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Nowadays, in order to lose weight, control sugar, and even adjust their eating habits, many people choose not to eat staple foods at night, some people think that this can reduce calorie intake, and some people think that staple foods contain too many carbohydrates, and it is more beneficial to health not to eat.
However, is it really okay not to eat staple foods at night for a long time? Some people start to feel in good spirits at night, but it doesn't take long for them to experience fatigue, poor sleep, and even digestive problems.
If you stick to it for a long time, what will happen to your body?
In the hospital, I often meet some patients, in order to lose weight or control blood sugar, they began to try not to eat staple foods at night, at first they felt that their weight had decreased, and their mental state was not bad, but it didn't take long to find that there were some unexpected changes in their bodies.
Some people can't sleep well at night, always feel flustered, and even wake up hungry in the middle of the night; Some people find that uric acid levels are elevated during physical examination, and joints occasionally feel sore; Some people have unstable bowel movements, and even have constipation.
Many people think that staple foods only provide energy, but in reality, it plays an important role in the body's metabolic balance, hormone regulation, and digestive system. So, if you don't eat staple foods at night for a long time, what changes can happen to your body?
Hypoglycemia increases at night, affecting sleep quality
One patient ate normally during the day, but in order to control his weight, he deliberately avoided staple foods at night and ate vegetables and protein instead.
I felt good for the first few days, but it didn't take long for me to wake up easily when I went to bed at night, and even woke up easily in the early morning, sometimes sweating, and I was very tired the next morning.
Many people don't know that carbohydrates are not only a source of energy, but also affect the stability of blood sugar.
Skipping staple foods at night can lead to low blood sugar levels at night, and when blood sugar is too low, the body secretes hormones such as adrenaline to try to regulate blood sugar levels, but the release of these hormones can make people feel flustered, anxious, and even affect sleep quality.
Studies have found that long-term hypoglycemic states may affect the brain's neurotransmitter balance, leading to sleep instability and even increasing the risk of anxiety and depression.
People who have problems with blood sugar fluctuations, or who are prone to hypoglycemia, have a higher risk of low blood sugar at night if they do not eat staple foods at night.
Therefore, people who do not eat staple foods at night for a long time may experience problems such as decreased sleep quality and poor mental state due to blood sugar fluctuations.
Metabolic disorders, increased levels of uric acid
There was a patient who had a normal uric acid level, but because he wanted to control his weight, he reduced his carbohydrate intake at night and almost did not eat staple foods.
Many people don't know that carbohydrate intake not only affects blood sugar, but also affects the metabolism of uric acid.
However, if the carbohydrate intake is reduced for a long time, the body will begin to use fat as the main source of energy, and more ketones will be produced during the breakdown of fat, and the increase in ketones will affect the excretion of uric acid, making it easier to accumulate in the body.
If people with high uric acid levels do not eat staple foods at night for a long time, it may accelerate the deposition of uric acid and increase the risk of gout attacks.
In addition, elevated uric acid may also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, so if you find that your uric acid index is abnormal after reducing your staple food, you may need to adjust your eating habits to avoid long-term effects on your metabolic balance.
There is an imbalance in the intestinal flora and a decrease in digestive function
There is an elderly patient who has regular bowel movements for a long time, but since he does not eat staple foods at night, his bowel movements have become irregular, sometimes he does not have bowel movements for several days, sometimes he is prone to bloating, and even occasionally has intestinal discomfort, and he feels that his digestion ability has decreased significantly.
Many people don't know that the balance of intestinal flora is closely related to dietary structure, and carbohydrates, especially staple foods rich in dietary fiber, such as brown rice, oats, whole wheat bread, etc., are important food sources of beneficial bacteria in the gut.
If you do not eat staple foods for a long time, the food supply of the intestinal flora will decrease, which may lead to a decrease in the number of beneficial bacteria and a relative increase in harmful bacteria, which in turn will affect the normal function of the intestines.
In addition, carbohydrates can promote intestinal peristalsis and help food pass through the digestive tract more smoothly, if consumed too little, it may cause bowel movements to slow down and increase the risk of constipation.
Studies have found that people with chronic carbohydrate intake intake tend to have lower diversity in their gut microbiota and the stability of their digestive system is also affected.
Therefore, if you find that your digestive function is declining and your bowel movements are irregular after not eating staple foods at night, you may need to adjust your diet appropriately to maintain a healthy state of your gut.
Prolonged hunger signals affect metabolism
One patient, who tried a diet that did not eat staple foods at night for several months, lost some weight at first, but later found that eating a little more easily regained weight and was even more difficult to control than before.
Many people think that reducing the intake of staple foods can help with weight loss, but in reality, not eating staple foods for a long time may affect the body's basal metabolic rate.
Studies have found that when carbohydrate intake is too low, the body enters an "energy-saving mode" that lowers energy expenditure to adapt to chronic energy shortages.
In the short term, weight may be lost, but once you return to your normal diet, your body will be more inclined to store energy, making it easier for fat to accumulate.
In addition, carbohydrates play an important role in stimulating leptin secretion, an important hormone that regulates appetite and metabolism, and if long-term carbohydrate intake is insufficient, leptin levels decrease, which may lead to uncontrolled appetite and even easy overeating.
Therefore, people who do not eat staple foods at night for a long time may lose weight in the short term, but after the metabolic level decreases, they are more likely to form a "fat-prone constitution", and weight management will become more difficult.
If your fingers are colder than usual when you wake up in the morning, your blood sugar may be low at night or your blood circulation may be affected.
At this time, you can appropriately adjust the diet structure for dinner, such as adding some slow-release sugar-releasing foods, such as brown rice, oats, etc., to help maintain blood sugar stability and make metabolism healthier.
Not eating staple foods every night may bring about a series of physical changes, including low blood sugar at night affecting sleep, increased uric acid levels, imbalance of intestinal flora, and decreased basal metabolic rate.
If you find that your physical condition has deteriorated after reducing your staple foods, you should adjust your diet appropriately to keep your body in a healthy and balanced state.
Healthy eating is not about restricting a certain type of food, but about finding a balance that works for you, so that your body can get enough energy and maintain normal metabolic function.
The above content is for reference only, if you feel unwell, please consult a professional doctor in time
What do you think about not eating staple foods at night? Welcome to discuss in the comment area!
Resources
[1] Xu Ting, Yuan Mingyang, Li Jiaxin, et al. Research progress on the role of nutrition and diet in cognitive impairment in the elderly[J].International Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery,2024