You Shouldn't Eat Carbs Before Bed // Nutrition Myths

Nor should you NOT eat carbs before bed. It's important to ask two things 1. What's your goal? 2. How does YOUR body react and what does YOUR body need? If your goal is fat-loss, it doesn't matter when you eat carbs.

(Remember, carbs are not the enemy, and cutting them out won't help you lose fat UNLESS YOU ARE IN A CALORIE DEFICIT. But that is another post for another day).

If your goal is to be healthy, it DEFINITELY doesn't matter when you eat your carbs. What should influence WHEN you eat your carbs? When it suits you...

For instance: Lots of diets recommend NOT eating carbs after 5pm or 7pm or some other magical time of day. This MAY work for you, you may feel good like this, it may suit your body, you may get a better night's sleep. That would be your body telling you that it suits, and you should listen to your body's signals. On the flip side, this REALLY DOES NOT work for some people. I tried this for soooooo long and could never get to sleep. I'd be lying in bed for ages, trying not to think of food. If I did manage to drift off, I'd wake up hungry at 2am and eat cereal or cheese on toast (nothing wrong with these food choices, although I thought there was then). No matter how long I tried to eat this way, telling myself that my body would adapt, it never did. I was stuck in a cycle of doing this for a while until I "gave in" and fell back into overeating. I eventually gave myself permission to flip it round, and eat a big, carby dinner. My digestion has improved, but probably because my sleep has improved. I ate less during the day and was fueled for my workouts because I had had a good meal the night before.

WHEN you eat (meal timing) should be based purely on personal preference and what suits YOU. There is no magic formula for when to eat what.

For fat loss, overall calories intake Vs expenditure is what will get results. WHEN you eat is about ADHERENCE... If it suits your body and lifestyle you will feel better, won't be hungry, and so stick to it. Being healthy is about what you eat, how much and about having your head in the right place. Again meal timing has little to do with it except you will feel better if you listen to your body's cues.

Yum.... Carbs!