In ancient times, illnesses were treated with powder made from dried mouse tails. Then they decided that this did not help and came up with homeopathy. Now homeopathy has also been torn to smithereens.

It used to be that people gained weight if they ate after 6 pm. Now doctors are already proving that after 6 and generally at night, eating is not only not harmful, but even beneficial.

Who to believe after this? I think that each person solves this question for himself through trial. For example, I go to bed at half past eleven, and have dinner at seven in the evening.

If I don’t wait until bedtime and eat again at 10 o’clock, then the next day I’ll definitely gain a little weight. I weigh myself almost every day, so the numbers back it up.

In general, read this article simply as an interesting story. You can draw conclusions for yourself, or you may not. But the article is interesting, especially where it’s about choosing food for the night.

As always, I'll be commenting on some things. italics. Because from the time I came to the USA, I was faced with the problem of excess weight. And I’m not the only overweight emigrant.

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Going to bed on an empty stomach is no longer fashionable and even harmful. Recent scientific research in this area has convincingly proven that the practice of going to bed hungry leads to sleep disturbances and serious metabolic problems.

But you shouldn’t overeat at night either. How to maintain a reasonable balance so that a snack before bed is beneficial for both sleep and metabolism. And in general, eating at night and losing weight – isn’t this the stuff of science fiction?

Eating before bed is a physiological norm

Kids know very well that a proper late dinner helps them sleep soundly and feel refreshed in the morning. For small children, overnight cereal porridge with milk is the same norm as for an adult - a cup of coffee for morning vigor.

A well-known fact: a baby fed before bed sleeps well and soundly throughout the night. And the best dish for this is milk porridge. That is, a combination of long carbohydrates and protein. And note: most kids have an excellent, fast metabolism, which cannot be said about adults.

I’ll say right away that if I went to bed and suddenly felt hungry, then I 100% won’t fall asleep. I’ll toss and turn, and then I’ll put on my slippers, go down to the kitchen and eat, and eat properly. So I don’t take risks anymore, and if I suddenly want to eat in bed, I go and eat right away.

Where did the idea of ​​“don’t eat after 6 pm” or “don’t eat 3-4 hours before bed” come from? This idea does not and never has had any direct connection with a healthy lifestyle. These recommendations relate to weight loss systems developed in the last century, and based on the erroneous theory of burning fat.

According to this theory, our body, experiencing energy hunger, begins to use fats stored for future use to maintain the required level of energy. Allegedly, this is why, when we go to bed hungry, we start the process of burning fat in our sleep. A convenient theory - sleep and lose weight. And the scales in the morning, showing a plumb line, were “proof” of this.

However, in reality everything is much sadder. During sleep, a person who falls asleep on an empty stomach has a sharply slower metabolism, fat deposits become an emergency reserve, and the body begins to release the missing energy from the most accessible and simple source - muscle cells. Therefore, overnight you lose not fat tissue, but muscle tissue. Moreover, with the very first meal, your body will begin to store additional fat reserves for future use.

Why do nutritionists spend so much time talking about the dangers of eating at night? Because it is difficult for us to adhere to moderation, especially in food. It is easier to ban something altogether than to try to limit the portion and composition of food. Analyze your evening plate and you will understand how far its contents are from the concept of healthy dietary food.

It is indeed difficult for many people to stop once they have sat down to dinner. And almost no one thinks about calorie content and serving sizes. Often dinner is supplemented with a glass of wine or other alcoholic drink, or tea with sugar. And the calorie content of the evening meal turns out to be hopelessly exceeded. There really is more harm than good from such a dinner. Therefore, dinner was declared “outlawed.” Radical, but effective.

Now you know what to eat at night – you can and even need to. But this does not mean that you have been given an indulgence for a night meal. As we have already said, late dinner has a number of important restrictions.

As a matter of fact, eating before bed cannot be called a full dinner. It's more of a late-night snack to improve metabolism and... sound sleep. And in order not to turn it into a night gluttony, you need to follow a few simple rules.

