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Eating a meal that is high in protein before bed can help your body remain in this muscle-building phase as well as increase the amount of muscle protein synthesis. Eating before bed is not “bad” but there are definitely better choices that you can make at this time. Your snack/meal at night should HELP with your goals not hinder your progress. Aka eating cookies or snacks that are high in sugary carbs might not be the best option.
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Eating a small sized meal prior to bed consisting of protein, carbs and fat will help to keep you satisfied and possibly help you fall asleep as our brains turns carbs (complex) to serotonin. Eating a larger meal may either keep you up or disrupt your sleep.
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Dairy products such as greek yogurt are typically slow digesting and allows your body to enter the muscle building phase while you sleep. Choosing foods that are high in healthy fats (avocado, almonds), can be helpful as well since fats also slow down the rate of digestion.
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There are other factors to keep in mind as well such as what types of foods you ate throughout the rest of your day and whether or not you just worked out. If you just worked out and it’s late at night, eating some carbs or fruit to replenish your glycogen stores would be fine along with some protein. If you haven’t eaten much throughout the day, choosing some healthier carbs to eat is not going to harm you.
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Fueling your body with the proper nutrition that it needs should always be a number one priority. By keeping this in mind, you will start making choices that will help fuel your body instead of harming it.
