You just had dinner a half hour ago, and all of a sudden, the craving hits: Sugar. That little bit of sweet. It may be that ice cream you have hidden in the back of the freezer, or those scratch made cookies you made for your kids bake sale. Either way, they are calling to you. But do you ever step back and ask, “Why carbs at night?” Why at the end of the day are we craving sugar and not fat or protein?
In a study published the Oregon Health and Science University in the journal Obesity found that the body's internal clock, the circadian system, increases hunger and cravings for sweet, starchy and salty foods in the evenings. We know that the body is craving on the clock, but why carbs? What is so significant about carbohydrates? According to the National Library of Medicine, “Carbohydrate consumption--acting via insulin secretion and the "plasma tryptophan ratio"--increases serotonin release; protein intake lacks this effect.” A ha!
We need a cascade of various sleep hormones to get us to sleep and it all starts with the hormone serotonin. Carbs (especially starchy carbs) contain tryptophan which is a precursor for serotonin. Your body is asking for sleep, and if you lack the drive to sleep, your body will crave sugar to pump out serotonin so you will want to sleep.
The issue is that we tend to overconsume carbohydrates like sugar in the evening and this leads to excess weights gain. My advice? Have dinner as the sun sets in the evening that has a serving of starchy carbs (rice, potatoes, etc.). Approximately 2 hours after you eat dinner, start your pre-sleep winddown process and hit the hay. You’ll lose weight and feel better in the process!
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