1. Count calories

A healthy portion of food at night should not exceed 200-250 kcal. A little more - and there will already be too much, which will certainly be deposited on your sides. A little less - and your body will begin to “eat” itself at night. As mentioned above, during sleep, a starved body without energy will destroy not fat cells, but muscle cells, because it is easier to get energy from them.

That is, by going to bed on an empty stomach, you are guaranteed to trigger the so-called catabolic process of “muscle drying,” which has nothing to do with burning fat. Agree, losing weight by losing muscle tissue is a bad idea. After all, fat (and with it the hated cellulite) is not going anywhere.

An energy value of 200-250 kcal is a reasonable amount of energy that will keep your body at rest, without forcing you to look for reserve sources in muscle tissue. In addition, this will be enough to prevent your metabolism from slowing down.

Keep in mind that these 200-250 kcal are not a “bonus”, but should be taken into account by you in your daily calorie intake from food. If you keep track of calories (and for those who want to lose weight, this is necessary), keep in mind that you should “save” these 200-250 kcal for a late-night snack during the day.

2. Attention to composition

Your late night snack should be a combination of long lasting carbohydrates and protein. The former are important for the slow release of energy that will fuel the body at night. The second is for the restoration of muscle tissue cells.

It is important that the foods you choose for a late-night snack contain the following beneficial substances (or contribute to their synthesis):

- Tryptophan.

Tryptophan is a basic amino acid, the importance of which for normal sleep cannot be overestimated. It is one of the essential proteins and is involved in the production of serotonin and melatonin. The first is responsible for emotional well-being, the second is an important regulator of biological rhythms, that is, it controls periods of sleep and wakefulness, and therefore is very important especially for people who have difficulty falling asleep.

Tryptophan cannot be synthesized inside the body, but can be obtained from food, primarily protein. The source protein can be of either animal or plant origin. Hard cheeses, processed cheese, shrimp, crab meat, rabbit meat, turkey and chicken meat, and legumes (peas and beans) are rich in tryptophan. This amino acid is present in smaller but sufficient quantities in cottage cheese, oatmeal, buckwheat, millet, beef, some types of fish and in chicken eggs. However, here lies the main catch.

The fact is that simply consuming protein foods, even those rich in tryptophan, will not automatically increase the level of this amino acid in the brain. In order for our brain to receive the required amount of tryptophan, it is necessary to supplement the protein diet with complex carbohydrates. The complex interaction of proteins and long carbohydrates gives tryptophan a “green corridor” towards the brain.

— Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone that regulates our biorhythms. It is also called the sleep hormone. To synthesize it, in addition to foods containing tryptophan, you can consume foods that are involved in the production of its precursor, serotonin, as well as foods that are directly related to the production of melatonin in the brain. These are bananas, cherries, cherries, almonds, pine nuts, and whole grain bread. By the way, cherries and cherries, according to some studies, are a natural source of the sleep hormone.

Oatmeal with milk and chamomile tea have a beneficial effect on the production of melatonin. Actually, this set of products can be an excellent option for a late snack: oatmeal (not instant cereal) with milk - this is a mixture of long carbohydrates and proteins. The main thing is to maintain portion sizes.

We have melatonin tablets at home. For me personally, they simply have destructive power. I use them extremely rarely, only when really necessary. But I always fall asleep after 5 minutes. It’s just hard to wake up after them, my head isn’t right.

— Calcium

This trace element is important not only for bones. It is involved in the synthesis of melatonin with the participation of tryptophan. Calcium is also important in the conduction of nerve impulses, so a lack of it can ruin your sleep.

The best sources of calcium before bed are considered low-fat (but not low-fat!) dairy products, primarily milk and yogurt.

Yeah, I also read somewhere recently that cottage cheese is not at all the main source of calcium. But I don’t remember the main thing. Something from plants. In short: they write, then they refute.

