Which Foods Should You Avoid In The Evening?

If you want to promote a good quality of sleep, you should avoid lavish meals in the evening. Otherwise, your digestive system will take a long time, which will disrupt your sleep. 

We often feel like eating before going to bed. But you should better do without it, because you are doing your health no good. You should avoid heavy and lavish meals in the  evening  and your body needs enough time for digestion between dinner and sleep. 

It is therefore important to know which foods are harmful in the evening as they make digestion difficult. This could lead to insomnia or other sleep problems. It is therefore best to have a light dinner, which should be rich in complex carbohydrates and proteins that keep you full for a long time, but at the same time allow a good night’s sleep.

Is it healthy to have the main meal in the evening?

Work commitments often mean that you don’t find a quiet moment until the evening to gather with your family. During the day, many only eat a little something, but then come home very hungry and feel like a hearty dinner.

However, this can have unpleasant effects. For example, heavy and lavish dishes disturb the night’s sleep. If digestion isn’t complete when you go to bed, you may not be able to sleep longer or you may have difficulty sleeping through the night. The digestion can be active until the next morning and you will lack energy when you get up. As a result, you are less productive in everyday life.

Which foods should you avoid in the evening?

When we eat out, it is not always easy to control our diet closely. But you can use dinner to promote your health. For this purpose, it is advisable to avoid certain foods in the evening.

Food you should avoid in the evening: Fast food

Fast food is not healthy at any time of the day, but you should definitely opt for healthier foods in the evening. Fast food is high in sugar and fast carbohydrates, which put a lot of strain on your stomach and therefore impair digestion.

Do not forget that while these products are filling, they  do not provide the nutrients your organism needs. Therefore, avoid pizza, french fries or hamburgers.

Foods to avoid in the evening: simple sugars

As mentioned earlier, simple, refined sugars are quickly absorbed, but lead to blood sugar spikes,  increasing the risk of cardiovascular and digestive problems. Complex sugars found in grains or plant-based products, on the other hand, will keep you full all night long.

Red meat

Red meat is high in saturated fat, sodium, and protein, which make digestion difficult and prolonged. Rather, opt for low-fat meat that will keep you full and good for your health.

Foods to avoid in the evening: spicy foods

If your digestive system is sensitive, spicy foods can irritate or inflame the lining of the stomach. This could lead to heartburn and gas. If you go to sleep right after dinner, the risk of reflux is even greater because you are in a horizontal position.

Even spicy foods are therefore one of the foods that you should avoid in the evening.

Sweet cereals

The same problem arises with sweet cereals: They make digestion difficult, especially if they have been refined and artificially added sugar. As a result, more acid is produced in the stomach  and the nutrients cannot be properly absorbed. Heartburn is also common.

On the other hand, the industrially processed sugar in cereals does not only provide no nutrients, we also need calcium and vitamins of the B group for digestion, which are then not available to the body for other purposes.

Food to avoid in the evening:  caffeine

You should also avoid products containing caffeine, such as coffee or tea, in the evening. Because, as you know, caffeine has a stimulating effect and keeps you awake for a long time. Therefore, you cannot achieve the sleep you want.

Another recommendation: Avoid large, fully loaded plates and do not scoop up. It’s best to only eat what your body really needs. Try to control your cravings and prefer to eat a little more for breakfast or lunch. Don’t forget this recommendation: “Breakfast like a king, eat like a prince at noon and like a beggar in the evening!”