HEALTHY MIDNIGHT SNACKS ... Don't Starve Yourself

Hi Friends, 

It's common to feel hungry at night before sleep; and it's very important to satisfy your hunger before going to bed.  It's a proven fact that if you will sleep hungry; you cannot sleep properly.   Rumbling stomach, burning of lean muscles and sluggish morning are some side effects of not feeding yourself properly at night.  Starving yourself is not a healthy choice, it's better to eat sensibly. Eating wrong will not only add kilos to your body but also disrupts your sleep.  Instead you can make a smart choice by choosing the right snack for the mid night hunger pangs.  Bedtime snacks should be no more than 200 calories.  

Tryptophan, a natural sedative  is one of the ingredients necessary for the body to make serotonin (the neurotransmitter best known for creating feelings of calm, and for making you sleepy) . So the best snack before sleep are those that contain Tryptophan and are low in calories.  Combine foods that have some tryptophan with ample carbohydrate.  Carbohydrate will cause the release of insulin, which takes the competing amino acids and incorporates them into muscle but leaves tryptophan alone, so it can make its way to the brain and cause sleepiness.  Consider slow-digesting protein that will digest throughout the night.

Here are just a few ideas for an ideal bedtime snack that you won’t regret eating.

• Hard boiled egg with small slice of flax bread . (flax contains omega-3 to improve brain function, while the bread provides the complex carbohydrates to boost serotonin.)
• Almond ( Loaded with good fat and lots of magnesium, almonds help to make you fall asleep quickly and also are great for protecting your heart ) 
• An Apple is a healthy choice than an ice-cream or any other desert with high sugar . 
• yogurt with a bit of granola bar .
• Plain or greek yogurt (you can add fruit to it)  
• Sprinkle some cinnamon and add fruit to oat for healthy midnight snack.
• low fat warm milk is also a good choice.

•  cup of plain oatmeal with 1 sliced banana (171 calories)
• 1 cup of Corn Flakes with 1 cup of fat-free skim milk (192 calories)
• 1 banana with 1 tablespoon of creamy no salt peanut butter (184 calories)
• 1 slice of whole wheat toast topped with 1 small slice of low-fat cheddar cheese (117 calories)
• 1 rice cake topped with 1 tomato slice and 1 slice turkey breast (60 calories)
• Greek yogurt with honey and a sliced banana. 
• whole-wheat cereal and skim milk (excellent balance of both protein and carbohydrates)
• turkey or peanut butter sandwich
• cherry juice.

Small serving of popcorn, low fat yogurt and fruit are good and easy choice for midnight snacks. They will keep hunger at bay throughout the night and will add only few calories to your diet.  Take cottage cheese if you are undergoing strength training .  Add fruit or honey to add flavor to it.

The cherry fruit increases melatonin in the body, a hormone that makes you feel tired.

Bananas are also rich in sleep-promoting potassium and are a good source of carbohydrates.

As a rule you should avoid  spicy, fatty and sugary food which can cause heartburn and hard to digest . These food are harder on your digestive system and will make it difficult to sleep.  Sugary food will increase your blood-sugar level will spike and drop your energy level and disrupt your sleep.  Avoid alcohol and caffeine.

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EAT HEALTHY, SLEEP HEALTHY AND STAY HEALTHY

References- 

fitsugar.com, prevention.com, today.com,  healthyeating, cloverleaf.hubpages.com

Picture from -

gmagazine.com.au ,foxnews.com