— Magnesium

Magnesium helps reduce the production of the stress hormone cortisol, which interferes with a good night's sleep. A lack of magnesium, by the way, often leads to cramping of the calf muscles at rest.

If your legs regularly cramp in bed, pay attention to the level of magnesium in your blood - most likely you do not have enough of it. In addition, magnesium is an important participant in energy metabolism.

Great sources of magnesium to snack on before bed include almonds, cashews, peanuts, banana and bran bread. Buckwheat and wild rice are rich in magnesium.

— Potassium

Potassium is one of the most important microelements for life; without it, our cells will simply stop working. This is one of the participants in metabolism. And at night, potassium is responsible for relieving muscle tension. Like magnesium, it prevents nighttime leg cramps.

Good sources of potassium before bed include banana, dried apricots, prunes, raisins, almonds, pine nuts, peanuts, cashews, walnuts, baked potatoes, and tuna.

They say that bananas make you feel better. And just recently I read somewhere that these are all lies. One way or another: try it yourself, decide for yourself. I love and eat bananas. True, not so often.

What could be your healthy late dinner?

The choice is yours, just remember the quantity so that a healthy snack does not turn into a useless (or even harmful) late-night gluttony. So, before you go to bed, you can eat:

Oatmeal with milk. Milk must have at least 2.5% fat content. Skim milk is a practically useless product. Milk fat helps in the absorption of calcium and protein, and is also a source of vitamins A and D. Skim milk lacks this milk fat, and therefore its benefits for late-night snacking. You can add a slice of banana or a little cherry to your oatmeal.

Boiled egg with a piece of whole grain bread. If you do not want to add calories to this snack, remove the yolk from the egg and eat only the white, or half the yolk.

A glass of warm milk with a small amount of dried apricots or nuts of your choice(remember the calorie content of nuts and do not overload on them).

A cup of warm milk with a small oatmeal cookie.

Milkshake with banana and cherry. Please note: if you use frozen berries, they must be thawed first, as the overnight cocktail should not be cold. Cold food before bed is not advisable. For greater benefits, add some oatmeal or flax seeds to your smoothie.

Whole grain toast with bran and tuna. Tuna should not be in oil, but in its own juice. Instead of tuna, you can use seafood, such as crab meat or shrimp.

Using the information received, you will surely be able to create your own recipes for a healthy snack before bed. Let us remind you that there are two main conditions: a combination of carbohydrates and proteins, as well as a calorie content of 200-250 kcal.

Advice: To make the most of a late dinner, get a small kitchen scale to weigh your portion. This purchase will quickly pay for itself with good health, sound sleep and the desired plumb lines on the floor scales.

I’ll get in here again for the last time. Kitchen scales like the one in the picture start at $6 on ebay. I don't think that's too much of a price. Moreover, with their help you will find out how much you actually ate. I'm not even talking about the fact that such scales are useful simply for cooking.

Falling asleep on an empty stomach is not the best option. Hunger can cause insomnia; the body will not rest and will eventually require even more food. To avoid this, you can allow yourself a light snack at night - using the following products.

Chicken breast

Boiled chicken breast has a high protein content, which will help curb hunger and increase your metabolic rate. 100 grams of product is enough - of course, without bread. Chicken sausages are also suitable - but not fried or smoked.

Tuna

Tuna is easily digestible and quickly eliminates the feeling of hunger. Without worrying about your figure, you can eat a few tablespoons of canned tuna, or prepared yourself from fresh fish - grilled, but not stewed.

Kefir or yogurt

Boiled vegetables

It is better not to eat raw vegetables and fruits at night - they will take a long time to digest. But boiled ones are easy to digest. Carrots and beets are suitable for snacking, but it is better to avoid potatoes.

Canned corn

Corn from a jar will also help kill the worm. But only a couple of spoons - no more.

Low-fat cheese

Cheese will help relieve hunger pangs. It's filling enough that a couple of slices will be enough to make you feel better.

