Like many, many people, I occasionally find myself attacked by the munchies late at night. The other day, while I was staring at the open insides of my pantry, I paused. There’s an urban legend that says that eating before you sleep will cause weight gain. Is that really true?
Trolling the internet for concrete scientific answers initially lead to some definite confusion. One study claims that late night eating leads to greater weight gain, while another claims that late night eating will not lead to increased weight gain.
Digging deeper into these studies, I found that there was a combination of habits that determine whether late night eating would lead to weight gain. Particularly important was what you eat late night, and what you’ve had throughout the day.
If you’ve eaten well throughout the day, and are having a planned healthy snack, it may not be an issue. What is more likely to cause weight gain, is the spontaneous “so what’s in the pantry?” decisions, especially if you then don’t control the quality and quantity of what you’re eating.
Conclusion: To limit weight issues from late night snacking, you have to either quit late night snacking, or plan for a healthy late night snack to be part of your daily food intake quota. Which of these two options you choose will depend on your personality type and frequency of late night snacking.
Suggestions for quitting late night snacking include:
1) Brush your teeth right after dinner
2) Get your mind off food. Go for a walk, take up a night-time hobby, do anything on a to-do list (there’s always something!).
3) Drink water instead of eating. It’s often been said that people often unconsciously confuse hunger with thirst.
Suggestions for controlling late night snacking:
1) Keep a healthy late night snack accessible. The late night snack can be an opportunity to consume fresh (i.e. raw) fruits and vegetables. If there is any truth to the increased-absorption-at-night-theory, it’s better that the body absorb nutrients rather than empty calories.
2) Rid your home of foods that you’re prone to binging on late at night and restock with healthier alternatives.
3) Instead of eating, drink. In addition to rehydrating your body, fluids such as caffeine-free herbal tea or a cup of skim milk provide a great way to feel full without consuming too many calories.
Neera Siva is a health enthusiast, mom, patent attorney and writer, in no particular order. She and her family live in Santa Clara County. Check out her website at healthierbites.com, or follow her on twitter @neera_avis.
