It is common to hear it said that in order to lose weight we should not eat at night or eat too late. This theory is usually explained because at night we are less active, which means that we burn fewer calories. However, this is not entirely true: there are some foods that can help you lose weight if you consume it at night.
Know 4 reasons to eat at night and that this strategy can also help you improve your performance in the gym the next morning.
4 reasons to eat at night
1. Low Glycemic Index Foods Control Blood Sugar
Eating foods low in their glycemic index helps you control your blood sugar. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that the food you eat at night can affect how your body assimilates what you eat in the morning.
Likewise, they showed that people who ate a low-glycemic dinner were able to better regulate their blood sugar after breakfast.
What Low Glycemic Index Foods Can I Eat?
To better control your blood sugar, combine a low glycemic carbohydrate with lean protein. The best low glycemic carbohydrates are as follows:
- Lentils.
- Black beans
- Yams.
- Your favorite green leafy vegetable.
When it comes to lean protein, the best options are chicken breast, beef, and salmon.
2. Eating carbohydrates at night can help you control hunger
A 2011 study found that eating carbohydrates at night can help you control your appetite throughout the day. The study researchers formed a group of 63 female police officers and an obese man applying two types of diets, with the aim of evaluating the effectiveness of the diet.
The first diet plan was based on uniform carbohydrate intake throughout the day to the official ones, while the second diet plan concentrated most of the carbohydrates only at dinner.
The results showed that the participants in the group that ate most of their carbohydrates at dinner experienced hormonal changes that reduced hunger, unlike the other group that ate carbohydrates throughout the day evenly.
Taking into account the results obtained, if your goal is to lose weight, instead of separating carbohydrates in small amounts across several meals, you could benefit more if you concentrate them during dinner. The ability to control hunger is a key strategy in long-term weight loss success.
3. Eating protein before bed helps build muscle mass
There is a belief that we cannot digest food while we sleep, but this is not true. Although our body is asleep, it does not stop working. Eating before bed can actually help you optimize muscle building.
Athletes who train with weights often incorporate protein such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and protein powder before bed to help boost muscle building while they sleep.
A 2012 study found that protein consumed immediately before bed helps muscle growth and muscle repair and recovery during the night.
Likewise, to accelerate the recovery from training sessions, it is advisable to have a protein shake or eat a Greek yogurt before going to sleep.
4. Not all carbohydrates turn into fat overnight
Stopping eating after exercise is not the best thing for your body, since your body needs to replace the energy and calories lost during training.
When you exercise, your body transforms and absorbs carbohydrates in a more efficient way in your muscles, in addition to accelerating your metabolism and accelerating your process of assimilation of food. However, this process of assimilation and acceleration of metabolism occurs at any time of the day, exercising or not.
But still, many people refrain from eating carbohydrates at night for fear that they will be stored in the body as fat, even after exercising.
Taking into account that not all carbohydrates turn into fat if you eat them late at night, we recommend eating carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes and bananas, in order to replenish energy in your muscles so that they are ready when you train. new.
Reference
- Roussell Mike. 4 Surprising Benefits of Eating at Night. For Livestrong [Revised August 2016]
