I must admit that, because of my working hours, I often eat quite late and on the odd occasion, I do eat a bit of chocolate or have something spicy. Hey, I’m human and I have the odd slip up!
As most of my classes are in the evenings, eating late can become a bad habit. It’s something I need to address – it’s still on my ‘to-do’ list!
Most of us try to eat at a reasonable time and no later than 7.30 or 8pm. That gives our digestive systems time to fully digest our food before we go to bed. We don’t really want our sleep to be interrupted with digesting food!
I still laugh at my parents – they eat at 5pm EVERY day. It’s not 4.55 or 5.05pm, it’s BANG ON 5pm! But you have to admire their routine because eating then is great for them.
If you do eat before bed though, there are 5 foods which you should avoid.
What are they?
Well, these are the ones I’ve chosen and I’ve given my reasons.
Take a look…
Remember, eating these late at night could be interfering with your sleep and you may wake up in the morning feeling lethargic and groggy. You really need your body to be in repair mode at night, not in digestive mode!
1. Ice Cream, Cake and anything with lots of sugar
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, resist the urge to eat sugary food just before bed. The extra sugar will cause a spike in your blood sugar, making your energy levels jump and then plummet. This energy rollercoaster is the last thing you need to help you fall asleep.
2. Spicy Foods
Bedtime is not the time to eat spicy foods as they can interfere with your sleep. One reason for this is indigestion, but they may also raise your body temperature, which can lead to poor sleep quality.
3. Steak
A big juicy steak right before bed might sound tempting, but red meat takes a long time to digest. This means that when you should be sleeping, your body will have to be hard at work digesting this fatty, protein-laden meal. Not exactly a recipe for restful sleep.
4. Dark Chocolate
Ordinarily, dark chocolate is one of the best desserts to try, as it’s got the highest level of antioxidants of all types of chocolate. However, it’s also got the most caffeine, and if you eat it right before bed, you might as well just drink a cup of strong coffee along with it.
5. Citrus Fruits
Because citrus fruits are so acidic, they’re notorious for causing indigestion and heartburn – especially if you eat them and then go and lie down. Save your grapefruits and oranges for earlier in the day, and if you want fruit before bed, opt for cherries or a banana.
So there you go. Avoid those 5 foods and you should be ok. Better still, learn from your parents and eat at 5pm!!
If you want to know more about foods that are on my ‘avoid’ list, download my FREE Nutrition Guide today.
Here’s the link: FREE NUTRITION GUIDE