Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, picture this. You're lying in bed, it's late,
(00:04):
way past dinner, and your stomach it's like a rumbling
monster suddenly waking up.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Oh yeah, I know that feeling.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
We all do, right, You know you shouldn't eat, But
those late night cravings, man, they're tough.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
It's like a universal struggle, the late night snack attack.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
And for so long the advice has been pretty simple.
Just don't late night eating, bad for your weight, bad
for your sleep.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
The enemy of a good night's rest.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Yeah, exactly. What if and stick with me here, what
if those late night nibbles don't have to be a
nutritional no no, interesting like, what if there are actually
good choices you can make when your stomach just won't quit.
That's what we're diving into today, a deep.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Dive into the world of late night snacks.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Not just about avoiding the bad stuff but finding those
surprisingly good options. So let's get into it. Our first
contender might surprise you.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Turkey turkey like Thanksgiving turkey.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Yeah, but not a whole mountain of it. We're talking
small portions here. And the reason it's on the list protein.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Ugh, protein, the building block of well pretty much everything.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
And turkey packs a good amount of it, even as
small servings. But there's something else going on with Turkey.
Trip to Fan.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Ah, the infamous Thanksgiving food coma culprit.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Right, Everyone blames Trip to Fan for that post Turkey sleepiness,
but there's some actual science behind it.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
It's not just a myth. Trip to Fan is a
key player in creating serotonin. That's a mood regulator. Helps
you feel relaxed. Look at chill pill almost kind of yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
And serotonin gets converted into melatonin.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Melatonin, the sleep hormone. Okay, So Turkey get.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
Help with sleep, that's the theory. By giving your body
Trip to Fan, you're giving it the ingredients to make
those sleep inducing chemicals.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Interesting. Plus, Turkey's got selenium.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Right yep, that's an antioxidant good for your thyroid.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
So not just a random protein. There's a whole sleep
connection there.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
More than meets the eye with that Thanksgiving leftover.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
All right, moving on another protein power fatty fish, salmon, tuna, mackerel.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Oh yeah, love some good fatty fish packed with vitamin D,
which is usually associated with sunlight. Yeah, but we needed
for all sorts of stuff.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Bone health, calcium absorption, the whole shebang.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
And then they're the omega threes.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
We hear about those all the time, rightfully, So, omega
threes are like the superheroes of the fat.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
World brain health, fighting inflammation. But how do they play
into late night snacking.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Well, there's a growing body of research looking at omega
threes and sleep regulation, and it seems like they might
be helpful, right, Yeah, they seem to affect how our
brain cells communicate, maybe making those serotonin signals work better.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
So better signaling equals better.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Sleep potentially, Yeah, it's like making sure those sleep signals
are loud and clear. Plus all the other benefits of
omega three is of course all right.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Next up, this one might raise some eyebrows. White rice.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
White rice isn't brown rice supposed to be the healthier one.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Typically, yeah, more fiber, more nutrients. But here's that's the thing.
White rice has a high glycemic index. That's how fast
it raises your blood sugar.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Hmm, high GI. We usually try to avoid that, but
and this is.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Where it gets interesting. A small portion of white rice
about an hour before bed might actually help you fall
asleep faster.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Wait, really, how does that work?
Speaker 1 (03:19):
That blood sugar spike from the white rice triggers an
insulin response. Insulin clears other amino acids from your bloodstream,
making tripped fan more available.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
So the trip to fan can get to the brain
more easily to make those sleepy chemicals.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Exactly, it's a bit of a roundabout way, but it
could work. Key point though, small portion an hour before sleep.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Not a giant bowl of rice right before you hit
the pillow. Got it all right?
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Moving on to a classic bananas, good source of potassium.
Everyone knows that.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Muscle cramps bananas to the rescue, but guess what they
also have trip to fan another one. Bananas are stepping
up their.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Game, so double whammy potassium for relaxation, trip to fan
for the sleep hormone production. Plus they're easy to digest.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
No tummy troubles before bed always a plus.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Okay. Next up the classic combo cheese and crackers.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Oooh, A late night classic for sure.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
But there's more to it than just taste. Crackers give
you easy to digest carbs. Cheese. You guessed it, trip
to fan making a comeback. And get this, those carbs
from the crackers can help your body use the trip
to fan from the cheese.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Better like a dynamic duo working together.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Exactly carves spike your blood sugar a bit. You get
that insulin release and that helps the trip to fan
get where it needs to go.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
To the brain to make those sleepy hormones fascinating.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
All right. Next up, warm cereals like a cozy bowl
of oatmeal ah perfect for a chili night. They're great
for fiber, which keeps you feeling full. But here's the kicker.
