If there’s one thing that everyone should understand about losing weight, it is that, to do it right, to do it healthily, to do it lastingly, it isn’t a simple “eat less, lose weight” proposition.
And nowhere is the commitment and involvement needed for healthy, sustained weight loss more evident than in choosing the best bedtime snacks for losing weight.
How to Choose the Best Bedtime Snacks for Weight Loss
Once you commit to eating a healthier diet and trying to manage your weight, the rest is simple in at least one way. You just have to start eating healthy foods and snacks in a balanced diet.
But, when it comes to bedtime, not just any healthy food will do. To give you a better idea of the complexity involved here, it’s as much about how much you eat at bedtime as it is about what you eat.
Studies have shown that if you go to bed too hungry, or too full, it can affect your sleep patterns and rob you of valuable sleep.
In addition to eating healthily, it’s the sleep component that makes your choice of bedtime snacks so important. When you don’t get a good night’s sleep, it can trip up your weight management routine in a number of ways. Lack of sleep is linked to increasing your appetite, sapping your willpower against cravings and lowering how much physical activity you get.
Here’s how some healthy foods can trip you up at bedtime. We all know that proteins help to fill you up and keep you feeling full longer. But they also give your metabolism a boost, which is not what you want to do right before bed. So even the healthiest high protein foods may not be a good idea at bedtime.
According to the National Sleep Foundation in the U.S., the best foods for late-night snacks are those that contain the amino acid tryptophan, which makes you sleepy. Carbohydrates make it easier for your brain to absorb tryptophan and proteins are the building blocks of tryptophan in the body.
With all that in mind, the best bedtime snacks for getting a good night’s sleep while managing your weight are to eat moderate amounts of foods that contain moderate amounts of carbohydrates and proteins. Here are just a few suggestions:
- Low-sugar cereal and milk
- Peanut butter on toast
- Cheese and crackers
- A small cup of Greek yogurt and a few blueberries
The nutrition consultants at your nearest Herbal One location can help you understand and avoid the effect your diet has on your sleep. They will also create a meal plan just for you that balances your diet while avoiding foods and nutritional supplements that can rob you of sleep.
If you enjoyed this post, check out our recent article, “4 Fast Healthy Snack Ideas for Weight Management”.