We've all heard the myths that eating carbohydrates at night can cause weight gain or weight gain. body fat.

Our bodies are adaptable and intelligent, and weight loss or gain depends on a variety of factors, from the level of physical activity to the amount and type of calories consumed.

What happens when we eat carbohydrates at night?

The logic behind this is that when we go to sleep, the calories we eat will not be burned and will therefore be converted into fat. But scientific evidence shows that our metabolic rate increases when we are in REM sleep. [link]. In addition, at night our body works on tissue repair and muscle gain. while we sleepSo our metabolism is not completely at rest. That is, if you are an active person during the day.

Another reason why eating carbohydrates in the evening can be beneficial is to balance blood cortisol. Cortisol is the blessed stress hormone that when elevated inhibits body fat loss and muscle mass gain. This is because consuming carbohydrates at this time of day causes an increase in serotonin and melatonin, two neurotransmitters responsible for making us feel good and sleepy. This is when our cortisol hormone is regulated together with ghrelin (a hormone that stimulates appetite). 

Insulin sensitivity

There is also the issue of insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. Glucose and insulin levels remain elevated longer in the evening compared to the morning meal. But although they seem to worsen in the evening (compared to the morning meal), it should be noted that overnight fasting can improve insulin sensitivity.

Therefore, a fairer comparison is a midday meal versus an overnight meal, and in this case, there is no difference in insulin sensitivity. That is, it appears that insulin sensitivity is not impaired at night, but is simply enhanced by an overnight fast.

Conclusions

Our body does not have a controlled schedule to control from what time we start to accumulate certain foods as abdominal fat. Your body composition is defined by the amount of food you eat during the day, plus the balance of nutrients ingested, and other factors such as sleep, exercise, physical activity, stress. Not just from carbohydrate intake or any food you eat in the evening.

The problem lies in the fact that eating at night is often associated with emotional and compulsive eating. We even use it to relax, and this is where we choose unhealthy foods, leaving aside those that should be consumed: vegetables, fruit, pulses, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, wholegrain cereals, yoghurt. All of these fall into the category of quality foods for any time of the day as long as there is a balance.

I hope you liked it!