It is a widely held belief that eating at night will make you gain weight. However, according to the University of Arkansas, calories consumed at night are no different than calories consumed during the day. The difference is that people tend to make poor food choices when snacking late at night. This can lead to weight gain. Selecting the right night food as part of an overall healthy diet and exercise plan can help you lose weight.
Lifestyle
A normally healthy eater who goes to great lengths to prepare well-balanced meals can be tempted to snack on unhealthy foods late at night. This is often a matter of convenience. When nighttime hunger strikes, it is easier to grab ready-made prepackaged snacks than it is to cook healthy food. For this reason, it is important to stock your home with healthy night food and not have junk food like chips, cookies and ice cream available.
Night Food Qualities
According to the University of Oregon, the best night food is filling, somewhat low in calories and low in saturated fat. It should also be convenient and involve little, if any, preparation. Healthy night food should instantly satisfy late-night cravings before you make a poor food choice that contributes to weight gain. High protein foods are good choices if they are also low in fat. If you exercise intensely to lose weight, the added protein will help your muscles recover while you sleep.
Choices
Night food snacks that can help you lose weight include popcorn without butter, whole wheat crackers, rice cakes and pretzels. Fresh fruit and vegetables are also excellent choices. Dried fruit can also be healthy night food in small quantities. Since the water is removed, a small amount of dried fruit contains a significant number of calories. High protein night food includes skim milk, reduced fat yogurt and low fat cottage cheese.
Portions
Night food must be consumed in reasonable quantities in order to lose weight. Any food eaten in excess will fill the body with excess calories that contribute to fat production. Night food snacks should be eaten to curb hunger that might lead to poor diet choices. If you are hungry enough to eat an entire meal, you are better off preparing a healthy meal than filling up on snacks.
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