Eating THIS food before bed every night can help you lose weight

It’s the best late-night snack for slimmers

Content Editor / February 27 2019

A new study has found that eating cottage cheese before bed can help you lose weight. The research, which was published in the British Journal of Nutrition, has found that the low-calorie food boosts metabolism, muscles and overall health, even while you are asleep.

While snacking right before bed is generally a no-no, particularly when it comes to weight loss, researchers say that protein-rich foods don’t have the same affect.

Eating two tablespoons of cottage cheese half an hour before bedtime could improve your health and is a much healthier alternative to sugary or fatty snacks.

Getty images

Getty images

It is one of the first studies where participants ate a whole food as opposed to a protein shake or supplement.

“Until now, we presumed whole foods would act similarly to the data on supplemental protein, but we had no real evidence,” said Professor Ormsbee from Florida State University.

“This… indicates whole foods work just as well as protein supplementation, and it gives people options for pre-sleep nutrition that go beyond powders and shaker bottles.”

For the study, 10 active young women in their 20s were given 30 grams of cottage cheese 30 to 60 minutes before going to bed.

When they woke, their resting energy expenditure – the amount of energy burned while asleep – was measured. This showed it was just as efficient as when they were given a casein shake to drink before going to bed.

Researchers say the cottage cheese had improved participants’ metabolic rate and muscle recovery equally as well.

Nicola Conville has worked as a journalist and editor for more than 20 years across a wide range of print and online publications. Her areas of expertise are parenting, health and travel. She has two children; Lucy, age eight, and Nathan, age five.