share: The Truth About 10 Top Foods

Thanks for the eye-opening article Alysia. I have followed some of these to the letter for years -- especially the idea that I need to drink eight glasses of water a day. I have also avoided white bread for years, thinking it wasn't as healthy as some of the other choices out there. Great information.

I have read this before but I believe evidence shows that this is actually no myth. Eating late certainly causes me to gain weight. Why? I am not sure, but the fact is, it does.

One solid reason may be this and many experts agree:

Our bodies are designed to rest and repair during sleep. Forcing our bodies to add digestion to it's nightly routine causes it to digest and process foods less efficiently, to repair less efficiently and causes the body to rest less.

Another reason is that - for whatever reason - we tend to eat less healthily at night, than during the day. Maybe it's because we are too tired and turn to processed, convenient foods more or because we watch TV at night and eat more than we think because we're distracted.

Anyway, eating at night causes me to retain or gain weight so I avoid it as much as possible.

I think you can have your late night snack and not gain weight; it's a matter of what you eat. I've found the combination of a little protein with a little carb - like fruit and low-fat cheese - gives me no problem at all.

Fatty foods, however, like ice cream and junk food, would be problematic.

Alysia, how long before bedtime are you having your snack? I have read recently that it's best to stop eating two to three hours before bed. Of course, that's when we tend to get a little hungry if we had dinner at a somewhat normal time. (And many nights, I have to admit that dinner itself has gotten late.) Low-fat cheese and fruit sounds like a terrific snack. Good work.

I have my snack when I feel the munchies. I think the 2-3 hours rule is really geared toward having a meal so soon before bedtime. As this isn't a meal, and it's usually 3+ hours after dinner, it works for me. I'm one who has to "graze" all day, rather than eat 2-3 large meals/day, and my portions are very small (call me a light eater).

Dinner is usually late for me, too, largely because I like to take my time unwinding when I get home from work. Plus, my evening meal is typically relatively light, since I'm usually just cooking for me (or, as is the case for the next couple of weeks while he's home on vacation, and for my DH).

If we don't feed our bodies when we feel hungry, we'll go into starvation prevention mode and start storing more as fat.

What's a "normal" dinner time, anyway, when you're busy, eh?