NIGHT TIME EATING... The Do's and Dont's

    
     Afternoon Everyone! Rob here, taking a few minutes from being Mr. Popular over here at the DFC to answer one of my favorite questions I was recently emailed (robdfc@rochester.rr.com if you have any subjects you would like information and criticism on)... Night Time Eating! There are many theories touching everything from storing calories to decreased hunger the following day. Here is where my infamous "science over logic" thought process takes hold...
     Theories suggest a lot of things and one of the biggest stereotypes of late night eating, is that all of those calories get stored away immediately. Logic suggests that this is in fact a true statement because you are not physically active during your rest time; however I cannot stress how incorrect this theory is. Your body, whether involuntary or voluntarily active, is constantly working to maintain it awake or asleep. Your body is constantly burning calories at rest and while being active. Yes... we do burn more calories while we are being active or exercising, but we still have to burn calories to function while resting. Whether it is heartbeat, temperature regulation, breathing, digestion or another one of the body's "automated" functions... You are burning calories in order to perform these actions. You are not storing much more than you would normally store while sitting at your desk at work.
     Night eating does have its drawbacks; however, in some cases disrupting sleep and causing gastrointestinal discomfort. In some studies, researchers believe eating before sleep can also affect your body's ability to heal due to your insulin levels blunting your body's ability to release growth hormone (which is a natural action during sleep). Agitating your sleep patterns can be very detrimental to your body's ability to recover from your daily activities. Stuffing your face with dinner immediately before bed is definitely not something I would personally suggest, but if you decide you want a glass of milk and a handful of nuts... You should be in the clear!
     The key theory that I truly believe in, and this applies not only to pre-bed snacks but to your entire day... Watch what you eat, and eat in moderation! We tend to make very poor choices before bed solely because that is what we are used to. People eat desert after dinner, junk food during movies, poor snacks during their favorite TV shows and much more. We associate these foods and actions with the evenings. It’s rare you will find an active, career driven individual sitting on the couch on a Monday afternoon watching Fight Club while snacking on handfuls of chips. You might around 9pm that evening once they have gotten the chance to destress and sit down after a long day though!
     "Calories in, Calories out" is the key factor you should always have in mind when it comes to your day to day eating. The more you eat, whether they are from poor or good sources, equates to having a calorie surplus resulting in storage... Plain and simple… Night eating is not entirely the issue even though you may not eat the best before bed. It is your over all eating habits, plus the "icing on the cake" that night eating tends to represent. If you watch your food consumption, your sources and quantities... you will be in the clear if you decide to have an apple after dinner tonight!