Tuesday 31 January 2012

Late night suppers

Many years ago I gave up my 12-hours-a-day-job for better hours and more work-life-balance and never looked back. But I still work in the city and so 12 hour days aren't entirely unheard of - today was one of them.

Back in the day when I wasn't expecting to be home before 9 I'd often eat my dinner (and breakfast and lunch!) at work so wouldn't get home hungry, but tonight I got home at 9 having had nothing more than a few rice cakes as my afternoon snack.

The problem is that eating this close to bedtime is likely to disrupt your sleep, making it hard to get to sleep and possibly causing disturbed sleep. So if you're getting home late you need to eat something fast to prepare and quick to digest but sustaining enough to keep you asleep til the alarm goes off (early morning waking is often due to blood sugar levels falling too low).

So what's the best choice? Well infact breakfast is the answer? Healthy breakfast choices make good late night suppers. Something high in fibre, low in fat, preferably with a bit of protein but not too much, and super quick to pull together:

- Muesli with plenty of nuts and seeds is a good filling high fibre choice.

- Fresh fruit with natural yoghurt and seeds is also satisfying and sustaining.

- Sardines or poached eggs, or avocado + hummous for a veggie choice, on wholegrain toast are all superquick and tasty.

It may seem odd eating a bowl of muesli before bed, but you'll eat earlier and probably healthier than if you faff around trying to cook something or heat up a ready meal. It should also leave some time to unwind before bed - preferably an hour to give your food time to digest.


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