You’ve heard it time and time again:
“Don’t eat so late at night! You’re gonna become fat! Your face is gonna become super big! You’re gonna die next year!”
Yeah, the worries go on and on.
But the question begets; should you really not eat at night, or is it (like 90% of ‘advice’ out there) a mere old wives’ tale?
Well, if you’ve always craved the aspect of indulging yourself at night, rejoice;
Eating at night will not magically make you ‘fat’.
In fact, here are 5 reasons why you shouldn’t fear the prospect of eating at night.
And just do it.
1. It’s Not Gonna Make You ‘Fat’
For starters, weight gain really depends on just one main component:
Calories in vs calories out.
So all that nighttime eating is not gonna magically make you fat, in all honesty. Heck, as long as you watch your caloric intake…
You can even have your biggest meal at night. No biggie.
2. Metabolic Concerns
Now, I know what you’re thinking.
“When I go to sleep, my metabolic rate will stop, right? So whatever food I consumed earlier on will be digested at a slower rate right? And excess calories will be transported to my chest and I’ll wake up with a D cup right? NO I DON’T WANT TO BE A WOMAN!”
Well, worry not if you have such concerns, because that’s not gonna happen.
Probably.
According to research, studies have shown that your metabolism does not actually stop working, even if it goes into a state of rest. Even while resting, your body’s still working hard to maintain its bodily functions.
So rest assured; your body might not burn as many calories as when you’re active, but it’s still burning. Which means that if you fancy that late-night snack and your caloric needs have yet to be met, I would say…
Feel free to go for it.
3. Famished
When retiring for the night, your body’s effectively going without food for the next few hours. And while that might still be alright for the average population, those who exercise regularly might experience muscle catabolism during this time, ESPECIALLY if necessary nutrients have not been ingested.
So if you’re a hard worker in the gym, or a chronic believer in fast-paced cardio, do yourself a favour and stock up on nutrients at night if you didn’t in the day.
4. Better Sleep Quality
Eating the right nutrients at night will ensure better sleep quality as well. For example, the ingestion of melatonin has been shown to help you have an easier time falling asleep.
So if you’re suffering from insomnia or a distinct lack of sleep, having some fruits before bed might help too. For an exact list of the best ‘bedtime food’ for all your insomniac needs, you can click on this link.
5. Improves Your Morning Metabolism
Keen to keep your metabolism going on in the morning, even though you utterly detest the notion of ‘breakfast’?
Well, eating before bed might actually rev up your morning metabolism.
According to livestrong.com, recent studies have shown that eating before bed has a positive impact on the metabolism in the morning. Gauging by a Nutrients study, both healthy men and women who were obese had improved metabolisms from bedtime meals.
Additionally, the study also showed that eating a small snack before bed causes the metabolism to kick into gear by morning. When you eat breakfast in the morning, your body will have an easier time converting food into energy too.
And lest you’re worried about the validity of the earlier research, the findings were actually supported by a British Journal of Nutrition January 2014 study, which warranted similar results.
So yeah, science says one. Not I say one.
