Whether you are focused on rmoving excess fat or packing on on pounds of lean muscle mass, certain foods should always be avoided after 9 p.m. Remember, that you are about to go on an 8-hour fast otherwise known as sleep.
Therefore, if make a big dietary mistake, your body has no chance to compensate by burning additional calories.
Do these mistakes regularly, and while you may dream of having that amazing budy, what is happening inside your endocrine and metabolic systems is more like a nightmare.
It is okay to consume late-night snacks before bed, as long as you choose foods that will promote fat loss and lean-tissue building.
Avoid Eating These 7 Foods at Night:
1. Celery
If you are on a strict fat-loss diet, vegetables are the essential of your current diet plan. But, one particular vegetable that you should definitely avoid before bedtime is celery.
Celery acts as a diuretic in your body, which means that it makes you pee a lot. Consume it before bedtime, and you may be going on frequent trips to the bathroom.
Deep sleep releases a cascade of muscle-repairing and muscle-building hormones, therefore,waking up repeatedly will limit your gains.
What to Eat Instead:
Broccoli and cauliflower are loaded with healthy plant chemicals, while also low in carbohydrates. These make them an ideal late-night snack.
2. Chili
You might think that serving a hearty bowl of chili before bed, is a perfect way to top-off your nutrition with enough source of slow-burning carbs and protein before bed? But, think again!
Chili can be healthy when made with the right combination of ingredients, but, too often, it is not. To make matters worse, after 9 p.m, chili is spicy, and this may end up causing heartburn, which is a buzz kill for you sound rest.
Also, chili peppers can boost your metabolic rate. During the day, that’s great; but, before bed, it could leave you lying awake, when you desperately need to doze off.
What to Eat Instead:
You can eat up a small bowl of vegetable soup with added shrimp tossed in. The shrimp can give the protein that your body needs before the overnight fast, while the vegetable soup is a lower-calorie alternative, which will keep fat from accumulating.
3. Chocolate
The chocolate treat you ate after dinner is not doing your REM any favors. Dark chocolate also contains caffeine, which can increase arousal, therefore, preventing your body from shutting down, and decreasing your ability to sustain and develop deeper stages of sleep.
Also, chocolate bars contain varying amounts of caffeine. But, an average 2-ounce, 70% dark chocolate bar contains around 79 milligrams, or over half of what is in an 8-ounce cup of coffee.
If you know you are sensitive to caffeine, try consuming your sweet treat earlier on in the night, or cutting down on sizes.
4. Fatty Foods
Fatty foods include loaded burritos, burgers and ice cream sundaes. “These high-fat foods take longer to digest,” according to The Nutrition Twins, which they said will keep your body up working, rather than relaxing.
Fatty foods as they also explained, “often cause indigestion and bloating, and that interferes with a good night’s rest”. This can lead to a more fragmented sleep, therefore, you wake up the next morning without feeling refreshed.
5. Fruit Juice
Avoid drinking orange juice, fruit juice, grapefruit juice and cranberry juice, after 9 P.M.. These are all very acidic in your body and could cause heart burn in some susceptible individuals.
Fruit juices contain many simples sugars, with little or no fiber to allow for a measured insulin release. Fruit juices will set up a crash-and-spike blood sugar scene during night time.
6. High-Protein Dinner
Research had shown that consuming a high-protein meal before bed time can lead to sleep disturbances. Experts believed this may be because a protein rich meal contributes less tryptophan, the amino acid that is a precursor to the calming hormone serotonin, than it does as compared to other amino acids.
A lower tryptophan to other large amino acids ratio reduces serotonin. And, as such, like many other foods on this list, you may end up with acid reflux or indigestion, since you will be lying down with a full stomach.
7. Pizza
If you want to give your stomach a good workout before you hit the bed, then eat some salty and greasy pizza. Your stomach, just like the rest of your body, would love to relax when most of the other organs are resting, too, but pizza is not a light meal. Therefore, your tummy will have to get busy.
The layer of tomato sauce contains high levels of acidity, which is another catalyst for acid reflux. But, in general, greasy and fatty toppings, specifically cheeses and high-fat meats, can stir up heartburn. That’s not what you want to happen at night.
Read More:
1. How Sleeping Well Decreases Your Cancer Risk
2. How to Stay Hydrated Without Water
3. 6 Causes of High Cholesterol You Should Know