Squash caviar

This product remains greatly underrated: caviar is healthy and low in calories - just right for such cases. And not only squash, but also eggplant and any other vegetable. It should be consumed without bread - and again, not in jars.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a universal product that can be consumed not only in the morning, but also in the evening. If you like sweets, add just a little raisins.

Berries

During the season, you can satisfy your hunger with fresh berries. What to eat - strawberries, raspberries, currants. To avoid stomach problems, it is enough to eat a handful of washed berries at night.

Nuts

Nuts are quite high in calories, but a small portion of them at night will work a miracle - you won’t feel hungry throughout the night.

The famous hero of Alexander Kalyagin in the film “Slave of Love” sighed dejectedly: “I want to eat, and I want to lose weight!” A similar dilemma faces almost every woman who dreams of a slim figure, but at the same time sometimes cannot give up her favorite food at night. This is especially true for those who are forced to return home late and for whom the prospect of moving dinner to breakfast seems like a complete mockery. So what can you eat for a late dinner without fear of gaining extra pounds?

Baked apples

Why are apples baked in the oven a great way to satisfy your hunger at night? Everything is very simple. The fact is that fresh, crispy, juicy apples provoke appetite. Once you eat your favorite fruits on an empty stomach, you will want to supplement your modest meal with a large amount of unhealthy foods. So it is much better to bake apples in the oven. Moreover, baked apples, drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon, can easily replace a full-fledged dessert, and the substances contained in apples prepared in any way promote sound sleep.

Mushrooms

Of course, you shouldn’t overeat with stewed mushrooms, in sour cream sauce and with fried potatoes, so it’s best to limit yourself to a small portion of boiled or steamed champignons. By the way, if you cook mushrooms according to all the rules, you can get a dietary and at the same time incredibly tasty dish. True, you should be careful with canned mushrooms - a large amount of the prepared product may not have the best effect on the liver.

Almond

Nuts are nutritious and extremely healthy, so they are quite suitable for an evening snack. Ten almonds will not only help satisfy your hunger, but will also supply your body with B vitamins and magnesium. But be careful: despite the fact that nuts are a storehouse of substances beneficial to the body, they are also very high in calories, so try not to overdo it with nightly trips to the kitchen.

Chicken breast

This type of meat is the most dietary - the maximum protein content for an excellent and quick satisfaction of hunger with a scanty fat content. Simply put, in a breast baked in the oven or cooked without a lot of salt, there is practically no fat at all. And if you want to treat yourself to an impressive sandwich at night, replace your favorite doctor’s sausage with a piece of chicken meat, and the loaf with slices of whole grain, very healthy and low-calorie bread.

Porridge

Porridge is a great way to satisfy your hunger both in the morning and in the evening. True, it is necessary to remember that it is preferable to cook porridge not in full-fat milk, but in water, without adding salt, sugar, and especially jam. Only then will it be useful and will not bring the slightest harm to your figure. As a last resort, if you still want sweets (and, as a rule, you want them at night - after all, the body can relax after a hard day only by receiving its share of sugar), try replacing jam and granulated sugar with liquid honey and dried fruits. Another pleasant and harmless addition can be honey from royal jelly - it has the same benefits as ordinary honey, however, in appearance it is much more reminiscent of white puffed cream, and the taste is inferior to whipped cream.

Celery

The beneficial properties of this product have long been legendary, however, the taste leaves much to be desired, and this is especially true for raw celery. However, the fact that celery poses absolutely no danger to your figure remains unchanged. The calorie content of celery is 16 calories per 100 grams, which makes it absolutely harmless to the figure. Moreover, it contains enough water and fiber, which means there is every chance of quickly getting full and going to bed with a peace of mind. By the way, returning to the taste: if you are yearning for fried potatoes on a diet, cut the celery root into neat circles and fry with a small amount of olive oil - the finished dish is practically indistinguishable from traditional (and very unhealthy) fried potatoes.