Some cereals like oats actually contain melotone themselves.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Built in sleepiness.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Nice. So a warm bowl of cereal not too m
much sugar could be a good way.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
To wind down, comforting and potentially sleep promoting. I like it.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
Yeah, let's talk yogurt. We know it's good for gut health, all.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Those probiotics keeping things in balance, but it's.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Also a good source of calcium, and calcium is vital
for melatonin production, so without.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Enough calcium, your body might struggle to make enough melatonin.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
That's right. Plus, yogurt has caseine that's a slow digesting protein,
keeps you feeling full for longer.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
No midnight hunger pangs, awesome.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Plain unsweetened yogurt is the best bet.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Of course, No added sugar sneaking in.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
All right, What about eggs another protein pack options.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Eggs are so versatile.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
You can have them in so many ways, boiled, scrambled, omelet, and.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Guess what, another trip to fan contender.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
You got it. Plus, they're relatively low in calories impact
with nutrients.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
A nutritional powerhouse.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Those all right? This next one was a bit more unusual.
A protein pineapple smoothie.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Pineapple in a nighttime smoothie. That's new.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
It might sound strange, but there's a method to the madness.
Protein before bed is good for muscle repair and.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Recovery, especially if you've been active during the day, and.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
The pineapple, well, some research suggests it might help boost
serotonin levels.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
So protein for your muscles, pineapple for a potential mood boost.
Interesting combo.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
All right, Moving on to something often recommended for sleep,
tart cherries.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
I've heard about those tart cherry juice for better sleep.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
They're unique because they naturally contain melatonin, not a huge amount, but.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
It's there a little extra boost of the sleep hormone.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
They also have this compound pro sanded in B two
that seems to help stabilize triptafan.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Making sure that triptafan is ready to be converted into melatonin. Smart.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Plus they have anti inflammatory.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Properties melonus points for that.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
All right, how about honey natural sweetener.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
I do love a bit of honey.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
And it might be a good choice for late night cravings.
It could potentially increase melatonin production. Really honey helping with sleep,
That's what some research suggests. Plus it has natural show
that won't cause a huge blood.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Sugar spike, a gentle rise, not a roller coaster exactly.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
A little drizzle on some yogurt or cereal could be nice.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Sounds like a comforting and potentially sleep enhancing treat.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Okay, Last, but not least, a movie night favorite popcorn. Ah,
popcorn classic, but we're talking air popped, not the kind
drenched in butter and salt.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Keeping it light and healthy.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Aircop popcorn is surprisingly good for you, low en calories,
high in fiber.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Keeps you feeling full and.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Happy, and it even has polyphenols, which are antioxidants.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
More bonus points.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
So a simple bowl of air popped popcorn can be
a gilt free late night snack. I knew that was
quite a lineup. We had protein packed options, carb choices,
even some sweet treats. Turns out late night snacking doesn't
have to be a nutritional minefield.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Yeah, there are definitely ways to satisfy those cravings without
derailing your health goals.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
And there are a couple of key things to remember. Yeah,
portion control is super important even with these healthier options.
We're talking small portions.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Around two hundred calories is a good.
Speaker 1 (08:07):
Guideline, right, And choosing protein rich snacks can be particularly
helpful for sleep, probably because of that trip to fan connection.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Fueling your body and prepping for a good night's rest.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
And it's important to remember the flip side too. Constantly
making bad late night food choices can lead to weight gain,
digestive problems, and just feeling blaw.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
It's like setting yourself up for a bad day before
it even begins.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
So the next time you're wrestling with those late night cravings,
maybe think back to this. Instead of feeling like you're
doomed to fail, remember that there are good choices out there.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Turn those cravings into an opportunity to take care of yourself.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Pay attention to how different foods make you feel, both
in the moment and the next day. It's all about
finding what works for you. And turning those late night
snacks into a way to support your health and well being.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Food as fuel, even at night