Snack smart, choose easy-to-digest food at night

Nutritionists advice late-night snackers to choose easy-to-digest food such as nuts and seeds

Hyderabad: With late-night snacking becoming a trend these days, concerns are raising over the impact of eating during late hours. Experts advise against suppressing hunger and going to bed, but suggest that care be taken as to what one eats and chooses as a snack that benefits their body even after they sleep.

In recent times, the eat streets of Hyderabad — from the DLF lane in Gachibowli, Kukatpally to Necklace Road — have been bustling with late-night crowds munching on everything from dosa to shawarma and noodles to kebabs.

Almost every major location of the city has come up with its own version of a late-night eat street, making Hyderabad a city that never sleeps. One can see food joints crowded with customers even at 3 am.

Nutritionist Meghna Soni says, “These joints serve the purpose of feeding people when hungry but what we choose to eat depends on us.” Most of us have heard that eating after 8 pm is not good for health. “At night, the body enters a resting phase and metabolism slows down. When you eat foods that are high in calories, it takes time for the body to digest it,” she explains.

This leads to acid reflux and negative effects on blood sugar management, which can cause major health issues in the long run, the nutritionist points out. Those eating late at night must remember to consume low-calorie food in small quantities that are easy to digest. “Food staying in your body for a long makes it lose nutrients,” she says.

People who work graveyard shifts will be able to digest food that has been consumed depending on the moderation of their work. “Take one complete meal, including proteins, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins, and break down the rest of the meals into smaller quantities,” Meghna says, advising them to stick to easy-to-digest food.

Giving enough gap between two meals lets the body’s metabolism work in an efficient manner and easily break down the food we consume. “One should give at least two hours interval between each meal so that the food is easily digested. Disrupting the timings of intervals can sometimes lead to changes in metabolism,” Meghna says.

A few healthy late-night snacks are granola bars, almonds, dates, fruit, fox nuts, protein bars, nuts and seeds.