Sushi

An average serving of rolls contains about 350 kilocalories, and the fat content is quite low - 3.6 g. Please note: only 2 g are so-called saturated fats, which are the cause of high cholesterol. For comparison, a typical sandwich contains about 15 grams of such fat. But there is a significant clarification that may slightly complicate your dietary life: sushi must be perfectly fresh, that is, it is preferable to eat the Japanese dish immediately after preparing it. So the best option is to prepare the treat yourself, and this is not at all as easy as it seems at first glance.

Milk

Every woman who strictly monitors her figure should remember: most likely, due to constant restrictions, a significant lack of calcium has formed in her body, which means that milk is exactly what you need not only to satisfy hunger, but also to restore the body. In addition to calcium, milk contains about 20 essential amino acids, and milk protein is almost completely absorbed by humans. However, do not forget that milk contains not the most beneficial substance - lactose. In other words, milk sugar.

We hope you have known for a long time that the rule “do not eat after 18.00” does not work. You should give up food, at least fatty and high-calorie foods, 1.5-2 hours before bedtime - and this will be quite enough. But is it worth being hungry if you want to eat something straight?

Nutritionists agree that this is not at all necessary. Another thing is that it is best to choose the right products for a late dinner, that is, those that will improve and not move the needle on the scales. This material contains ten options for a late-night snack without harming your figure.

Dark chocolate

Chocolate is often considered a forbidden food, but not all types of chocolate are equal in this regard. There are significant nutritional differences between a nutty candy bar and a dark chocolate bar. Dark chocolate, in particular, contains minimal sugar and is loaded with beneficial antioxidants that lower blood pressure, fight inflammation, and improve your mood.

Pistachios

Pistachios are a great evening snack, especially if you can find a salt-free option. The fact is that they contain fiber (necessary for optimal digestive process), as well as biotin, vitamin B6, thiamine, folic acid, unsaturated fats and plant sterols, which makes them extremely nutritious, and at the same time provides the body with a lot of pleasant bonuses.

Soup

It’s unlikely that you expected to find soup on this list, but still. The fact is that any warm liquid has a calming effect on us, but if you are sure that you need something more filling than a cup of tea, or vegetable soup will be very helpful. Important note: Avoid vegetables such as lentils or beans in the soup. They are quite difficult to digest and will make you restless, which is definitely not the end goal.

Pumpkin seeds

A good nighttime meal is one that will curb hunger while also helping you relax and prepare for sleep. One serving of pumpkin seeds contains nearly 50% of the recommended daily value of magnesium, and magnesium is known to be important for restful, deep sleep.

Warm milk + honey

Warm milk has a long history of use as a sleep aid, making it a good choice for an evening snack if you have trouble falling asleep. It's interesting to note that despite research supporting the effectiveness of this method, it may all be a consequence of our psychological perception. However, the amino acids contained in milk lead to the production of the hormone serotonin, which will help you and “bad thoughts” that prevent you from falling asleep. Adding a spoonful of honey, of course, will increase the amount of sugar in the drink, but at the same time it will affect the level of serotonin, which will also be useful for falling asleep smoothly.

Blueberry

Blueberries are rich in antioxidants (and frozen berries are as good as fresh ones) and also contain nutrients that, according to numerous studies, can improve brain function and overall health. If you're not on a strict diet and can afford the extra calories, add two tablespoons of cream to the berries for an incredibly delicious dessert.

Rice

New research from PLoS One shows that a diet with rice as its main component is associated with up to a 46% reduction in gluttony, compared with bread (no change) and noodles (only worse). Foods with a high glycemic index (GI), which includes rice, can speed up the production of tryptophan and melatonin - hormones that are extremely important for quality sleep.

Almond

Nuts are considered not the best snack for those trying to lose weight, mainly due to their fat content. However, a 2012 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who consumed almonds for 18 months lost the same amount of weight as people who gave up almonds as part of their diet (all other things being equal).

