1. Heavily seasoned foods
Heavily seasoned foods mostly refer to foods rich in salt. It is important to control salt intake when eating at night. Because the time for late-night eating is not long before bedtime, if you consume too much salt, it can easily lead to an increase in the concentration of sodium in the blood, which in turn can cause cells to lose water and increase urine output, having the same effect as drinking a lot of water before bed. This may lead to waking up in the middle of the night to urinate, affecting sleep quality.
2. Large amounts of milk or herbal tea
Most research reports suggest that the calcium and tryptophan in milk have a sedative effect, and herbal tea also has a certain sleep-aiding effect. However, once you become psychologically overly dependent on these sleep-promoting foods, it may lead to excessive consumption. If you drink too much milk or herbal tea, it will not only cause you to run to the bathroom in the middle of the night and affect your sleep, but it may also make you anxious before bed about whether you will have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, which in turn can affect sleep quality.
3. Sweets
Eating sweets at night is a major taboo for weight loss. If you eat sweets before bed, the energy that could have been consumed will be stored as fat because the body enters a sleep state where it cannot burn it off. Additionally, eating sweets before bed will raise blood sugar levels. Maintaining a high blood sugar state for a long time can damage the kidneys and even nerve endings. At the same time, eating sweets can also affect the secretion of growth hormone, which promotes muscle and bone growth and fat breakdown. Once the secretion of this hormone is hindered, not only is fat stored more easily, but the body's growth and development will also be hindered.
4. Greasy foods
Greasy foods contain a lot of fat and energy, and it takes a considerable amount of time to digest them after consumption, so they can maintain a high blood sugar state for a long time. Therefore, if you eat greasy foods before bed, you may experience a burning sensation in your chest after waking up the next day. Therefore, the intake of greasy foods should be controlled before bedtime.
5. Alcohol
As is well known, it is easy to have light sleep after drinking alcohol. This is due to the inhibitory effect of alcohol on the central nervous system. After drinking, people tend to feel excited, but the nervous system is actually in a shutdown state, so it is easy to feel drowsy. However, alcohol is not the same as an anesthetic. This inhibitory effect will be lifted in a short time, and for the rest of the night, people will be in an excited state, which affects sleep and leads to light sleep.
So, what should you pay attention to when eating late at night? There are two main things to note!
1. Chew your food slowly
On one hand, chewing your food more can easily make you feel full, thereby reducing food and calorie intake. To increase the number of chews, you might choose some chewy foods such as konjac, squid, or octopus, or choose foods rich in dietary fiber such as bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and seaweed. It is best to eat boiled food at night.
2. Choose foods that are easy to digest
If you choose easily digestible foods before bed, blood sugar levels are generally less likely to fluctuate sharply, and you won't have the problem of indigestion. In general, it is better to choose congee or soft, boiled noodles.