7 Foods You Shouldn’t Eat at Night

You don’t need to totally deny yourself of a late-night snack when you’re feeling hungry, but it’s also important to think smart in eating late. Consuming the wrong foods at night will not just add on to the unneeded calories that you consumed throughout the day, it can also disrupt your sleep. So, instead of indulging into the tastiest item in your fridge, here are seven types of food that are worthy skipping on as your midnight snack.

1.       Alcohol: Alcoholic drinks are capable of relaxing the valves that connect the esophagus and the stomach, and when this happens, your body becomes unable to keep the food you consumed to where it belongs. If you’re planning to drink alcohol before bed, you’re simply asking to have a reflux.

 2.       Soda: There’s no drink that can be as acidic as soda. The acid it contains is what damages the valves in your oesophagus, while its carbonation causes and increases the stomach pressure that you’re experiencing.

 3.       Coffee: Not only is coffee acidic, its caffeine content is also responsible for generating an additional stomach acid. So if you choose to take a sip any time of the day, opt for a decaf since it has lower acid levels compared to a regular coffee.

 4.       Citrus: Like soda, citrus drinks are also highly acidic. In fact, drinking a glass of green apple or orange juice is your worst choice of drink at night. However, it’s still possible to consume some red apples without experiencing any problem depending on the condition of your stomach.

 5.       Cheese: Cheese is another known fatty food, but if you still want to indulge on it, opt for harder varieties like the Swiss and Parmesan cheese as they have lesser reflux effect compared to softer cheese types like mozzarella and feta.

 6.       Chocolate: Certain flavours of chocolates are known to be high in fat, which relaxes and comforts the valves. Aside from that, most chocolate also contains caffeine and a stimulant called theobromine, which makes consuming it at night a triple whammy.

 7.       Nuts: When you talk about reflux, fat is still fat regardless if it’s saturated or unsaturated. So, even if most nuts contain a healthy dose of saturated fats, eating them before going to bed should still be avoided. Peanuts, cashews, macadamias, and walnuts are the worst nuts to consume, while almonds and pistachios aren’t as bad as the other nuts.

Ease your midnight snack cravings with other healthier options like bananas, low-sugar cereals, or even a chamomile tea. Not only will these snack alternatives fill your cravings, they will also help in soothing and settling your stomach.