Is it okay to eat before bed? Which foods are allowed and which should be discarded?
Not eating before bed is an important rule of almost every diet. This prohibition is based on the fact that all food eaten at night will turn into fat. In fact, there are inaccuracies in the rule. Next, about whether to include dinner in your diet, which foods are suitable for this, and which ones should be avoided.
Is it okay to eat before bed?
There is an opinion that it is impossible to eat before going to bed under any circumstances, and everything eaten will certainly be deposited with a fat layer on the sides. But a snack before bedtime is necessary if the body requires it.
American scientists conducted an experiment involving two groups of people, the results of which were very contradictory to popular opinion. The first group did not have dinner after 18:00, the second ate fractionally (dinner was light, low-calorie 2 hours before bedtime).
The results showed that people without dinner in the morning are very hungry and tend to overeat (moreover, blood sugar levels drop, and there is a craving for sweets, fatty foods). And the group with dinner has equal indicators of sugar, the absence of severe hunger. At the same time, the participants feel better both physically and mentally. And this, of course, is the key to a successful diet without disruptions.
But all scientists agree on one thing, that if during the day it was not possible to eat normally, in the evening, naturally, there will be a feeling of hunger. To cope with it and not gain extra pounds, you must adhere to certain rules and choose the right foods before bed.
Features of the evening snack:
- It is best to avoid high carbohydrate and fatty foods. Carbohydrates and fats take a long time to digest, and if you go to bed too early after such a meal, it will certainly be deposited in fat on the sides.
- Most losing weight continue to adhere to the rule - do not eat after 18.00, but nutritionists have long dispelled the myth about the benefits of such a ban. Dinner can be arranged 4 hours before bedtime, and snacks 1–2 hours before bedtime.
- Even if your dinner is too late, it is best to wait a bit and not go to bed. Firstly, the digestion process will interfere with normal sleep, and secondly, all processes during sleep slow down.
- The calorie content of dinner should be lower than all other meals.
- It is better to refuse a late snack, but if this is not possible, its energy value should be equal to a glass of kefir.
- After an evening snack, you should not go to bed or sit, you need minimal physical activity - a walk around the apartment or street will be beneficial.
- You should choose a protein, low-fat dinner.
- The correct way of cooking is an important detail. Better to choose boiled or stewed foods before bed.
- The portion should not exceed 250-300 grams.
What foods are allowed before bed?
According to nutritionists, a proper dinner and a light evening snack will not harm, and even help in losing weight. But it's worth knowing what foods you can eat before bed. Therefore, if you cannot do without a snack, you need to opt for permitted products and follow all the rules of a proper dinner.
The most useful foods before bed, using which you can not only not harm weight loss, but also contribute to it:
- Chicken or turkey fillet … The most correct option for dinner is boiled fillet, but it can also be stewed with vegetables. There are virtually no carbohydrates in chicken and turkey fillets. Therefore, it is the best solution that will not harm the figure. You can add a light vegetable salad without dressing or seasoned with lemon.
- Eggs … An excellent dinner option would be steamed omelet or boiled eggs. Egg white is made up of pure protein that is easy to digest. But it is worth considering the high calorie content of the yolk, it also has a high content of fat and cholesterol. Therefore, it is worth either abandoning it altogether, or limiting the consumption of eggs to two whole. You can add milk and a handful of cottage cheese to the omelet.
- Low fat hard cheese … A few slices of delicious cheese will help to cope with evening hunger, and in tandem with a vegetable salad will become a complete dinner. The product is rich in vitamins and minerals, and also has a positive effect on digestion.
- Milk … A glass of warm milk will not only help relieve hunger, but also improve sleep. It contains Tryptophan, an amino acid that has a sedative effect. You can add a teaspoon of honey or cinnamon to milk to make the drink even more tasty and healthy.
- Low-fat fermented milk products … They contain light protein that is well absorbed by the body. At the same time, they do not overload the digestive system, which is important for dietary nutrition. They can be counted among the healthy foods before bed because the beneficial bacteria help improve metabolism.
- Avocado … The claim that avocados are high in fat and high in calories can indeed be borne out. But the fact that it is not allowed for the night is a mistake. Avocado contains healthy plant fatty acids that are easy to digest and do not harm weight loss. Therefore, it belongs to foods that you can eat before bedtime.
- Walnuts … The product is very high in calories, but also has a high saturation. This means that a handful of nuts up to 40g will satisfy your hunger without harming your figure.
- Fruits … Contrary to the opinion that fruit is prohibited at night, nutritionists say that you can eat them for dinner, but you should choose savory ones. It is desirable to give preference to green apples. They are low in calories, but they are great at satisfying hunger. You can bake it with cottage cheese and honey, so the apple will not be sour. Grapefruit and other citrus fruits are great for a snack. They are rich in vitamins and contain naringin, which increases the metabolic rate and also helps break down fats. The product is low in calories and contains healthy fiber. For an evening snack, a pear is perfect. The fruit will help cleanse the body of toxins and toxins.
