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Has anyone ever told you it’s bad to eat before going to bed?
They probably have. Most of us have heard this ‘advice’ before—but is it even true? And how would your body even know about some random or self-imposed deadline?
Does your stomach just decide that after 8pm, it doesn’t want to deal with the food you eat? That it has no choice but to become extra body fat?
It doesn’t really make sense, does it?
But dieting guides, friends and family members, so-called ‘experts’...they’re constantly telling us not to eat at night.
Is there really any harm in a pre-bedtime snack, though? A healthy one, of course…
How many times have you gone to bed at 10pm, only to find yourself so hungry that you consider eating your own foot?
While it would be better to try and fill yourself up with a hearty dinner packed with veggies, it doesn’t mean you have to ban yourself from food for the rest of the night. That’s how you end up ‘sleepwalking’’ to McDonald’s at 2am.
Sometimes, you just have to eat before bed. And if you’re going to eat, you may as well munch foods that burn fat while you sleep.
Yes, you read that right: There are foods that can help you burn fat! No running, sweating, or crying involved. These tasty foods simply help your body kick fat to the curb.
So, what foods should you be eating before bed?
Are there really foods and drinks that help you burn fat in your sleep? (Spoiler alert: Yes, there are!)
By now, you’re probably screaming, “Just tell me what they are.”
Well, we hear you! So here’s a list of eight bedtime snacks to help you burn fat in your sleep.
Eight fat-burning bedtime snacks you need to know about
1. Citrus fruits
Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits are absolutely packed with vitamin C —which is great for your skin, bones, and overall health.
Vitamin C is also used to produce L-carnitine, an amino acid that helps your body break down fat to use for energy.
Diets that are low in vitamin C have been linked to obesity and higher waist measurements. So make sure your balanced diet is packed with this tasty nutrient. And if someone tells you not to snack before bed, throw some oranges or a grapefruit at them.
2. Dairy
In a list of what to eat before bed for fat loss you probably wouldn’t expect to see dairy as an option. As they tend to have high fat and calorie contents, dairy products are often considered the enemy to weight loss.
But the calcium in dairy plays an important role in how fat is processed and stored by your body. The more calcium you have in a fat cell, the more fat your body will burn.
Dairy also contains tryptophan, an essential amino acid that helps you get some restorative sleep. So it’s a double whammy for bedtime fat-burning.
3. Bananas
At just 100 calories, bananas are always a healthy snack option—especially under-ripe bananas.
As they’re packed with resistant starch, greener bananas can help boost fat oxidation. This is when your body converts fatty acids into energy, ultimately increasing the amount of fat your body burns.
4. Whole grains
Whole-grain bread, pasta, cereal, and crackers are all great food choices to satisfy your late-night snack cravings (just not all at the same time).
Whole grains can increase your basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the amount of calories your body burns while you’re chilling out.
Plus, they’re packed with fiber. So they’re pretty filling and can help prevent your body from absorbing some of the fat you eat.
5. Protein shakes
Protein shakes aren’t just for gym-goers. Protein is actually a great fat-burning tool for us all!
As protein has a high thermic effect, it requires more energy to digest than carbs or fat. So, simply upping your protein intake actually helps your body burn more calories.
Although you can get protein from a variety of other sources, shakes are a good option because they pack in the protein without adding a load of extra calories to your diet. So, make sure your cupboards are stocked with your favorite protein powder.
6. Almonds
Almonds are a nutrient-dense option that contains healthy fats, protein, and fiber. This magic combo helps promote feelings of fullness and can prevent overeating less-healthy options.
They provide lots of essential fatty acids and vitamin E too, which further support your overall health.
Almonds also contain melatonin and magnesium—both of which can help you fall asleep faster and improve sleep quality.
7. Green tea
Green tea is a great metabolism booster as it contains catechins like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG has been shown to increase fat oxidation, leading to increased calorie burn.
So a cup of green tea before going to sleep is a good way to boost fat loss—just make sure it’s decaffeinated. You don’t want to be up all night.
8. Celery
Celery is such a low-calorie vegetable that you often hear it said it requires more energy to digest than it provides.
Unfortunately, this isn’t quite true. But that doesn’t stop it from being a great fat-burning snack. Celery is high in fiber, so it makes you feel full and supports healthy digestion.
Spread some almond butter across a stick or two of celery and you’ve got a two-in-one night-time snack for better fat burning.
Should you eat before bed?
There you have it…eight foods that can actually help you burn fat as you sleep.
We can probably all agree that fat-burning naps are the dream. If you’ve been resisting the urge to snack before bed—it’s time to ditch the guilt and stop the struggle. These bedtime snacks are your new go-tos.
Related: How to Lose Weight Without Exercise
But while these snacks are the best ones to munch on at night, it can still feel a bit odd to eat so close to bedtime.
If that’s the case, then you don’t have to go all in on late-night snacking.
