Planning dinner? Avoid these 7 foods for better sleep

Haven’t we all heard it? “You should eat a light dinner”, “You should eat a few hours before going to bed”, “You should never skip your dinner”! Yes, yes, we all have heard these ample number of times. But we seldom follow it. While having a healthy breakfast is an important consideration, eating a healthy dinner is also an important aspect, especially for those who are trying to shed some extra kilos.

Our body reacts differently to different types of foods and this could impact your digestion, body weight and sleep. Moreover, food takes time to digest at night. Therefore, what you include in your dinner matters.

In fact, there are some people who have issues such as gas, acidity, acid reflux, heartburn, disturbed sleep, weight gain etc. And for them, it is extremely important to consume a healthy dinner at the right time. The solution? Maybe the right dinner planning can help you! There are several foods you may be eating for dinner but you shouldn’t because eating them at night causes digestive, sleep, and weight issues.

foods to avoid in dinner
You might have to change your dinner plan! Image courtesy: Shutterstock

P. Swathi, Senior dietitian, Manipal Hospitals, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, says, you should avoid heavy foods which contain high calories. Fast foods, for example, are a no-no for dinner. It affects your health and sleep.

Foods you should avoid for dinner:

1. Fatty foods

During dinner, you should avoid having high fatty foods because it takes a longer time to digest and contributes to fatty deposits in the body.

2. Fried foods

Deep-fried foods like chicken popcorn, deep-fried paneer among others, should be avoided too as they can lead to acid reflux in the body.

3. Starchy foods

Avoid all starchy foods, especially diabetic patients. Having these food items during the night can lead to a high level of blood sugar and insulin in the blood. These foods metabolise down to sugar, are burned for energy and can lead to weight gain.

4. Spicy foods

Avoid spicy foods like biryani, mainly for patients with gastric problems and heart complications. Eating spicy foods at night can cause heartburn, which is a medical condition, such as acid taste in the mouth, indigestion pain in the stomach.

5. High protein

High protein foods like soy and soy products should also be avoided because sometimes it causes flatulence.

foods to avoid in dinner
Soy products can also make your hormonal imbalance worse. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

6. Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are essential for energy, but during the night don’t consume carb-containing foods that are high in glycemic foods and therefore can get absorbed into the bloodstream at a fast rate.

7. Sweets

Avoid giving sweets, chocolates as treats at night for young children as they might cause dental problems. Also, chocolates contain a small amount of caffeine resulting in disturbed or difficulty in sleep.

Moreover, eating your dinner just before going to bed comes with its own set of side effects.

Side effects of late dinner:

  • A late dinner is usually associated with weight gain and high blood sugar levels as the body’s metabolism slow down at night.
  • Eating late and large meals just before sleeping could also cause acid reflux direction issues and dental erosions.
  • While heavy and unhealthy meals in dinner can already cause sleep disruption, eating late could also harm your sleep quality and duration.
  • Consuming meals just before sleeping has some other health risks as well such as obesity, heart ailments, and diabetes.

So ladies avoid consuming these foods in your dinner and also avoid late eating.