Table of contents:
- Dinner doesn't make you fat
- What foods should you eat when you are hungry at night?
- Is there anything you can do when you're hungry at night, besides eating?
Hunger at night not only makes your stomach growl, but it can also make it difficult for you to sleep. Therefore, once hunger hits the nights, you may immediately open the refrigerator or see a supply of instant food that can be cooked quickly. Or if there is a fried rice artisan passing by the front of the house, you may immediately buy it without thinking. But doesn't dinner make you gain weight? Then, what can be eaten when starving in the middle of the night?
Dinner doesn't make you fat
There are still many people who think that dinner makes you fat. In fact, this is not the case. Dinner is not a direct cause of your weight gain. It is your choice of menu that may be the culprit. It also doesn't depend on the timing of one's meals. Even though breakfast time, lunch, dinner, or even early morning can make you fat if you eat too much food. The reason is, the calories that enter are still more than those that come out.
The foods you choose when you are hungry at night generally tend to be high in calories, high in fat, or high in sugar, for example fried rice, fried noodles, or fast food. When you're hungry in the middle of the night, you'll prefer to eat whatever satisfies your appetite, without thinking about the calories it contains. So, weight gain can occur.
To avoid gaining weight, you should choose your food wisely when you are hungry in the middle of the night. Choose foods that contain few calories. Also, don't eat until you are full. This can actually make you sleep less soundly because your stomach is overheated and feels hot.
What foods should you eat when you are hungry at night?
While deciding what to eat when you are hungry at night, you should first drink a glass of water. After 20 minutes, if you still feel hungry, then it is true that you are hungry. However, if your hunger goes away after drinking, it may just be fake hunger. You most likely just feel thirsty and need a drink, not a need to eat.
If you don't want to gain weight at dinner one thing you have to remember is to eat small portions. Small portions can reduce the calories that enter your body. In addition to portions, pay attention to the nutritional content of the food you eat.
Don't choose foods with high calories and high sugar. Choose foods that contain carbohydrates and protein at dinner. For example, fresh fruit with yogurt, one slice of whole wheat bread with peanut butter, whole grain cereal with low fat milk, or others. But remember, only consume small portions, yes.
The combination of foods containing carbohydrates and protein makes you sleepy, as well as making you full. This certainly can help you sleep better. Carbohydrates help the amino acid tryptophan (which causes drowsiness) to be more available in the brain, while protein is what makes up tryptophan, according to the Sleep Foundation.
However, don't go to sleep right after eating, give yourself a break of at least two hours after eating if you want to sleep. This time is needed by the body to digest the food you eat. If your body digests food while you sleep, you may wake up tired the next day.
Is there anything you can do when you're hungry at night, besides eating?
It's better to know in advance what causes you to be hungry at night. If it is because you are not eating enough during the day or missing dinner, you may need to eat to get rid of hunger and to get a good night's sleep.
However, if the cause of hunger is due to a sudden appetite for a moment when you were looking at a food advertisement, for example, you may be able to concern yourself with forgetting hunger. You can read books, complete your assignments, or anything else you can do. Or, you can also go to bed earlier.
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