Is it OK for children to have a midnight snack?

Many people don’t like to eat dinner and feel hungry at night, so they will order takeout for a midnight snack. That’s why it’s common to see delivery guys rushing on the road at night. In addition to adults, children also eat midnight snacks. Sometimes we eat dinner too early and the children will be hungry and start eating midnight snacks before bedtime. In fact, eating midnight snacks has many harmful effects. This article will introduce them one by one, and I hope parents can understand them.

The harm of eating midnight snacks for children

1. The greatest harm to the stomach

The stomach is one of the important organs in the human body. The stomach is protected by the gastric mucosa, which contains different secretory glands. However, the life span of its own epithelial cells is relatively short. Generally, it takes about 3 days to regenerate, that is, self-repair. This repair time usually takes place at night. If people like to eat midnight snacks at night, the stomach cannot rest well, which will affect the repair and regeneration of the gastric mucosa, causing damage to the gastric mucosa, and the stomach will be hurt.

2. Excessive gastric acid secretion

Whether adults or children, if they lie down immediately after eating a midnight snack, gastric acid will begin to be secreted, and they are more likely to have gastroesophageal reflux problems. Especially if they eat too oily or too sweet food, it will stimulate the secretion of gastric acid and the symptoms will be more serious. This situation often occurs in obese people.

3. Cause insomnia

Insomnia when people sleep at night is also closely related to eating midnight snacks, because eating too much at night will cause stomach bloating, which can easily cause pressure on internal organs such as the intestines, liver, and gallbladder, making the brain active, and then spread to other parts of the cerebral cortex, thus leading to insomnia.

4. Cause obesity

Eating late-night snacks frequently increases the burden on the stomach and intestines, affecting the digestive system, leading to obesity and body deformation. Why do some people get fat for no reason? It’s not that they have a beer belly, and they don’t eat much on normal days. It’s because they eat too much at night, or they don’t get enough rest, which causes endocrine disorders and affects the digestive system. So don’t eat at night unless it is necessary. If you really need to eat at night, eat some light food to reduce the burden on your stomach.

Foods suitable for late night snacks

1. Instant oatmeal

Ready-to-eat cereals contain whole grains and B vitamins, but they also have a lot of fat, calories, and sugar, so choose types that are lower in sugar and higher in protein. You can add some milk to instant cereal, which contains L-tryptophan, which helps you sleep.

2. Potatoes

Potatoes do not contain fat or cholesterol and are very low in calories, so they are very suitable for people who are losing weight. In addition, potatoes contain a large amount of soft dietary fiber, which can bring a high sense of fullness. Because potatoes contain a large amount of alkaline compounds, they can help us remove the acidic compounds in your body that hinder tryptophan from exerting its hypnotic effect.

3. Yogurt

The protein and fat contained in low-fat plain yogurt help prolong the feeling of fullness. Most yogurts contain sugar, so it is recommended to choose plain yogurt and add some fresh fruit.