No wonder my hot milk, spiked with cocoa and Stevia into a healthy hot cocoa drink, is such a great bedtime snack for me! Thanks for the encouragement!
As I sit here and type this, the time reads 11:06 PM. And you know what? I’m eating.
*Gasp*
What?? Eating after 7 PM?! Yes, I know, I’m breaking the rules.
But frankly, that’s what I do.
When rules don’t make sense to me, I simply choose not to follow them (unless, of course, those “rules” are “laws”…not really into the whole illegal activity thing).
But as far as the whole “no eating after 7” nonsense goes, I break that one just about every day.
And so should you.
Here’s why:
Well, first, let me just say that most general rules of thumb in the fitness world are oversimplifications, and the whole “Don’t eat after X o’clock” is no exception.
The recommendation is based on the idea that metabolism slows in the evening hours as you prepare for bed, and eating during this time should be avoided so as not to have those calories stored as fat.
A good premise, but again, oversimplified.
What we really want to avoid in the evening are foods that give rise to insulin, specifically carbohydrates, and for several reasons.
First, when blood insulin levels rise, fat burning takes a dive and a “storage” environment is created within the body. This is a good thing after exercise or after an overnight fast to allow the body to “refuel”, but not so good when metabolism is falling off in the evening hours.
Secondly, something called insulin sensitivity drops drastically in the evening, which simply means that your body is not as responsive to insulin at night as it is during the day. When insulin sensitivity is low, carbohydrates are easily stored as fat.
Needless to say, we can see why eating carbohydrates late at night isn’t a smart move, but that doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t eat anything.
So, what should you eat to curb late-night cravings and support muscle tissue maintenance as you sleep? Simple: a small meal consisting of mostly slow digesting protein and fibrous green veggies within a couple hours of bed works best.
Animal protein (chicken, fish, beef, etc) are great choices for a late night meal, as is something like cottage cheese. Both digest slowly over time, providing a mild, but steady influx of nutrients to muscle throughout the night, all while not interfering with your insulin levels.
Or maybe I’m just a rebel who doesn’t know what the heck he’s talking about? ;-)
Got a favorite late night meal or snack? Agree? Disagree?
Drop the comments below!
Joel
P.S. Want to up your nutrition IQ even more? Watch this video from my good friend Isabel where she reveals 4 other “healthly” foods that you should NEVER eat, along with her TOP 5 foods for a flat belly:
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Bearing in mind the fact that insulin sensitivity drops drastically in the evening, the above recommendation makes perfect sense.. But… what happens if you work shifts and after the last day and before the first night shift you go for 24 hours without sleep? What happens then?
I find if I do not eat a small snack in the evening I wake up hungry around 3:00 A.M. without fail. Also, if I eat carbs the same thing will happen. So I try to eat something like peanut butter with celery or triscuits. Sometimes, I will simply eat a small bit of cheese.
Hi Joel; Enjoying your info, also reading through Tims’ book, question: for a bedtime filler I have been gulping down a hard boiled egg. Good or Bad or just
OK? Bob
Hi! I don’t remember seeing anything about Gourmet Nutrition…..is their a cook book or site to go to and see recipes that are good for you? Thanks!
@ Kirsten:
I almost always have an evening snack…I work out first thing in the morning so I feel like that little extra at night helps me have a more productive workout…IDK, could be just mental. But basically my rule is that if I’m hungry, I eat :)
Thanks again for a great “anti-myth” blog! It surprises me that even people with great knowledge of correct eating habits, metabolism, etc still think it’s ok to starve yourself hours before sleep (when you are essentially fasting). It’s not only a bad idea for your metabolism, but it also disrupts your sleep cycle. That being said, also eating way too much of the wrong foods before bed has the same effect. Thanks for the recommendations, and keep up with the great posts!
Almost every night, I have cottage cheese before bed. It’s actually how my fiance knows I’m getting tired. lol :D
Thanks for the info. I go to work at 3pm, and do not even get to the gym until midnight. So… it is about 1AM before I get home, and yes, I do sometimes have a light snack, healthy, of course before I go to bed about 1:30 AM, AFTER my workout. So far, I have not had any problems gaining weight, as my muscles are tired, broken down, and ready to start the rebuild process. I find I sleep a whole lot better, not going to bed hungry, and my muscle tone and bulk have improved a lot during the last couple of months. It works!
