Healthy snacks before bedtime

Few topics are as controversial in the fitness community as the question of whether or not eating late at night is counterproductive for your figure. In this article, we have therefore set ourselves the goal of shedding light on the topic, debunking obvious but widespread untruths and ultimately giving you some valuable tips along the way.

The fairy tale of the magical time limit

For years, statements such as: "No carbohydrates after 6 p.m." and similar outpourings have frightened many an exerciser who, in a panic about damaging their physical appearance, would rather starve themselves for hours than take a close look at such a statement and draw their own conclusions. To anticipate one thing: The truth is that nothing magical happens in your body after 6pm that changes your metabolism in weird ways. The only thing that changes is simply the time you have left to burn off the calories you have consumed, which is logical, as you are significantly less active at night than during the day. However, if you look at the whole matter from a different angle, which is the case by including your daily calorie balance, the widespread truism starts to falter.

The small but subtle difference between theory and practice

Let's assume that you need around 3000 kilocalories per day to have a small calorie surplus for muscle building and have only consumed 2000 kilocalories at exactly 6 pm. Why should you refrain from filling the gap of 1000 kilocalories even after 6 pm? First and foremost, it depends on your energy balance and nothing else. The only thing that should be avoided immediately before going to bed is food that is extremely difficult to digest, as otherwise the digestion process will reduce the quality of your sleep and thus your ability to regenerate. Even if some studies seem to support the theory of the magic time limit at first glance, this does not necessarily correspond to reality, as many scientific nutritional studies are carried out on rodents such as rats and mice. In fact, the results cannot be transferred one-to-one to humans.

Improved muscle building thanks to a protein-rich goodnight snack

So if you have not yet reached your calorie target late in the evening, there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't treat yourself to a snack. However, in order to provide your body with important nutrients for the night ahead, choosing the right foods is crucial. Since the anabolic regenerative metabolic processes take place primarily at night, it is not surprising that an adequate amount of protein should be consumed before going to bed. Ideally, this should be slowly digestible protein such as Casein which is slowly absorbed into the bloodstream and provides your body with a constant supply of Amino acids supplied. As a sports science study from the Netherlands shows, consuming a protein-rich goodnight snack can help to improve muscle growth. With over 86% protein and only 0.3g fat and 0.6g carbohydrates per serving, FitnFemale's casein is one of the best on the market.

A tasty and good example would be a low-fat quark muesli with 30g casein powder, fresh fruit and a handful of nuts. To give the low-fat quark an even better taste, we recommend the Flavourite powder (85% fiber, almost no calories).

Evening snacks also help to burn fat

The obligatory low-fat quark in the evening not only helps you to build muscle, but also to reduce your body fat percentage. For example, researchers at Florida State University found that people who ate an easily digestible protein-rich snack 30 minutes before going to bed had a higher metabolic rate the next morning than those who went to bed on an empty stomach. Consequently, the organism has been relatively active during the night's rest and hardly needs any start-up time in the morning. This leads to the reasonable assumption that the late night snack is also interesting for people who want to reduce their body weight. In addition, the US scientists discovered that the consumption of casein (e.g. in low-fat quark or Harz cheese) in particular ensures that your appetite is kept in check after waking up so that you do not run the risk of eating uncontrollably.

Short facts for your goodnight snack

• Make sure that you eat regularly throughout the day.
• Have your bedtime snack about 30 minutes before going to bed
• Use mainly foods that consist mainly of proteins.
• When you Protein powder then do not use Whey proteinbut to Casein. Here you will find the Differences between whey and casein protein.

Problems falling asleep and/or you are a light sleeper

Unfortunately, this is a widespread problem in today's hectic everyday life, which can often have a negative impact on regeneration and your mood in the morning. This is where the right vitamins and nutrients can help. Studies have shown that taking ZMA or ingredients as they appear in the product Keep Calm can have an extremely positive effect on sleep.