Apples at night: benefits and harms, rules for use
It's no secret that a hearty and hearty dinner shortly before bedtime can have a negative effect on your body. For example, it can cause insomnia, nightmares, or provoke the appearance of extra pounds in body weight. Of course, first of all, this applies to fatty and heavy meals filled with carbohydrates.
However, do not get upset ahead of time. You can have a snack before going to bed - the main thing is to know what. So, some fruits, berries and vegetables can be an excellent dinner for those who are used to eating at night. An excellent option would be the usual apples.
Few people know that you can eat apples at night before going to bed. These fruits are rich in a wide variety of beneficial vitamins, minerals and trace elements. In addition, it is believed that green apples bring the greatest benefit, both saturating the body and preventing it from getting fat.
In this material, you can learn more about the beneficial and harmful properties of apples, as well as how eating this fruit at night can affect sleep.
Apples are a popular culinary product
It is believed that the birthplace of the apple tree, the fruits of which are apples, is Central Asia. However, today this product is popular and widely distributed in our country (as well as in the CIS countries, and throughout the world).
There is a huge variety of varieties and types of apples: Fuji, Antonovka, Medunitsa, Granny Smith, Semerenko and many others. Usually varieties differ in their color (from burgundy to bright green), taste (from sweet to sour), size, texture, structure and other indicators.
It is customary to cook a wide variety of dishes from apples: jam and jam, mashed potatoes, strudel and other desserts. In addition, this fruit can be baked, used as a component for making compotes and juices, or eaten fresh.
The debate about the benefits and harms of eating fresh apples as a night snack does not subside. Supporters of a fruity night snack argue that a low-calorie natural product is unable to harm the body, but, on the contrary, will only improve the quality and duration of sleep. Opponents also refer to the content of acid in apples, which can cause unpleasant consequences for the body of eating fruits before bedtime.
However, one thing is known for sure - the main thing is to observe the measure. From a small apple eaten at night, one can hardly expect negative consequences for the body, and a kilogram of fruit can lead to some disruption of the body (for example, difficulties in the digestive system or gastrointestinal tract), regardless of the time of day it is consumed.
How does the human body function at night?
The most active phases of the work of the human body are precisely not light (daytime) time of day. At night, on the contrary, the body rests, recovers and gains strength. At night, during sleep, the human body is as relaxed as possible, the muscles are at rest.
At this time, the digestive system also rests, significantly slowing down its work. In this regard, nutritionists, scientists and doctors recommend refraining from excessive eating at night. At the same time, you can afford a light, low-calorie snack, such as berries or fruits. Apples are a great option.
Benefits of eating apples at night
In its composition, apples contain a large number of various vitamins, trace elements and useful components. Consider the composition of this fruit in more detail.
Everyone knows that apples contain vitamin C, as well as vitamin B6 and potassium. All these components are important for the human body, they contribute to the normal and healthy flow of sleep processes. Vitamin C has a positive effect on the regulation of blood pressure in the body, improves the flow of respiratory processes, significantly lowers the amount of sugar in the blood, and also promotes relaxation and relaxation. The last argument is an important factor after a hard and eventful working day.
As for vitamin B6, this substance will relieve nervous tension. In addition, the component has a fat-burning effect on the human body during sleep (this is especially important for those people who monitor their weight and figure). Potassium, in turn, normalizes the work of the heart, ensuring a normal heartbeat. In addition to the above components, apples contain the so-called polyphenols. These substances are found in the skin of the fruit.
Polyphenols are special chemicals whose characteristic feature is the presence of a phenol group in the composition. Polyphenols are usually found in plants. Of particular importance is the polyphenol quercentin.
Quercetin, which is part of apples, normalizes the amount of sugar in the blood, and also contributes to the normal course of carbohydrate breakdown processes. In practice, this means that the human body digests incoming food much more slowly, which contributes to a longer satiety and lack of hunger.
However, this is not all. This microelement has other useful properties. So, in the case of its systematic use in humans, the risk of diseases of the cardiovascular system, as well as lung cancer, is significantly reduced. In addition, quercetin effectively fights stress.
Despite the presence of such a variety of trace elements and vitamins in the composition of apples, the main components of this fruit are still fiber (about 15% of the apple) and water (about 85% of the fruit). It is fiber that helps a person who eats an apple to eat up and not feel hungry in a dream. In addition, thanks to this substance, water is retained in the human intestine, digestion processes are normalized, and even cholesterol levels are reduced.
Harm of eating apples at night
At the same time, it is worth remembering that apples, like any product, are not ideal - they have not only useful, but also harmful properties. So, after eating the fetus, intestinal disorders of varying degrees of complexity may occur. The acids contained in fruits contribute to the occurrence of such disorders. These substances can lead to fermentation processes in the gastrointestinal tract.
In addition, bloating of the stomach may occur. This violation will immediately cause an increase in heart rate and sleep disturbance.It should also be noted that the use of apples at night is contraindicated for those people who suffer from heartburn (increased acidity of the stomach).
It is also strictly not recommended to eat apples for those people who are allergic to this fruit. In addition, people who are allergic to birch blossoms should be treated with extreme caution to apples - this allergy goes hand in hand with an allergy to apples.
The nutritional value
The composition of apples, as well as the composition of any other products, includes fats, proteins and carbohydrates. As nutritionists and researchers have found, 100 grams of fruit contains 0.4 grams of protein, 0.4 grams of fat and 9.8 grams of carbohydrates. If we talk about the nutritional and energy value of the product, 100 grams of the product contains approximately 50 kilocalories.
So eating apples at night will not harm the body.
Dried and canned fruits
At the moment, we have discussed the benefits and harms of eating fresh apples at night. But you should not forget that these fruits also exist in dried and canned form. Unlike fresh apples, eating processed fruits at night is not recommended at all. This is especially true for those people who have disorders in the digestive system (for example, the presence of peptic ulcer or gastritis).
Apples are known to be one of the healthiest fruits. In this regard, they must be included in your diet if there are no contraindications for them. A few apples a day will not harm the body, on the contrary, they normalize the digestive tract, relieve stress, and reduce cholesterol and blood sugar. Eating apples as a snack before bed is a great idea.It is established that they do not get fat.
Apples will provide you with a good full sleep and rest due to the presence of serotonin in its composition. Sleep will be long and strong.
For information on the benefits and harms of eating apples at night, see the following video.