in iron and other minerals.
Avoid eating Nutella and other sugar-rich treats as a dessert after dinner. Actually, the worst time of the day to eat Nutella or any other foods containing sugar is before bed! Sugar affects sleep quality.
To add flavor to healthy recipes
Additionally, you could add 1–2 tablespoons of Nutella to healthy recipes like oatmeal for flavor.
You should be very cautious with portion sizes, though. No matter the time of the day, the regular consumption of too much Nutella or any other calorie-dense, chocolate hazelnut spread could make you gain weight.
