How to Avoid Sugar At Night

At night after dinner, the worst thing you can do is eat a large portion of refined carbs or sugar, because it destabilizes your blood sugar before bed and through the night. Not only that but the hormones that govern your sleep/wake cycle (melatonin and cortisol) gets skewed and you’ll find you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. You'll wake up feeling groggy and grumpy in the morning - not good when you’re already battling sleep issues and low energy levels due to peri or menopause. Even worse, you may wake up craving sugary breakfast foods. Think a bag of candy while watching Netflix, dessert after dinner or a bag of flavored chips filled with added sugar. Apart from the day after effects of nighttime snacking, nighttime snacking with sugary or highly refined carb foods is a surefire way to put on additional weight, especially around the belly or midsection which is already super sensitive to weight gain in menopause thanks to our friend and foe, Estrogen.

In an ideal scenario, it's best to stop eating after dinner and at least 2 hours before you go to bed. If you have a long history of late night eating, it can be hard to kick the habit. Nobody likes to go to bed hungry, so until your body is used to your new routine, you can start with replacing your regular go-to after dinner snacks with these healthy alternatives. Remember to keep portion sizes small.

• Chocolate Avocado Pudding – see recipe below*

• Boiled edamame with salt

• veggie slices and almond butter

• Drink herbal teas

• Banana peanut butter smoothie – see recipe below*

Recipes:

Chocolate Avocado Pudding:

Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted (must be ripe)

¼ cup raw cacao or cocoa powder

¼ cup almond milk, unsweetened

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon stevia

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Add more liquid if necessary to get the desired consistency.

Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie:

Ingredients:

1 large ripe banana

1/2 cup almond milk, unsweetened

1.5 tablespoons of natural unsweetened peanut butter

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a high-powered blender and process until smooth. Top with flaked coconut (unsweetened) or additional cinnamon for extra blood sugar balancing effects.