Ok Joel,
I’ve got one that you’ve probably never run into before…
I have narcolepsy. For those of you that don’t know what that is…it’s a sleeping disorder. I don’t have a set sleeping pattern like most people (awake, light sleep, deep sleep, repeat). I have a light sleep stage, but it’s only about 1 minute long, while most people are 2-4 hours. I’m in and out of awake/deep sleep all day and all night like a heart pulse.
This makes for a VERY long night, and very frustrating sleep. When i first go to bed, I fall asleep within minutes of putting my head down and go immediately into deep sleep. I sleep for about 2 hours and then consciously wake up. For the rest of the night, I’m in and out of deep sleep about every 20 – 30 minutes.
I find myself having to eat something in the middle of the night because of massive hunger pangs, to the point of feeling nausious from the hunger. I have a protein shake somewhere around 2am, which is 6oz water and 6oz 1% milk. From reading comments above, it doesn’t sound like the 6oz of 1% milk is doing me any good, because of it’s high insulin injection. Is that correct? Should I replace the 6oz of 1% milk with water?
What’s your thoughts on deli meat? I like low-fat turkey, but I’m not sure if it’s too high in sodium?
Thanks!
Alex
I eat cottage cheese with blueberries or cranberries and cinnamon. I like the antioxidants from the berries, and cinnamon helps to control inculin levels.
How about regular cheese?
I like a Frozen protein shake! You can add metamucal or wheat or oat bran,xylotol,Greek yogurt,some fruit,or cottage ch.,tbsp peanut butter. viola….a great snack….curbs the sweet tooth……but don’t do it late due to digestion…eat at least one hr before bedtime! My thin friend eats oatmeal with cinnamon nightly for years! I think we all just need to try things to see how they work for each person,,,,maybe there is no ” rule” but listening to your body to see what works for each person? Good luck all…..
My Naturopath placed a “late night meal” on the nutritional plan she suggested I follow. No sugars, and water is fine, too. She wrote down yogurt as one of the suggestions for that meal.
My favorite snack is deer jerky. We are big hunters and I process all of our deer and elk myself, that way I know whats in it. Just pure lean meat. I make a lot of jerky. Deer jerky is mostly just protein sticks. So good and healthy. The sodium content of my jerky is very very low.
You are so great Joel!!! I love the way you use your intelligence to make decisions. Best of health to you my weight loss Fave:)!!!!!!!!
I don’t know. What about pure dark chocolate chips? Pure sugar, but no carbohydrate, like a late-night sandwich. I do know it’s easy to get away with the amount, but if carefully controlled . . . ?
Nothing better than cottage cheese and stevia( chocolate flavor) pass in mixer!!! The texture is like cream cheese!
Hi Jole,
In the CYWT manual, cottage cheese is listed under an acceptable fat source. How much cottage cheese can we eat? I know that in the manual it said that fats should only be the size of the tip of your own thumb and some fats got two thumbs, but what about cottage cheese?
Thanks for your time in advance,
Marisa
hmm well this is good. I seem to have got into the bad habit of sleep eating. I am not really aware I am doing it until the next day, and because I don’t keep rubbish in the house it is usually nuts or leftover dinner I eat. I am wondering if I am not eating enough in the evening?? It does not seem to have effected my weight at all??
Warm brown rice (not white), natural yoghurt, banana and cinnamon keeps me feeling full, is low in fat,high in protein and full of fibre. Perfect for a 10pm snack before bed.
Hi Joel,
I often feel like having a hand full of cashews or other nuts at night. Is this good or should I stop doing that?
:)
6 egg whites+2 whole eggs and 1/2 ounce almonds or 1 tbsp peanut butter
Hi Alex,
That sounds very annoying!! In regard to insulin I have heard that cinnamon, if you like it is very useful for controling insulin spikes. Try mixing that with your milk. Milk I find is better then water if you are that hungry as you will feel full for longer.
There is alot of info about cinnamon on the web, here is a small peice:
Seasoning a high carb food with cinnamon can help lessen its impact on your blood sugar levels. Cinnamon slows the rate at which the stomach empties after meals, reducing the rise in blood sugar after eating. Researchers measured how quickly the stomach emptied after 14 healthy subjects ate 300 grams (1.2 cups) of rice pudding alone or seasoned with 6 grams (1.2 teaspoons) of cinnamon. Adding cinnamon to the rice pudding lowered the gastric emptying rate from 37% to 34.5% and significantly lessened the rise in blood sugar levels after eating. Am J Clin Nutr. 2 007 Jun;85(6):1552-6.
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Hey, it’s Joel! So you want to know a little more about me, huh? Well, I’d be happy to oblige :-)
I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...