No matter what you decide to eat before bedtime, make sure you’re done with it before 8 PM (and that’s even too late, but a bit manageable). If you’re serious about your health, then you should try your possible best to eat dinner before 7 PM.
Why should you eat dinner on time?
The whole point of eating dinner early is to have at least 10 to 12 hours to fast before your next meal in the morning. As you may already know, there are a whole lot of health benefits of fasting.
Aside from the fasting, early dinner can help you in the following ways:
- Decrease the chance of heart attack
- Sleep better and wake up ready to face the next day
- Maintain a healthy body weight
- Slim down your waistline for a more defined and attractive look
OK, now that you understand the benefits of early dinner, let’s get into what type of food you should eat before bedtime.
10 Healthy foods to eat at night
Just so you know, all the foods on this list are meant for people who want to lose or maintain their body weight. They are delicious and easy to make too.
1. Turkey
This may be strange to some people; eating turkey for dinner. But it’s actually healthy and can help set a really comfy sleep mood for you at night. Not only is turkey delicious and nutritious, but it also has some properties that can promote relaxation and induce sleep.
One of such properties is the amino acid tryptophan, a substance that triggers the increase of sleep-regulating hormones in the body. The protein content of turkey also plays a role in inducing sleep.
2. Fatty fish
Fatty fishes make a healthy and delicious meal any day, any time! There is hardly any complete diet plan without fatty fish in it (or at least supplements that offer the same benefits).
The thing about this food is its vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acid contents which produce a sleep-inducing brain chemical known as serotonin. They have a lot of health potential, including the potential to enhance sleep quality.
3. Rice
You all know what rice is, right? It is one of the most common food in the whole wide world. The thing you all may not know is that it is one of the best foods to eat at night and for good reasons. For one, it has a high glycemic index which helps to improve the quality of sleep if you take it a couple of hours at least before going to bed.
4. Banana salad
If you take 2 fingers of banana now, you’ll experience an increase in your melatonin blood levels by 4 folds within 2 hours. This increase, amidst a lot of other benefits, enhances sleep and promotes relaxation.
Bananas are also rich in serotonin, which are sometimes converted to melatonin. Plus, banana is rich in calories. A medium sized finger contains about 105 calories.
You can take banana alone, prepare a banana salad, or take it with any other foodstuff that goes well with banana.
5. Cheese
Cheese helps you sleep better because it contains serotonin and melatonin, especially when combined with crackers. So, if you have a problem sleeping at night, you can try out some cheese.
Cheese is an excellent source of calcium which is known to produce serotonin in the body to aid relaxation and sleep.
6. Cereal
Cereal has always been a popular choice for breakfast because it’s delicious, nutritious, and such a quick fix just before the morning rush hours. But aside from eating it as breakfast, cereals can also be eaten at night as dinner.
Come to think of it, why do people call it “breakfast cereals”? You can eat it at any time of the day for all you care, right? That’s it by the way.
Cereals contain melatonin which supports sleep and less than a cup (175g) of it can give you at least 120 calories.
7. Eggs
Be a “good egg” to your health and eat some eggs. And no, do not feel guilty about eating more than one egg a week because there is nothing wrong with that. It’ll not hurt your health, neither will it hurt your purse (so affordable). So, get on with it and have some fun while you’re at it.
Eggs can be eaten at any time of the day, but there are certain advantages that come with eating them at night. They boost your metabolism and helps you have a good night rest.
If you’re a health junkie who eats dinner way before 7 pm, you can snack on one or two eggs to avoid getting hungry in the night.
8. Milk
Milk is rich in tryptophan, and as a result, it promotes better sleep. You can take milk at any time you like, just like many other foods on this list. However, taking it at night just before going to bed will help you settle in pretty quick and doze off before you know it.
Aside from promoting good sleep, milk also contains a lot of nutrients and can be very helpful in boosting bowel movement.
9. Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds are rich in calories, magnesium, and tryptophan which encourages the production of melatonin in the brain under certain conditions. This melatonin induces sleep in the brain and helps you to relax too.
Some research was carried out to see if pumpkin seeds are really effective in enhancing sleep. The results show 5% to 7% success.
10. Walnuts
Walnut will nourish your body with over 19 nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, fibers, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and copper. It contains healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acid and linoleic acid.
There are some claims that eating walnuts can help improve the quality of your sleep. This is possible considering that it has some omega-3 fatty acid in it which can contribute to better sleep. Walnuts also contain a sleep-regulating hormone known as linoleic and are beneficial for reducing appetite.
What you eat at night goes a long way to affect your day. So, it is to your benefit to be mindful of what you eat if you want to have a healthy and productive day.