Eat well, sleep well, and don’t gain weight! 5 Guilt-Free Late-Night Snacks

Eating late-night snacks often can make you fat, but sometimes you’re really hungry and greedy, is it okay to eat a little bit? American nutrition experts say "Yes! But it's best to choose foods that help you sleep!" It turns out that many foreign studies have found that lack of sleep can also make you fat! Therefore, if you can eat some midnight snacks that are not easy to make you fat but can help you fall asleep early, you can achieve the perfect state of "eating well, sleeping well, and not gaining weight"!

Lack of sleep leads to big appetite and excessive eating, which can easily lead to weight gain

Medical Daily reported that a study published in the journal Sleep by the University of Chicago showed that people who only sleep 4.5 hours a day have higher hunger and bigger appetite than those who sleep 8 hours a day. They are more likely to look for snacks everywhere, and then eat 50% more calories and twice as much fat as others!

In short, when we don’t get enough sleep, we can easily lose control and be unable to resist the temptation of delicious food, so we always eat first and then think about it. Over time, it's not surprising that eating late-night snacks can lead to weight gain.

Eating midnight snacks increases the burden on the body and causes fat to accumulate faster

There is also a saying that eating before going to bed will prolong the time the body works. Even if we go to bed shortly after eating, the body does not rest at the same time (so you may not get enough sleep). Moreover, the food eaten before going to bed is easily converted into fat and stored, which will make you fat in the long run! In that case, can’t I have a midnight snack even if I’m really hungry before going to bed?

Don't go to bed hungry. It's OK to eat a small amount of midnight snack to help you sleep.

Dr. Kelly Glazer Baron, an expert in behavioral sleep medicine training at Northwestern University, pointed out that many studies have shown that the key to gaining weight by eating at night is not calories, but the food you eat and the time you eat! Rather than going to bed hungry, Dr. Barron advises eating small, healthy meals, but it's important not to overeat.

Rania Batayneh, an American nutritionist and author of the best-selling book "The One One One Diet: The Simple 1:1:1 Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss," said that feeling hungry before going to bed means that you don't eat enough for three meals or your diet is unbalanced, and you eat too little fiber and protein that are high in satiety, which causes you to feel hungry before going to bed.

This feeling of hunger will make you feel very uncomfortable and even affect your sleep. Therefore, it is okay to eat some midnight snacks in moderation, but you should choose low-fat, high-fiber, complex carbohydrate foods such as beans and whole grains.

These foods are also rich in B vitamins, which help maintain normal serotonin levels and help you relax and fall asleep. In addition, since tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin, it is also a good idea to eat some foods rich in tryptophan as a midnight snack.

Zero guilt! 5 safe midnight snacks

1. Fruits: cherries, bananas

Cherries are one of the few natural foods that contain melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep. Therefore, eating cherries in moderation can help you sleep. If you don’t have fresh cherries at the moment, you can drink tart cherry juice instead. Bananas are rich in tryptophan, potassium, and magnesium. The latter two nutrients can help muscles relax and are also good foods for helping you sleep.

2. Yogurt

A study published in the European Neurology Journal found that calcium levels in the body are higher during deeper stages of sleep, such as rapid eye movement (REM). Therefore, waking up easily after falling asleep may be related to calcium deficiency. Yogurt is rich in calcium and contains a lot of protein that can increase satiety. It also contains probiotics that can promote intestinal health, making it a good midnight snack choice. It is recommended to choose sugar-free or low-sugar yogurt.

3. Oatmeal

The rich fiber in oatmeal can increase satiety and is low in calories. It is recommended to choose whole-wheat cereals or mixed grain items, such as mixed grain cereals containing oats, buckwheat, and quinoa.

4. Multigrain biscuits

Sweet biscuits that are high in fat and sugar are unhealthy. Low-sugar biscuits made from whole wheat or whole grains are good. It is more appropriate to choose biscuits containing seeds (such as pumpkin seeds), healthy fats, and appropriate amounts of protein.

5. Chickpeas

Chickpeas, also known as snow lotus seeds, are rich in nutrients such as B vitamins, fiber, protein, magnesium, and are low in fat and calories. In addition, chickpeas help stabilize blood sugar and lower bad cholesterol. Because they are highly satiety-enhancing, they are a new favorite for weight loss in Western countries. In Taiwan, chickpeas (chickpeas) can also be found in traditional markets or grain stores.

I would like to remind everyone that although you can have a healthy midnight snack before going to bed, the prerequisite is to try to maintain a normal schedule. In addition, you should also combine it with moderate exercise and a balanced diet to prevent eating midnight snacks from becoming a norm or even a burden on your body!