You can still get your full range of nutrients and healthy foods from your daily meals. Just know that you don’t have to feel guilty, or that you’ve ‘failed’ if you eat later than usual.
The options above will, at the very least, stop you from raiding the fridge for leftovers or raiding the cupboards for cookies and chips at midnight.
There are other benefits to eating late in the evening too…
Increased nutrient intake
Consuming healthy snacks before bed allows you to add important nutrients to your diet (especially if you’ve missed out on them during the day).
Whole foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains ensure that you are giving your body extra vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that support overall health.
Better sleep quality
Believe it or not, some foods contain sleep-enhancing compounds that can improve the quality of your sleep.
If you struggle with sleeping, try eating foods that are rich in tryptophan, like turkey, chicken, nuts, and seeds, as these can increase serotonin levels and promote relaxation and better sleep.
Sustained energy levels
Healthy snacks before bed can also help you maintain stable blood sugar levels throughout the night.
Combining complex carbohydrates and protein, like a small bowl of whole-grain cereal with milk, can provide a slow release of energy to prevent blood sugar spikes and crashes as you sleep.
Muscle recovery and repair
Eating protein-rich foods before bed can be beneficial for muscle repair and recovery, especially if you exercise regularly.
Protein provides the building blocks for the growth and repair of muscle mass, so it helps reduce muscle soreness and enhances your recovery from tough workouts.
What time should you eat before bed?
OK, so we’ve seen the best foods to eat before bed—and what health benefits they provide. But ‘before bed’, ‘in the evening’, and ‘at night’ are quite vague terms.
So what are the actual times you should be eating your final snacks of the day?
The ideal time to eat healthy snacks before bed will depend on what you eat and how your body responds to each food.
A good rule of thumb to start with is to allow at least an hour or two between snacking and going to sleep to ensure proper digestion and minimize your risk of discomfort during sleep cycles.
Leave around two to three hours before bed if you’re eating a big meal, though. Why? Well, because doing so gives your body enough time to digest the extra food before lying down, reducing the likelihood of indigestion, acid reflux, or discomfort—all of which can interfere with good sleep quality.
It‘s important to listen to your own body though, adjusting your ‘nearly nocturnal snacking’ timings based on your individual needs.
If you find that eating closer to bedtime doesn’t interfere with quality sleep or digestion, you could even choose to eat a healthy snack within an hour of going to bed.
What are some other natural ways to lose weight?
Although eating well is a big part of losing weight and burning body fat, there are plenty of other things you can do to boost your metabolism and increase calorie burn.
Let’s take a look.
Get moving
Hitting the gym every day isn’t for everyone. But lifting weights and running on treadmills aren’t the only ways to burn calories.
Exercise can be anything that gets you moving and keeps you active.
This could be things like swimming, cycling, or yoga classes, but it can also be things like dancing around the living room, playing tag with your little ones, or walking around the town you live in.
If you’re moving, you’re burning calories. So find little ways to stay active throughout the day (that are also enjoyable for you!), and it will all add up. Trust us.
Love yourself
How you feel mentally can affect what you do physically—so be kind to yourself.
Losing weight doesn’t happen overnight, so be patient and remind yourself of how far you’ve come and the progress you’ve made so far. You can be your own inspiration.
Reducing your stress levels through mindfulness and meditation is a great way to reflect and calm your mind, so you can feel motivated on your health journey.
Get a good night’s sleep
If you’re not sleeping enough, your body isn’t able to recover from exercise properly. And as a result, you’ll feel tired, sluggish while lacking in energy the next day.
A lack of deep sleep also causes mental stress, which can affect your happiness as well as your physical health.
So make sure to prioritize restful and uninterrupted sleep and have some sweet dreams about how well you’re doing with your weight loss goals.
Strike the right balance
The healthiest and most achievable way to lose weight is to take it steady—one day at a time. It’s small lifestyle changes that lead to sustainable results, not going on an impossible diet that makes you unhappy.
Striking a balance is the way to do this. You shouldn’t have to massively disrupt your life or interrupt your happiness to lose weight.
Eating more healthy foods and being more active in your daily routine are your first steps. So, starving yourself and sweating in the gym for hours every day is not on the agenda.
Take a fat-burning supplement
If you want something 100% natural that will speed up your fat-burning efforts even more, PhenQ is your new best friend.
PhenQ is a completely safe and natural weight-loss supplement that combines the power of a fat burner and appetite suppressant into one handy pill.
It also increases your metabolism and helps boost your energy levels, so you’ll feel even more motivated to get moving and burn some calories.
We’ve also got some delicious weight-loss shakes for you to try. These are designed to replace one full meal a day while keeping your energy up, your hunger levels down—and your cravings under control.
And if that wasn’t enough, there’s also PhenQ PM—a night-time fat burner that contains the best ingredients to further increase the amount of weight you can lose while you sleep.
