Sep 21, 2012

Night Eating Syndrome



I really understand why most of us are tired after a hard of work. So, after dinner, it’s normal to envy resting and settle in…great idea! It preps our bodies for relaxation and sleep. Unfortunately, if we lie down with a huge belly full of food, we are putting a strain on our system. Now we all go through an occasional night of over-eating, which may not be too much of a problem if it only happens once in a while. However, making it a regular habit is a totally different subject and it’s called Night Eating Syndrome. What is it exactly?
Night Eating Syndrome is defined as eating little to nothing in the morning and throughout the day, and then binging at night (25% to 50% of daily caloric needs) post regular dinnertime, and repeated almost every night. 

The reason behind this behavior is highly linked to emotional eating; eating because of stress and insomnia, sadness and depression, anger and other different emotions that we go through every day. Night Eating Syndrome is not only described as an eating disorder, but as a mood disorder and sleep disorder as well. Many people suffering from this disorder are unable to fall asleep until they give into their cravings for food and start binge eating.

Japan, China, India, the ancient Mayan cultures and many other traditional societies, intuitively knew that eating late at night was not good for our digestive systems. Our ideal digestion requires us to eat earlier, lighter dinners. Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, is that late evening and early morning hours are the time for cleansing and healing the body. If we’re using the body’s energy to digest food (which should have occurred during the active day-time hours), we are depriving this body of precious cleansing time to help fight off disease, as well as heal itself, naturally.

TOP 8 Night Tips :

      1. Eat a moderate breakfast and a heavier lunch. Then a light dinner that still fulfills a healthy emotional “nourishing” component. 

      2. We've all heard of warm milk's magical ability to send us off to dreamland. Do you know why it's true? Dairy foods contain tryptophan, which is a sleep-promoting substance. Other foods that are high in tryptophan include nuts and seeds, bananas, honey, and eggs.

      3. Carbohydrate-rich foods complement dairy foods by increasing the level of sleep-inducing tryptophan in the blood. So a few perfect late night snacks to get you snoozing might include a bowl of cereal and milk, yogurt and crackers, or bread and cheese.

      4. If you struggle with insomnia, a little food in your stomach may help you sleep. But don't use this as an open invitation to pig out. Keep the snack small. A heavy meal will tax your digestive system, making you uncomfortable and unable to get soothing ZZZs.

      5. Brush your teeth earlier! It may sound too simple, but you may find that if you just brush your teeth earlier than right before bed time, you’ll tend to eat less. 

      6. It's no surprise that an evening cup of coffee might disrupt your sleep. But don't forget about less obvious caffeine sources, like chocolate, cola and tea.

      7. Protein, an essential part of our daytime fare, is a poor choice for a bedtime snack. Protein-rich foods are harder to digest. 

      8. When you feel like eating late at night, drink a cup of warm herbal tea with raw honey. Hot liquids are soothing, warming and nourish the emotions.

       REACH YOUR GOALS WITH PASSION...
       LIVE LIGHT . LIVE STRONG . LIVE SVELTE

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