Ditch midnight hunger with this sandwich recommended by Pooja Makhija

If the first meal of your day (breakfast) – often termed as the most important one – sets the tone for the rest of your day, the last meal (dinner) is no less important as it can often play a significant role in the quality of sleep and managing your stress levels. Eating right is important at all times of the day and not just one.

There are certain foods that interfere with our sleep routine like fried, oily, heavy, high-fat and high-carb foods. Loading up on these high-calorie foods can increase your anxiety levels, disrupt digestive process and prevent you from sleeping well and thus lowering productivity for your next day. Eating the right food at bedtime can work wonders for your overall health especially metabolism.

A low-calorie carbohydrate or protein snack 30 minutes before sleep can help boost metabolism in the morning. One can choose from healthy snacks like fruit, nuts, seeds, and oatmeal.

As per Sleep Foundation, the best bedtime snack is a sandwich made with banana, lettuce and marmite and is the best way to fix your sleep problem.

Nutritionist Pooja Makhija explains why this is actually a wonderful snack to have at bedtime

“The banana is an excellent source of magnesium and potassium which help relax muscles and calms nerves, which makes falling asleep easier. They also contain all-important tryptophan to stimulate production of those key brain calming hormones. And marmite also contains natural substances that help induce sleep,” says the nutritionist.

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“If you don’t fancy bread before bed, try Marmite tea. Dissolve a teaspoon in a mug of boiling water and stir,” she adds.

Also, read: This creamy open sandwich is made with cashew cheese and is damn delicious!

We have been told that B12 is only found in animal food but if you want a vegetarian source of B12, Marmite is the answer. Makhija also talks about its health benefits.

“It is a unique spread made of extracts of yeast, vegetables, spices as well as celery. It is tad bit peculiar in taste and requires a little bit of acquiring but it’s just so worth it. Low in calories, good in protein and rich in brain boosting B12 along with B1, B2 and B3 it has almost 112 times more B12 as compared to an equal serving of peanut butter as a spread,” says Makhija.

So, the next time you are looking for something to eat before hitting the bed, you know what you have to eat.