Let's add to this the fact that almonds stabilize the level of triglycerides - two main risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. And, of course, let’s not forget about the magnesium content in almonds, which is considered a real “sleep pill.”

Roll with cheese

Sounds incredible, doesn't it? And, nevertheless, if for some reason you haven’t eaten during the day and are now extremely hungry, make yourself a roll with cheese (and, if desired, chicken breast). We will not talk about calories here, but only about practical usefulness. Thus, cheese is rich in casein, a complex protein that, according to the British Journal of Nutrition, will not only make you feel full, but also speed up your metabolism.

Ginger tea

Let us remember that our body sometimes works in such a way that thirst is disguised as hunger. However, drinking several glasses of water - especially if you don't feel like it - is not at all necessary. How about ginger tea? In addition to the obvious benefits for the immune system, ginger will relieve you of the nervous system-stimulating caffeine found in tea. This means it will help you fall asleep faster.

There is an opinion that food will remain in your stomach all night, and this will lead to excess weight.

However, you should not blindly believe everything, because these are myths, and eating the right food before bed will not only not lead to weight gain, but can also speed up metabolism.

Read also:7 reasons to sleep on your left side

Snacking before bed can even bring you closer to your goal weight and wellness by keeping your blood sugar levels stable.

Therefore, there is no need to suppress the feeling of hunger and go to bed on an empty stomach, but it is better to eat something that will only benefit you.

Eating before bed

1. Eating before bed can help you lose weight.

Yes, you read that right. You've probably heard that eating before bed adds extra calories. However, this opinion is outdated, because losing weight cannot be reduced only to how many calories you took in and how many you burned. If that were the case, you'd eat low-calorie cookies, go to the gym, and lose weight.

Health and weight loss in many ways depends on the right nutrients and maintaining stable blood sugar levels.

When you eat the right amount of the right foods, your sugar levels stabilize and the fat-burning hormone glucagon does its job.

When you don't eat before bed, your blood sugar levels drop sharply after you fall asleep, and if you don't sleep well, this can lead to extra pounds.

Eating a balanced snack can actually help you lose weight.

What can you eat before bed

2. Being full will help you sleep.

Many people have difficulty falling asleep or wake up in the middle of the night. One of the easiest solutions to this problem is to have a light snack before bed.

There is no evidence that eating a small snack before bed leads to weight gain.

However, this doesn't mean you need to eat a huge bowl of ice cream, because what you eat matters too.

15-30 minutes before bedtime, you can eat a small portion of berries with cream, carrots, apple slices with nuts, or bananas. It's best to choose a combination of a couple of tablespoons of fat and half a cup of carbohydrates, since proteins can interfere with sleep.

3. While you sleep, your body works and needs energy.

Our body uses energy 24 hours a day, constantly burning calories, which means it needs to be refueled to maintain peak performance levels.

One study found that men who drank a milkshake before bed burned more calories at rest than those who didn't eat anything before bed.

Once you start keeping your metabolism at a stable level, you will begin to lose weight and feel more energetic.

4. This will stabilize your sugar levels in the morning.

In the morning, your liver begins to produce extra glucose and gives you the energy you need to start the day.

This process causes virtually no changes in sugar levels in people who do not have diabetes. However, some people with diabetes cannot produce enough insulin to get rid of excess glucose in the blood.

Diabetics often waking up in the morning with high blood sugar, even if you didn’t eat anything before bed. Other people may experience nocturnal hypoglycemia or low blood sugar, which prevents them from sleeping.

Some studies have shown that eating a small snack before bed can prevent such fluctuations in blood sugar levels.

5. Being full leads to better sleep and a healthier life.

Sleep affects immunity, energy level, appetite,metabolism and your weight.

The better you sleep at night, the better you feel all day long.

Do yourself a favor and eat something healthy before bed to ensure your body is properly rested.