Your body goes into a fasting stage when you sleep
because you are not eating anything from dinner all the way until breakfast.
Your body goes several hours without taking any food; in order to save energy
for your vital organs and pertinent processes such as breathing, your body may
start to break down its own muscle tissue. The process of breaking down muscle
tissue is called catabolism. During catabolism, proteins are broken down into
their original amino acids and used as energy for the body's vital processes.
Eating a high protein food just before going to bed may be a good idea because
it can delay and even prevent some catabolism during sleep. This is especially
important for body builders, the elderly or anyone trying to maintain muscle
mass.
Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese is the best food to eat just before
bedtime in order to prevent muscle catabolism because it has a special type of
slow releasing protein. The slow releasing form of protein means your body is
absorbing the amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein, from the
cottage cheese for several hours rather than all at once. This means after a few
hours when catabolism would normally kick in, you are still protected from
it.
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Tuna
A can of tuna is a great snack to have just before
bedtime to delay catabolism. Tuna has a lot of the amino acid arginine, an amino
acid which can trigger the linking of amino acids into proteins and possibly
even help exercise performance. Tuna packed in water may be more beneficial than
tuna in oil, as the fat from oil just before bedtime may leave you with an upset
stomach or with difficulty falling asleep.
Turkey Slices
Turkey slices from the deli are an easy and quick food
to grab just before bedtime if you're busy and are anxious to get to bed. Turkey
is generally high in protein. It is also rich in the specific amino acids
tryptophan and arginine, which will help delay catabolism while you
sleep.
String Cheese
String cheese has amino acids and a good amount of
protein, which can delay catabolism during sleep. Cheese is full of essential
amino acids, which the body cannot make on it's own. Plus the quality of protein
in cheese is absorbed by the body well since it comes from an animal source, so
it would be a good choice to delay catabolism.
Protein Bars
Protein bars need no preparation and are easy to eat
before going to bed. They usually have a lot of additives, however, so are not
the best source of amino acids before bed time. Protein bars contain a
combination of different protein sources such as whey, soy and
casein.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/39394-protein-foods-eat-before-bed/#ixzz1e0Rb1Rdf
