Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but dinner is a close second. Eating a healthy and nutritious dinner can give you energy and help your body prepare for a good night of restful sleep. Some foods, however, won’t only deny you these benefits — they can create more problems. Avoid these dinner foods to keep your body in a healthy balance.
1. Spicy Foods
Spicy foods have a hot and spicy taste, and eating them at night can make you uncomfortable and have stomachache or heartburn. Heartburn is when stomach acid comes back into your esophagus, causing a burning sensation in your chest. You won’t have a good sleep if you have heartburn.
Eating spicy food late at night can also stimulate the brain and make it harder to drift into a deep slumber. Unless you are okay with disturbed sleep, avoid spicy foods for dinner.
2. Greasy and Fatty Foods
Greasy and fatty foods are high in calories and can cause indigestion. Eating these types of food late at night can slow your metabolism, making it harder for your body to digest the food. This can lead to poor digestion and upset stomachs.
Additionally, fatty foods are harder for the body to break down and can be stored as fat. When this happens often, it can cause weight gain and other health problems.
3. Alcohol
Although some people find drinking alcohol helps them fall asleep easier, drinking alcohol at night can cause problems with your sleeping patterns. It can disrupt the quality of your sleep and leave you feeling groggy and tired during the day.
Alcohol is also high in calories and sugar, and these empty calories can lead to weight gain over time. That’s not all — it can also cause dehydration, headaches, and other health issues. It’s best to minimize alcohol consumption and avoid it at dinner time altogether.
4. Chocolate
What a delicious way to end a meal! Unfortunately, chocolate for dinner is not a great idea. Chocolate has caffeine, a stimulant that can affect your sleep quality. Eating chocolate at night can keep you from relaxing and sleeping peacefully.
Avoid eating chocolate at dinner to ensure a good night of restful sleep. You’re better off having it as a dessert or snack earlier in the day.
5. Simple Carbohydrates
Simple carbohydrates digest quickly, foods like white bread, pasta, and potatoes. These carbs can cause a spike in your blood sugar levels, leaving you feeling energized after eating them. The stimulating effects of this energy boost may make it difficult for you to relax and drift off into a peaceful slumber.
Also, when these foods spike your blood sugar, and you don’t exercise afterward, the extra glucose is stored as fat. As a result, eating simple carbohydrates at night is a recipe for weight gain.
6. Caffeinated Drinks
Coffee, tea, soda, and energy drinks are all caffeinated drinks that you should avoid at night. Caffeine is a stimulant that can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night.
Drinking caffeinated drinks late at night can cause insomnia, headaches, anxiety, and other health issues. It’s best to stick to caffeine-free beverages for dinner or avoid them.
7. High Protein Foods
High-protein foods, such as steak and chicken, take longer for the body to digest. Eating high-protein foods at night can affect your night’s rest. Stick to lighter proteins like fish or eggs at dinner time. These foods are easier to digest and won’t leave you feeling weighed down. If you must eat high-protein foods, don’t eat late at night and wait at least two hours before sleeping.
Conclusion
Eating the right food for dinner will help you get a restful sleep. Avoid the foods mentioned above since they can lead to indigestion, heartburn, disrupted sleep patterns, and other health issues. Stick to lighter meals like salads, soups, and lean proteins to ensure a good night of restful sleep.
This article was produced on Health Makes You.