From Quora:
Paula Dramilla:
I’d raid the kitchen every single night around 9-10 PM and gorge on whatever I could find. Chips, cookies, ice cream, leftover pizza – nothing was off-limits. And I mean nothing. This went on for probably six years straight.
What I mean by that is that I’d eat a whole day’s worth of calories after dinner. I’d make excuses that I was hungry or that I deserved a treat after a hard day. But I’d wake up bloated, I’d wake up heavier, I’d wake up with no sleep, and I’d wake up with guilt every single day. My doctor would tell me that my blood sugar levels were leading me down a path towards diabetes. I knew that what I was doing was ruining my health, but I couldn’t stop what I was doing.
The reality is that what you put into your body at night either helps or hurts your body’s ability to heal itself overnight. Most “healthy” snacks that you’re encouraged to have at night actually increase blood sugar levels when you’re least capable of dealing with it.
Now, as for what actually works, a handful of raw nuts will provide healthy fats and protein without spiking blood sugar. Greek yogurt with berries will provide casein protein that will slowly digest while you sleep. Cottage cheese will provide amino acids that will help your body repair your muscles while you sleep. Celery with almond butter will satisfy your cravings without spiking your blood sugar. Hard-boiled eggs will provide clean protein. Herbal tea with a little raw honey will satisfy your sweet cravings. The common thread with all of these options is protein, healthy fats, and low carbs.
Thanks to a survival manual that I was able to find that teaches you how to survive with no food in stores, no electricity, and no help from medical personnel, I was able to learn about the different ways that survival superfoods, which our ancestors used for energy, can be used. This manual has literally helped me eliminate my cravings at night, lose 24 pounds, and sleep better than I have in a decade.
Now I do not mindlessly snack at night, nor do I engage in self-sabotage by consuming late-night carbs that ruin my sleep and metabolism. This includes consuming protein- and fat-based snacks that balance blood sugar. Having my dinner earlier in the day so that I am not starving at night. Recognizing that hunger is not the same as eating out of boredom or stress. Learning what foods promote healing during the night and what foods destroy healing during this time. And last but not least, recognizing that eating in the evening either promotes healing sleep and fat-burning metabolism or ensures that you wake up with inflammation, bloat, and one step further towards metabolic diseases.