- Fish and seafood … Lean fish, preferably white, are suitable for dinner. It is a source of protein that is so essential for losing weight. It is useful to eat fish with vegetables, so fillet on a vegetable pillow or stewed with vegetables will become indispensable on a diet. Such a dinner will help in the fight against cholesterol and enrich the body with iodine. Seaweed is also a source of iodine, and it is also a food that can be eaten before bed. For dinner, you can cook seafood with garlic sauce or lemon dressing, but this option is quite expensive.
- Vegetables … They are low in calories and rich in healthy fiber. However, for dinner, you should give preference to stewed or boiled vegetable dishes. The reason for this is that the fiber from cooked vegetables is absorbed better and faster. A vegetable casserole is a good option. You can also make a vegetable smoothie, which has a detoxifying effect and can cope with evening hunger.
If you follow all the rules and know what foods to eat before bedtime, you can not be afraid to gain extra pounds without denying your body an evening snack.
What shouldn't be eaten before bed?
It is very important to take into account not only the permitted products, but also those that are prohibited for use at night, so that fat folds do not increase on the sides, and extra pounds on the scales.
What is not allowed before bedtime:
- Fast food … Such foods should be excluded from any diet. They are very high in calories, while saturation does not last long. But the work of the gastrointestinal tract will be guaranteed to be disrupted, extra pounds and health problems will appear.
- Pasta and baked goods … These are foods that should not be eaten before bedtime, as they take a long time to digest, which means that the body will convert them into fat.
- Sweets … These include sweets, chocolates, cakes, pastries, ice cream (fruit ice cream is also not worth eating for dinner), bars, and artificial sweeteners. They have the lowest saturation with a huge calorie content. Sweets are foods with a high glycemic index, which means that the body will not be able to quickly cope with the released glucose and will put some of it into fat. After consuming them, the appetite returns quickly and even more pronounced. In addition, caries will become an unpleasant bonus to fatty sides.
- Soups … At first glance, it seems that a light soup for dinner is the best option. It will not harm the figure, but it stimulates an increase in appetite. After a short period of time, the appetite will return even stronger than before eating the soup. In addition, it is difficult to get enough of a small portion of the first course, and the larger the portion, the more distended stomach in the end.
- Cereals … Very useful and necessary for the body, but not before bedtime. They are high in calories and show a huge glycemic load. Porridge should be consumed before lunch (or for lunch).
- Starchy vegetables … Although you can eat vegetables for dinner, you should avoid starchy ones. Starch slows down the metabolism. Also, fast carbohydrates predominate in starchy vegetables, which are converted into fat.
- Fat meat … This includes pork, lamb, duck and others. Difficult to digest. The body can not cope with such foods that cannot be eaten before bedtime, and store some in the fat flanks.
- Salty dishes … Dinner should not be salted while cooking. Too much salt at night can cause fluid retention and swelling. The result is extra pounds on the scales and a decrease in motivation to lose weight.
- Smoked meats … They contain a lot of salt, which subsequently makes you feel thirsty. And thirst is often confused with hunger, the risk of breaking out and overeating instantly increases.
- Roast … The calorie content of products during frying increases markedly, and all the useful properties contained in them are lost.
- Spicy dishes … The more pronounced the taste of the dish, the greater the appetite. Therefore, it is better to refuse spices when preparing dinner. You want to eat and drink spicy dishes, which is not at all good for the evening.
- Canned and pickled vegetables … The sugar and vinegar content in foods has a negative effect, provokes an increase in appetite, in addition, an increased amount of salt can provoke the occurrence of increased thirst and edema.
- Sweet fruit … These include mangoes, bananas, persimmons and grapes.
- Soy sauce … Many people mistakenly believe that soy sauce can be substituted for salt. It also contains a lot of salt, which will have a negative effect on the slimming body.
- Seeds … They have a very high calorie content. And it's hard to stop at a small handful. Provoke thirst and appetite.
- Alcoholic drinks … Nutritionists allow you to sometimes pamper yourself with a glass of dry wine during a diet, but you should not do this before bed. Alcohol can awaken the appetite, and therefore the risk of relapse increases. Strong drinks are high in calories. In addition, drinking alcohol in the evening is bad for your overall health. The result: dry mouth, dark circles under the eyes, and reduced performance throughout the day.
- Coffee … Another drink you shouldn't drink before bed. Similar to alcohol, it increases appetite. In addition, the high caffeine content will keep you awake on time, and this is still a chance to have one more snack before bed.
- Carbonated drinks … They cause flatulence in the stomach, which is not conducive to good sleep, and are also high in sugars.
What you can eat before bed - watch the video:
Scientists have proven the benefits of having dinner in the diet. The main thing is to follow simple rules and know what foods should not be eaten before bed. Then you will be able to get excellent weight loss results.
