Did You Know? 7 Foods to Avoid Before Bedtime

Have you ever had so long a day that you thought you’d be asleep the minute you hit the bed? Yet, hours after you went to bed, you were still tossing and turning? Have you ever wondered why your waistline keeps expanding despite the hours you spend in the gym? Now, has it ever occurred to you that your food choices at night may actually be the culprit in these scenarios? Indeed, what you eat at night affects your sleep, your weight and your general wellbeing. If your digestive system is still trying to digest what you’ve eaten, your sleep may be interrupted. You may not necessarily have an unplanned vigil but you may most likely wake up tired.

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Listed below are foods you should avoid at night. Please note that these foods are not bad in themselves. They just contain properties that may set you up for a sleepless night.

Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits like orange, lemon, and grapes are acidic. Their acidity may make you feel heavy and it can cause digestive problems too. What’s more, citrus is a natural diuretic. Diuretics increase the rate of urination because they push water through the system.  Thus, if you want to enjoy a night of uninterrupted sleep then you should avoid taking citrus fruits at night.

Garlic

This is one bad breath manufacturer. So, if you share a bed with someone, scratch it. However, its pungent smell is not the main reason why it should be avoided at night. Garlic is a hot herb. Hot herbs contain properties that can cause heart burn. Besides, one side effect of garlic is that it can upset the stomach. So, why take something that might keep you up all night?

Pasta

This one sef surprise me and I no go lie, e pain me. You know how you come back from work tired but you still have to prepare dinner. You have stew in the freezer. Several quick options come to mind. But since you want the quickest fix possible, you settle for spaghetti. So, you break those sticks up, cook and serve them up. Everyone is happy and you stroll off to bed. So, I know that like me, you’d be none too happy to see that pasta made the list. Well, the beauty of topics like this is that it opens your eyes. Pasta is carbs. Since you’ll most likely go to bed without working it out, it turns to fat easily and it will most likely play with your sugar level.

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Eba/Fufu/Pounded Yam

I know there are people who can’t go a day without swallow and soup. Even if they leave home at the break of dawn and come home at midnight, they must still hammer swallow and soup. Now, this is not a bad thing entirely. But eba, fufu or pounded yam are heavy nah. All the energy in that food will be converted to fat and stored in your body. The result will be weight gain. If you must eat soup and swallow, why not go for low carbs swallow? If you don’t know any, click on this link.

Alcohol

Nigerians love to celebrate. They celebrate the close of work day and work week with alcohol. The bars are in business because some people go there to pay their tithe before going home every day. At weekends, alcohol features at meetings and hangout with friends. These hangouts and meetings start in the evening and run late into the night. Now, these lovers of alcohol will come home and refuse to freshen their mouth. They will be harassing other people with bad breathe. But that is not even the issue. Alcohol interferes with the restorative functions of sleep. It makes you wake several times to make trips to the loo. It can also make you tired in the morning.

Bread

While most people use this food for breakfast, some others enjoy snacking on it late at night. Bread, especially white bread which many prefer, is mainly carbohydrate. It contains very little fibre. If such spread as jam, mayonnaise, or butter is slathered on it, the calorie content will be even higher. This means that if you don’t have a high metabolism, the bread you consume at night will most likely be stored as fat. Thus, if you don’t want the extra calories to be added to the ones you are already carrying, avoid eating bread before you hit the hay. If cravings will not allow you to cut off snacking on bread entirely, go for whole wheat bread. They are easier to digest. Also leave out high sugar and high fat spreads.

Fries

Fried foods are usually high in calories and fat. If consumed before bed, it will weigh on the body because it will be difficult to digest. It may also cause heart burn. In conclusion, there is nothing as refreshing as a good night’s rest. Therefore, you should give serious thoughts to your dining options at night.   References: Fox News Men’s Health Pulse Ng The Daily Meal Top Health News

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Got a suggestion? Contact us: editor at connectnigeria dot com  

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This article was first published on 7th July 2020

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