Again within the day, every time I wished one thing mild, I used to cut up a salad for dinner. They’re fast to make and are fairly scrumptious – however they are not truly all that straightforward to digest, as I just lately realized from a diet professional who strongly suggested me to eat much less uncooked meals within the night.
“Raw foods such as salad contain a lot of fibre (which is very healthy during the day and conducive to a healthy diet and lifestyle; editor’s note), which is difficult to digest and, if eaten too late, can put a strain on the digestive tract,” says Dr. Maximilian Schubert, Medical Director on the MAYRLIFE Medical Well being Resort. He provides, “It can lead to bloating and discomfort. This in turn could have a negative impact on sleep quality.”
“At F.X. Mayr Medicine, we attach great importance to healthy digestion and its influence on general well-being, especially sleep,” says Dr. Schubert. And it’s exactly so as to not disturb the latter that the professional recommends not solely avoiding salad within the night, but in addition any type of uncooked meals. This contains uncooked greens, meat and fish. And unroasted nuts too, by the way in which, which many individuals would in all probability not have thought-about as uncooked meals.
Fruit is especially unsuitable within the night, apparently. “In addition to the fact that it is usually eaten raw, it also contains a lot of fruit sugar (fructose), which can lead to digestive problems such as flatulence and abdominal pain in some people. The high sugar content can also affect blood sugar levels and therefore disturb sleep,” says the diet professional.
In fact, salad, greens, fruit, nuts, meat and fish are wholesome meals in precept, as a part of a balanced food plan. Dr. Schubert’s suggestions subsequently solely apply after a sure time of day.
Attempt to cease consuming uncooked meals after 4 p.m.
“Raw food should therefore not be eaten after 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. at the latest,” he recommends. And this is applicable throughout the board, no matter your particular person bedtime: “From late afternoon onwards, you don’t have the digestive power to digest these foods properly.”
What is the analysis behind this?
Based on Dr. Schubert, a number of research which have investigated the results of uncooked meals on well being additionally recommend that consuming uncooked meals within the night just isn’t the very best concept. “A study published in the journal Food & Function shows that raw foods can lead to digestive problems and bloating due to their high fibre content. Another study from 2017, from the international journal Gut, which specialises in research on gastroenterological and herpetological topics, also showed that a raw food diet can change the intestinal flora and lead to significant digestive problems,” says Dr. Schubert.
He provides: “The journal Sleep Medicine Reviews has also investigated the connection between food intake and sleep quality. This paper summarises several studies and shows that meals that are difficult to digest in the evening can disrupt sleep.”
There are alternate options to salad for dinner
As a basic rule, boiled or steamed greens are simpler to digest and subsequently extra appropriate within the night. “As part of the F.X. Mayr Medicine, we recommend foods in the evening that do not burden the digestive tract and support a good quality of sleep,” says Dr. Schubert.
He recommends the next meals for dinner:
- Steamed greens
- Gentle soups
- Cooked wholemeal merchandise (for instance wholemeal pasta)
- Simply digestible proteins corresponding to fish or hen.
A model of this text initially appeared on Vogue (Germany).
