You’ve been starving yourself at night and sleeping on an empty stomach and still, you see no changes in your body. It’s a myth that anything you eat right before bed directly turns into fat. Actually, you going hungry to bed will have no effects on your weight loss and might even cause weight gain. Because if you sleep on an empty stomach, shut eye won’t be easy for you, you’ll wake up with even more hungry stomach and you’ll stuff anything that your body craves when your stomach is that hungry.
Smart bedtime choices are one that helps you get better sleep without weighing you down. Eating a little something before going to bed doesn’t mean you’re spoiling your bikini dreams.
Read on to know some best bedtime snacks you should have before going to bed for weight loss:
Peanut butter with whole grain bread
Everyone has peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in morning, but at night? No right. So here’s a bit of new information peanut butter is a very good bedtime snack choice. It helps in putting you to sleep at night and fills your stomach and what’s a plus is that it tastes amazing. The B vitamins in the whole grain bread help to absorb the amino acid present in the peanut butter.
Peanut butter will help you to fall asleep easily and also you’ll have a fully satisfied stomach.
Cottage Cheese
I know you might be wondering how cottage cheese can help you in weight loss.
But if you have ever been to the gym then you’ll know that trainers recommend including at least a small piece of cottage cheese in your food daily. Cottage cheese is rich in casein protein that helps you stay full. Having it before bed helps in keeping your stomach full overnight. Also, cottage cheese contains amino acids and tryptophan that helps in falling asleep.
A bowl of high fiber Cereal
Most of the working people and teenagers start their day with cereal. But how many of them end it with cereal? A small bowl of low sugar, high grain cereal can be a very good bedtime snack. Do not go for choco cereals or any other sugar coated cereals because you don’t want sugar rush in the middle of the night.
We are talking about carb kind of cereals like whole grain, corn or oatmeal ones. Mix some milk to add up extra calcium to it. Cereal and milk is a fine combination that’ll help in sleep and weight loss as well.
Turkey
Tryptophan and amino acids have most powerful sleep inducing effects. That is why you need to consume these to fall asleep. Most of the meats contain these tryptophan amino acids. You feeling sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner directly points to the fact that you consumed amino acids and tryptophan through turkey.
Consume a bit of turkey, say three to four slices with a slice of whole wheat bread or crackers. The B vitamins of whole wheat bread will help in absorbing tryptophan amino acids present in turkey. You can also opt for lamb.
Nonfat Greek yogurt
Greek yogurt when consumed before bedtime helps in calming your stomach and also you are less likely to wake up with heartburn or indigestion in the mid of night.
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Greek yogurt is high in protein which is filling and it also helps in building muscle while you are having your beauty sleep. Try and go for unflavored yogurt so that you can cut out the added sugar in the flavored one. You can have a good night’s rest.
Bananas
In some regions of India, people consume bananas after dinner. Do you know why? Because bananas are loaded with satisfying fiber and they help in digestion. They also contain amino acids and tryptophan which help you to fall asleep.
If you’ve cleaned up the kitchen already and are too lazy to whip up something and yet hungry then bananas are the perfect late night nosh for you. Also, if you feel like eating something sweet then ditch the desert and freeze a peeled banana and then mash it and whip it up with milk to make it a thick smoothie or just mash it and have it like a tasty ice cream.
String cheese
Yes, cheese is a processed food but did you know it only packs 80 calories? So string cheese is a perfect bedtime snack. It is an ultimate combo of fat and protein that keeps you satisfied. Plus 80 calories is not bad, isn’t it? Even cheese contains a high amount of amino acids that’ll easily make you drowsy.
Cherries
Before insomnia strikes have cherries. If you do not have the option of fresh cherries you can also stock some dried cherries or tart cherry juice. Cherries are a perfect substitute for the dessert that will satisfy your sweet tooth and also get you to bed early. Cherry is a source of melatonin which induces sleep.
Blend some cherries or tart cherry juice in soy milk or normal milk and have it. Super duper easy, don’t you think so?
Chocolate milk/Milk
Many people swear by the power of calcium present in the milk and tend to have a glass of milk at night before going to bed. The melatonin in it helps in maintaining the sleep cycle. If the plain taste of milk seems too bland for your taste buds you can choose to drink chocolate milk. But you should rather opt for low-fat milk so as to not consume extra fats. If you drink soy milk, that’s even better
Protein Shake
If you are a gym person, then you’ll be happy to know this that protein shakes are also one among the best bedtime snacks. Protein shakes help to build muscle and also help you catch you beauty sleep. And muscle equals no fat. Amino acids help in muscle building. You can try out any kind of protein shake as a bedtime snack.
Almonds
Not everyone craves for sweet some people like salty food. Almonds are pretty much your go-to option. Plus, almonds are very tasty and fulfilling. These are high in magnesium that can help you to ease into a peaceful sleep. Almonds burn fat and also help you in maintaining stable blood sugar level while sleeping. So almonds are bedtime super food.
Kefir
As of now, you might already have guessed it that milk products contain amino acids that are helpful in weight loss and better sleep. Kefir is another milk product that is packed with high nutrients and probiotics that are incredibly helpful in de-bloating the stomach, digestion and gut health.
While sleeping is already a weight loss method, the above given are some things that you can eat before bed to add to the weight loss. Whether it’s stress, emotional eating or unhealthy/ junk food craving, you simply can’t just go for late night bingeing. We maintain a diet whole day but as soon as the clock hits 10. We start to give into the craving and eat unhealthy food, which is hard for our body to burn off and digest sometimes. That is why late night bingeing is a no-no for anyone, dieters and non-dieters both.
Source: WomenNow
