For years now we’ve been told to avoid eating late at night: Eat past 8 = gain weight, right?
Well not always…
Not if you do it right…
The reality is that absolutely nothing out of this world remarkable takes place within your body when the clock strikes 8 p.m. You may become more sedentary and burn fewer calories, but that doesn’t mean that any and all consumption of food after that time means the coming of the anti-Christ.
This isn’t to bash the don’t eat at night philosophy.
It does stand on solid ground.
After all, the earlier you consume calories, the more time you have to burn them off throughout the day. The idea is that you’ll lengthen the amount of time you don’t have calories coming in. You don’t eat while you sleep so that should equal at least 6 hours give or take where your body is burning calories but not consuming them.
That does make sense.
But still consider this…
Eating in the evening might be counterproductive to your body if it’s the only meal you eat all the time or you save up all of your calories for a night treat, but the last time I checked, most serious fitness freaks don’t do this.
And if you’re reading this you’re a fitness freak right?
Right?
Right?
Aight but even if you aren’t…keep reading because the info we dispense in this article could still be helpful to you even if you are a beginner or just a moderate in the fitness lifestyle.
Don’t Skip The Exercise!
Having a bedtime treat curbs your appetite, however it can likewise increase insulin levels and insulin resistance. High insulin levels cause you to keep fat rather than burning it. The easiest way to prevent this is by stay steady with your workout regime.
Just be sure that you are doing it right with your workouts.
The important thing as we’ll discuss, isn’t so much when you eat but what you eat at night.
Selecting The Right Nighttime Snack.
Selecting the best foods is essential for keeping your body in an anabolic state and setting the stage for optimal muscle growth and recovery throughout sleep. Your best choice for a nighttime treat is protein. Whey is the most common type discovered in protein supplements, but casein is typically thought to be the best to consume before bed. It’s released from the stomach and absorbed into the blood stream more gradually than whey, making it perfect for extended anabolism throughout overnight sleep. If you don’t want to take a shake at night there are other food options you can indulge in. Look below to find out what they are.
Having A Nighttime Snack Can Boost Your Metabolism.
Healthy, physically active college-aged guys who took in whey, casein, or carbohydrates 30 minutes prior to bed had a higher resting energy expense (REE) the next morning when compared to a placebo group.7 Findings from this study recommend that regardless of the macronutrient type, consuming a liquid supplement near bedtime might be helpful for those attempting to lose or maintain weight.
Protein May Help Regulate Your Appetite.
Consuming protein can help you feel fuller throughout the night and make you eat less the next early morning. Casein may prove to be the better over night choice; in one study, overweight women felt fuller after consuming casein compared to those who ate whey or carbs at night. Having a casein snack prior to bed might in fact minimize the quantity of food you eat total!
From the research that is out there, we can confidently say that a gal who is active and consistent in her fitness routine can benefit from a protein rich snack before going to bed. Casein protein is preferred because it is slow releasing to feed you throughout your sleeping hours. If you’re looking for food options rather than the protein shake or smoothie check out our cheat sheet below
Alright I’ve ranted a ton on the importance of protein and why it should be your go to for bedtime snacks.
Now lets talk some other options in the fridge that you could use as practical bedtime snacks.
Greek Yogurt
Yogurt is an excellent thing to eat because it helps your digestion system and keeps the level of bacteria (both excellent and bad) in your gut balanced.
It is best to avoid anything sweetened and pre-flavored because of the high levels of sugar they include that will just stay in your stomach over night and not help you lose weight.
Choose plain greek yogurt instead of no fat as the ingredients they utilize to flesh fat-free yogurt out and make it taste the same are not great for you at all.
To give the mix of healthy fats, carbohydrates and proteins that you get from yogurt a jump; mix about 2 tablespoons of flaxseeds with half a cupful of yogurt for a late night treat that is just 200 calories.
Cottage Cheese
Although some individuals dislike cottage cheese with a passion, it is a fantastic snacking food if you are on a diet or counting calories.
Cottage cheese is rich in the protein casein which means it will provide a stable stream of amino acids to your muscle tissues as it absorbs over a long period of time.
To enhance the taste you can mix in some almonds or blueberries (or some other kind of fruit, vegetable or nut).
You can also try adding peanut butter
The nut butter, in addition to making the cottage cheese taste better, helps to decrease the body’s digestion procedure a lot more, which will stop you from awakening feeling hungry.
Eggs (Hard Boiled or Scrambled).
Another excellent late night snack is boiled egg. If you boil a batch say at the start of the week and keep them in the fridge, they are just as hassle-free as having a bag of chips but better for you.
Eggs are high in protein, healthy fats, and very low in calories.
For just 150 to 200 calories, you might whisk up some egg whites with some low fat soft cheese and rush the mixture in a pan, finishing it off with a topping of some salsa for an extra kick.
Celery
Celery is almost totally comprised of fiber and water. So snacking on celery can make your body feel fuller quick fast and in a hurry.
If you are not a big fan of celery, you can use natural peanut butter to enhance the flavor.
Having a couple of sticks of celery with a little bowl to dip them into is a really practical treat that will feel as much like a reward as something like chocolate or chips.
Bonus: celery is low in calories and a terrific source of folate and calcium.
Avocados
Avocados seem to be all the rage now a days.
It’s for good reason.
Avocados are filled with healthy fats and other crucial nutrients that your body requires to work optimally.
Not only is avocado filling, helping to prevent midnight binging, it is abundant in the good kinds of fats, which function as a fat burner.
Blueberries
Blueberries are a good fruit to mix with cottage cheese, but they are a terrific treat by all by themselves.
Blueberries have a high portion of water and anti-oxidants. In addition to helping keep appetite at bay they will give your skin a healthy radiance and keep the indications of aging to a minimum.
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