Are you falling victim to the late night munchies? Try these five simple points on how to avoid this challenging obstacle.
1.) The first thing is that you should be planning ahead. Whenever I ask people to keep a 3-day dietary journal, I ask them to write down the quantity or portions and types of food, and they have to journal the times that they ate those meals during the day. Here is where most people really get themselves into trouble. Typically this is what I'll find; a majority eats in the morning, have their lunch 4 to 5 hours later, but then won't eat supper until 7:00 or 8:00 o'clock. By that time, they're so starved they go overboard and stuff themselves. The pancreas, the organ responsible for managing blood-sugar, goes to work and releases large amounts of insulin to absorb the surge of glucose from the meal. This is what we call an "insulin spike." This is a completely normal process, as this is how the body manages the food we give it. But, now here's where the problem begins.
If you decide to go to sleep right after you eat, chances are high that the majority of the food you ate will be stored as fat. Maybe you'll stay up to watch your favorite late night TV shows, you'll probably end up feeling hungry again. You see, the big insulin spike (peak) is followed by the big insulin drop (valley). Because of all the insulin released to absorb the large meal you ate your blood glucose levels have dropped again. Remember, the function of insulin is to assist cells in absorbing the extra glucose in the blood. Glucose is also the preferred fuel source for the brain. Therefore, when your brain detects a drop in insulin, you're hungry again. Problem! Late night munchies, you chow down, go to bed and store even more fat. So, you've go to plan ahead. At regular intervals you should be eating smaller meals, every 3-4 hours is probably best. I tend to think of eating in terms of grazing. If I know I'll be more active that day, then I'll graze, just larger portions. Keeping your meals at regular intervals keeps you from being very hungry, and there's a much better chance you won't be eating late at night.
2.) Eat smaller meals! Don't forget, digesting food has a thermogenic effect. This means that it takes energy to digest food, hence the recommendation to take a walk after a meal. Actually, it's been reported that you can burn up to 20-25% of the calories you consumed by taking a brisk 20 minute walk after your meal. Eating small meals provides you a consistent supply of nutrients and the smaller portions will not encourage your body to store fat.
3.) Avoid simple sugars! Simple sugars include glucose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, maltose and galactose, and there are more. Sugars come from carbohydrates a macronutrient. Carbs are a primary fuel source for bodily functions. Simple sugars are most often found in things like table sugar, candy bars, donuts, breakfast cereals, soft drinks and fat-free foods. Fructose is normally found in varieties of fruits, corn syrup and energy bars. Fruit is not as great a culprit of the insulin spike because of the fibrous content of the skin. Simple sugars can initiate that "insulin spike" we mentioned about earlier. Because of this spike, your energy lifts, then there's the drop, which leads to yet another candy bar, then another. This "yo-yo" effect also occurs with coffee, plus if you ingest a lot of sugar, you're less likely to eat something that would have contained essential nutrients. Therefore, sugar can also cause malnutrition by displacing vital nutrients in your diet.
4.) Eat complex carbohydrates! You're hungry and a bag of chips and a baked potato are staring back at you. Which one do you choose? The baked potato of course! But beware; the baked potato can also trigger an "insulin spike." How can this be? Well, there is another method of grouping carbohydrates called the "glycemic index." This measures the rate at which carbohydrates are digested and their effect on blood sugar.
Foods that rank at the top on the glycemic index are: Potatoes, carrots (cooked), honey, cornflakes, rice cakes, and soft drinks.
The potato is surely a better choice than the Doritos because it is a complex carb also known as a starch. Starches are large branched chains of glucose units connected together. This is the reason they yield much more energy than simple carbohydrates.
Surprisingly enough, you would be better off spreading some olive oil, dressing or even a little butter on the potato to slow the absorption rate of the carbohydrates. This brings us to my last suggestion.
5.) Eat some fat Fats fall in to 3 categories:
Saturated fat - These fats are typically solid at room temperature. They primarily come from animal sources such as meats and dairy products. However, vegetable oil, coconut oil, and palm oil are also saturated fats. Too much of these fats are bad for your heart and arteries.
Unsaturated Fat - These fats are typically liquid at room temperature. The source of these fats is usually from plant sources, vegetables, nuts and seeds. The two classifications of unsaturated fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Olive oil is a good example of a monounsaturated fat. The essential fatty acid, linoleic acid is an example of a polyunsaturated fat. Heart patients are recommended to eat polyunsaturated fats, because it seems they reduce the risk of heart and artery disease. However, only one teaspoon of these oils would be sufficient to supply the needed amount of essential fatty acids for an adult. The point is simple, these fats are preferred, but don't consume too much of them.
Hydrogenated oils - This is a chemical process by which hydrogen atoms are added to unsaturated fats or polyunsaturated fats in order to make them solid at room temperature and improve their shelf life. However, the byproduct of this process is trans-fatty acids. These fatty acids are not made by the body's cells and are rarely found in foods. It is not clear whether our bodies are equipped to deal with large quantities of trans-fatty acids. The presence of these unusual byproducts could create some problems.
A certain amount of fat is essential in your diet. According to ACSM ( of Sports Medicine) it is recommended that up to 30% of any diet should come from fat. Fat is your largest energy source, it also helps to protect and insulate the nervous system and vital organs and assist in the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K. Eating fat with your meal helps slow down the "insulin spike" which in turn maintains consistent energy throughout the day. Fat does a lot for "taste" as well. You shouldn't eliminate all fats from your diet. As the saying goes "A little poison won't kill" and in this case, fat might, ironically, help save you from those late night munchies.
I hope these 5 points will help you combat the late night munchies. Good luck!
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