Can I drink apple juice before bed to lose weight?

Although, melatonin and vitamin C in apple juice are beneficial for weight loss, drinking it before bed can make you fat, as it’s high in sugar!

Sugar in apple juice at night is bad for you

Apple juice is particularly high in sugars and calories. Commercial apple juices may contain added sugar.[1]

High intake of sugar is a common cause of obesity. People who follow the standard Western diet consume more than 300% of the maximum recommended daily intake of sugar! The body uses sugar for energy. But, too much can make you fat.[2]

Can sugar at night make me fat?

The best time of the day to drink apple juice or consume other foods high in sugars is in the morning or before/after exercise. At that time, the body has increased insulin sensitivity. It stores more sugar as muscle glycogen, instead of body fat. The body metabolizes sugar differently at night. Sugar in apple juice is stored more easily as body fat at night.

Can sugar in apple juice before bed cause poor sleep quality?

Furthermore, drinking apple juice before bed may negatively affect sleep duration, sleep quality, and also cause later bedtimes, due to increased sugar intake. Shortened sleep duration has been linked to increased appetite and risk of obesity. Also, it may lead to fatigue and poor physical performance.[3,4,5]

Certainly, we should avoid drinking beverages high in sugar and caffeine at night. So, besides apple juice, avoid drinking soft drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks and even fruit juices before bed if you want to lose weight.

Apple juice doesn’t control appetite

Additionally, we shouldn’t drink apple juice or any other fruit juice at night because they don’t reduce hunger. Apple juice is poor in fiber. Only whole apples are high in fiber. Fiber reduces hunger, regulating energy intake. Consuming at least 5 servings of whole fruits and vegetables a day is the best way to boost the daily fiber intake.[6]

On the contrary, whole apples are among the best foods you can eat while dieting!

Vitamin C in apple juice before bed improves sleep quality

Furthermore, apple juice is an excellent dietary source of vitamin C. A glass of apple juice has about 30 mg of vitamin C, or 33% of the Daily Value.

In fact, vitamin C is beneficial for a good night’s sleep. High intake of vitamin C can increase sleep duration, reduce sleep disturbances, relieve movement disorders, and decrease the dangerous effects of sleep apnea. Also, vitamin C may improve stress tolerance.[7,8]

But, there is no need to drink fruit juices high in sugars, such as apple, orange, or grapefruit juice, right before bed. Actually, the best time to get vitamin C is in the morning.

Potassium in apple juice is beneficial for weight loss

Additionally, apple juice could help sleep better at night and lose weight because it’s high in potassium. A glass of apple juice contains about 300 mg of potassium, or 21% of the DV.

Consuming lots of foods high in potassium aids weight loss! High potassium intake has been linked to a lower Body Mass Index (BMI), smaller waist circumference, and lower risk of obesity.

Moreover, low potassium levels seem to affect sleep quality. Especially, men with high blood pressure could benefit from following a potassium-rich diet.[9]

But, you shouldn’t drink apple juice right before bed. You should drink it at least a couple of hours before bed.

In addition, apples contain some iron. Iron deficiency is associated with sleep disorders.[10]

Melatonin in apples may help sleep better at night

Furthermore, apple juice may help you sleep better at night, as it’s one of the richest foods in melatonin. Melatonin is the internal clock of the body! It’s known as the sleep hormone.

Apples contain up to 6.7 mcg of melatonin per 100g. Apple peel is the richest part in melatonin, though. Hence, better prefer whole organic apples, instead of apple juice.

Moreover, you could drink a glass of red wine or cranberry juice at dinner. Certain wine varieties as well as cranberry juice are particularly high in melatonin. They could help you sleep better at night as well.

What’s the best time to drink apple juice?

Actually, the best time to drink apple juice is in the morning. The body uses sugar for energy. Also, the vitamin C of apple juice can protect the skin from the dangerous sunlight radiation, help the body burn more fat, and boost the immune system.

Furthermore, a great time to drink apple juice is before or after exercise! The body will burn the sugar of apple juice for energy during exercise. Moreover, it can use sugars to replenish glycogen stores after a workout. It has beneficial effects on muscle recovery.

In fact, apple juice could be the key ingredient of your post or pre-workout smoothie.

What’s the best beverage to drink at night?

The best beverage before bed is chamomile tea. It’s packed with antioxidants and helps deal with high cortisol levels, stress and anxiety. Also, chamomile tea may help people with insomnia sleep better at night.

Moreover, you could add lemon juice to your chamomile to help the body burn belly fat. Lemon juice is particularly high in vitamin C and other antioxidants. Most noteworthy, it’s pretty low in calories, as it has almost no sugar. So, you can actually drink lemon juice before bed if you want to lose weight.

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