Should You Eat Carbs at Night? An Expert Weighs In

You must have heard this from many that if you want to knock off a few kilos then skip carbs at night. Many advocate a carb-laden meal during the day and a lighter meal rich in protein at night. Ruchi Sharma, nutritionist and wellness consultant, says, “Every individual is unique; what works for X may not essentially work for Y and everyone responds differently to different environmental factors. However, there are a lot of myths  around consuming carbohydrates at night. Many feel that leads to weight gain. Some justify this by saying that eating carbohydrates at night will turn them into fats, however our human body and metabolism doesn’t work like that.” Ruchi further goes on to explain why it may not be a bad idea to eat carbs at night.

Removing carbs from your diet isn’t practical in the long run

Most of our food choices revolve around carbs, carbohydrates are the base of Indian diets. “If I take away roti, rice and legumes from a diet, there are little to no chances of someone following it in the long term. We have grown up eating these foods. Hence, elimination would reduce adherence. Most of the carb sources are quite tasty too,” reasons Ruchi. She suggests moderating the use of carbs in a diet, this way you can choose your favourite foods at all times. Set a daily allowance for carbs in your diet, it will be easier for you to follow a diet plan.

Carbs help in gaining lean body mass

Carbs are extremely important for optimal performance. The glucose from carbs is converted into the energy that your brain and muscles need to function. Fats and protein are also necessary for optimal health, but carbohydrates (glucose) are the primary energy source. “If you want to gain muscle mass, then yes, you will need enough protein. But you’ll also need a fair amount of carbohydrates.

If you come to think of it, building anything takes a lot of time, energy and resources. Building muscle is no different. Our body requires a lot of energy to power through workouts that result in bigger, stronger muscles. Where does the body get most of that energy? Usually from carbs,” says Ruchi.

You needs carbs to sleep well at night

Everything you eat has an influence on you. Carbohydrates at night help regulate sleep-wake cycle through the production of serotonin. “This whole process uses “tryptophan”, an essential amino acid and carbohydrates in a specific manner to help manage your sleep cycle effectively. Consuming a tryptophan source with carbohydrate at night will help synthesize serotonin by helping tryptophan find its way to brain and there, tryptophan is converted to serotonin. Serotonin further can be converted into melatonin and melatonin stimulates sleep by regulating sleep-wake cycle,” explains Ruchi.

Carbs help curb stress

Carbohydrates can also help with curbing stress, which reduces cravings and induces good sleep. Along with that, carbohydrates can also help support thyroid health. “Do not eliminate any food source from the diet. Eat carbs at night too if you want to. That way you will stick to the nutrition plan and not give it up for being restrictive. Remember, your goal is not to just lose fat, it is to lose it and keep it off!” Says Ruchi.