Do your often sneak into the kitchen in search of a good snack before you finally hit the bed? Here's why you must stop. Noshing in the middle of the night could lead to poor sleep and obesity, says a latest study. Obesity is a disorder characterized by excessive body fat that increases the risk of many of health problems. According to the findings published in the study poor quality of sleep seemed to be a major predictor of junk food cravings, the habit was also associated with a greater likelihood of participants reporting obesity, diabetes and other health problems.
"Laboratory studies suggest that sleep deprivation can lead to junk food cravings at night, which in turn leads to increased unhealthy snacking at night, which then leads to weight gain," said Michael A. Grandner from Department of Psychiatry in the University of Arizona in Tucson, US.
"This connection between poor sleep, junk food cravings and unhealthy night time snacking may represent an important way that sleep helps regulate metabolism," Grandner added.
The data was collected on a phone-based survey. The findings were presented at the 32nd annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC (APSS) in Baltimore, analysed data from 3,105 adults.
About 60 per cent of the participants reported regular nighttime snacking and two-thirds reported that lack of sleep led them to crave more junk food.
Junk food cravings was also associated with double the increase in the likelihood of night time snacking, which was associated with an increased risk for diabetes, said the researchers.
"Sleep is increasingly recognised as an important factor in health, alongside nutrition. This study shows how sleep and eating patterns are linked and work together to promote health," said Christopher Sanchez from the varsity.
From children to adults, obesity is becoming a rampant condition across all age groups.
Consultant Nutritionist Dr. Rupali Dutta gives out a few pointers that are a must to follow for a perfect obesity diet.
1. Swap refined carb sources for whole grains. A whole grain is a grain of any cereal that contains the endosperm, germ, and bran, in contrast to refined grains, which retain only the endosperm. A whole grain manages to retain all the nutrients that are processed in the refining. Stock up on whole grains like bajra, ragi, maize and jowar and use them often. Try red, black and brown rice instead of white rice .You can use these whole grains for breakfast porridges.
2. Just like grains, whole dals are also a better bet than the washed dals. Rajma, and chana dals are some of the healthiest dals you can fill up your shelves with. You can cook them, have them in sprouts or in soups.
3. Avoid red meat and opt for lean meat like chicken and salmon. Adding protein with every meal could prove to be a game changer for anyone trying to lose weight.
4. Load up on seasonal vegetables. They provide both soluble and insoluble fibres in addition to vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
5. Sugar intake should be less than 10% of your total calories; for a normal weight woman who needs 1900Kcal/day, this is about 10 -11 teaspoons of sugar. Below 5% would be better. A lot of foods have natural sugar hidden in them too, so one has to be mindful of that as well.
(With inputs from IANS)