Healthy eating advocates, nutritionists, athletes and simply people who monitor their health know that eating before bed can be both a friend and an enemy. A properly selected evening meal will improve the quality of sleep and normalize metabolic processes, and junk food at night will lead to excess weight and health problems.
Food is the most important factor in the quality of sleep. That is why it is worth paying great attention to the evening meal and choosing those dishes and products that contribute not to the accumulation of excess weight, but to healthy sleep and the restoration of the body.
What can you eat at night with health benefits?
- Fresh cherries are rich in melatonin, a substance that directly affects sleep quality. Melatonin is the active ingredient in many sleeping pills, as well as drugs for normalizing human circadian rhythms. A glass of freshly squeezed cherry juice in the evening is a guarantee of a sound and healthy sleep.
- Tryptophan-rich foods increase the level of serotonin, a pleasure hormone that significantly improves sleep, and also has a beneficial effect on appetite and general psycho-emotional state of a person. Tryptophan is found in soybeans, turkey, pumpkin seeds, eggs, and milk.
- Avocados and green vegetables are rich in magnesium. Magnesium is an essential substance that affects sleep duration and the ability to wake up easily. If you regularly eat vegetables containing magnesium before bed, you will forget about insomnia and morning fatigue.
- Without harm to the figure before going to bed, you can snack on low-fat dairy products, whole grain bread, fresh vegetables. A small amount of nuts and dried fruits is allowed, but it is always worth remembering that nuts contain a lot of fat and should not be overused.
What is not recommended to eat in the evening?
- One of the enemies of healthy sleep is coffee and strong tea. Caffeine tones up the nervous system and has an exciting effect on the body. A cup of coffee in the evening can disrupt sleep throughout the night.
- Do not drink alcohol at night. Even low-alcohol cocktails or beer are not the best choice for those who care about their health.
- Fatty foods, convenience foods and factory-made sweets are the enemies of healthy sleep. Such food is hard to digest, and at night the body works, and does not rest, digesting and assimilating a harmful dinner.
Also, do not forget that the evening meal should not be voluminous. Too much food before bed overloads the stomach, so the late dinner should be small.
