We’ve all heard the myth, “Don’t eat after [insert time here].” Because if you eat after [insert time here] you’ll store the extra calories and gain weight. I’m here to tell you it’s actually WORSE for your body and metabolism to NOT eat a bedtime snack. Why? Because your metabolism, sleeping sound and feeling great has more to do with blood sugar regulation than just calories. And why go to bed hungry if your body will actually benefit from a nice bedtime snack!?
Unless you eat a bedtime snack, your blood sugar levels begin to drop after you eat your last meal of the day and then if you don’t eat before bed your sugars will plummet overnight. The goal of the bedtime snack is to slightly raise those blood sugar levels back to normal range so they can be stable all night long. This promotes good sleep, which is important because sleep not only gives us energy but regulates the hormones that control our appetite and metabolism. And who doesn’t want to be burning fat while they sleep!?
That said, not all bedtime snacks are equal. Typical bedtime snacks like cookies, chips and ice cream spike sugar levels making it hard to fall asleep and drop in the middle of the night which interrupts your sleep. Disruption in sleep means not feeling rested when you wake up, not to mention disruptions in hormones. Although we’ re not talking about cookies and ice cream, I think these snacks are just as tasty… Check out the segment for a few bedtime snack ideas that will help you sleep, feel great and lose weight and this post for more info: The Bedtime Snack Unraveled!
What brand of peanut butter is that? I’ve been looking for a new brand!
It’s Trader Joe’s Organic! Ingredients: Organic Peanuts. 🙂
Great job Cassie!
Great advice!! Thanks!
Love your blog Cassie! I’ve only just come across it – what have I been missing! I was wondering if you could offer any advice for someone suffering from amenorrhea? Nutritionally I eat almost entirely vegan and lately I just seem to be non stop craving bread and nut butter! I’m wondering if veganism not the best idea for my fertility issues?
Thanks for finding me, Sophie and for reaching out! We absolutely have experience helping clients with amenorrhea. Your story is pretty common: the veganism, the cravings and the lack of period. We’d LOVE to help you figure out a nutrition regiment that works to keep you heathy, support fertility and respects your lifestyle choices. Please contact my team for more info/and or to set something up! http://www.dietitiancassie.com/contactdc/
I have been telling friends and family this for years! I loved reading and watching you talk about this topic. You are fabulous and such an inspiration to aspiring dietitians like myself.
Oo I’ll have to check out your blog! 🙂
Hi Lily! The amount of carbs you need (and fat and protein for that matter) totally depends on a multitude of things: your activity level like you said, your goals, your hormones, your sleep, your stress, your health history… for individualized recommendations, set up an appointment because I’d love to help you! [email protected] 🙂
Hi! I’m glad to hear you are embracing the PFC approach and my 3-3 rule 🙂 Great questions. I talk about vegetarianism and veganism and how it fits into a PFC lifestyle question #4 in this blog post: http://www.dietitiancassie.com/pfc-balanced-eating-part-3a-faq/ u2014 Basically, it requires very careful planning. And to answer your question, beans count as a carbohydrate, not a protein (they have 4x the amount of carb as they do protein). Vegan protein powders like this one can be extremely beneficial to meet protein needs (http://www.dietitiancassie.com/store/powders-liquids/ultimate-vegan-chocolate-or-vanilla/) and in our individualized coaching sessions we work with clients who are vegan or vegetarian to help them meet their needs and follow a PFC lifestyle as close as possibly while respecting their dietary and lifestyle choices. Would love to help you! Email my team if you’re interested: [email protected]