I get asked all the time if you should eat carbs at night. It’s not as easy as a yes / no answer, but here’s what I can tell you:

It depends on what your goals are, your individual target amounts, your own personal schedule, and even your own physiology.

As a general rule, if weight loss is your goal — you may want to consider reducing the amount of complex carbs you eat after dinner.

Complex carbs (rice, oats, bread) are called complex because that’s exactly what they are — they’re ‘complex’, or harder, for your stomach to break down & digest them. That means that the energy they provide you takes longer to be available. That’s what makes them great for eating earlier in the day – to give you sort of a timed-release energy source throughout the day!

However, if optimal recovery and performance is your goal, it makes sense to have a serving of complex carbs and even simple fruit carbs (that are digested & provide their energy more quickly) in the evenings to ensure you have lots in the tank to fuel the recovery process that happens while you sleep.

Other things to consider:

👉 some people find that carbohydrates calm the nervous system and help them sleep better
👉 some people are prone to mild blood sugar sways and do better with a small serving of carbs in the evenings
👉 and some people find that having the bulk of their carbs in earlier in the day helps manage their weight

So it really does depend on many factors. Although timing of your carbs can play a role in your goals, the MORE important factor is your total carbs (and calories, protein, and fats) throughout the day as a whole.

 

Need a little help determining what those numbers should be for your unique body and goals?  We can help!