Eating 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese at dinner supports a good night’s sleep. Especially when combined with foods high in fiber and melatonin.
Eat cottage cheese at night for better sleep quality & duration!
Actually, cottage cheese can be consumed at any time of the day. But the best time is at dinner.
Tryptophan & serotonin
First, eating cottage cheese at night supports a good night’s sleep because it’s a great dietary source of tryptophan. It contains about 140 mg of tryptophan per 100g, or 21 mg per tbsp. A small 2-tbsp serving provides 10% of the recommended daily intake!
Tryptophan is a necessary amino acid for the biosynthesis of serotonin. Serotonin plays a key role in a good night’s sleep as well as weight loss.
Actually, small amounts of all cheeses could improve sleep quality and duration, as they’re high in tryptophan.
A great snack that supports sleep is a turkey sandwich. It’s more than a tryptophan-rich meal.
Saturated fat
Moreover, it’s healthy to eat cottage cheese before bed because it’s among the animal-derived foods with the lowest content of saturated fat. 2% fat cottage cheese has only 1.26 grams of saturated fat per 100g. Hence, a tablespoon contains negligible amounts. It has less than 0.2 grams of saturated fatty acids.
For comparison, cheddar cheese has 19 grams, while American cheese has 16 grams of saturated fat per 100g!
The American Heart Association recommends consuming no more than 13 grams of saturated fat a day. Higher doses may raise the levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.[1]
In fact, according to studies, high doses of saturated fat at night negatively affect sleep quality.[2]
Protein
Moreover, it’s beneficial to eat cottage cheese before bed because its high protein content supports sleep quality.
How to eat cottage cheese?
Fiber also supports a good night’s sleep. That’s another reason why we should eat cottage cheese with fiber-rich foods, such as whole-wheat crackers or salad.
Salads with spinach, arugula, lettuce, cabbage, or tomato can boost the daily fiber intake.
Also, you can add walnuts or other nuts, as well as fruits (e.g. raisins, cranberries, avocado) to your salad, sandwich, or toast in order to further increase total fiber and protein intake.
Above all, you should eat cottage cheese with foods high in melatonin, such as cranberries, banana, wheat bread, cherries, and even certain wines. Melatonin is vital for a good night’s sleep.
Certainly, we should eat reasonable amounts of cottage cheese before bed. Eat up to 2 tablespoons in order to lose weight and improve sleep quality. Much higher amounts may be bad for you.
How long before bed should I eat a snack with cottage cheese?
We should eat cottage cheese at least 2 hours before bed. Having dinner right before bed can have detrimental effects on sleep quality, and the synthesis of certain hormones, like human growth hormone. This can lead to obesity and belly fat gain!
Actually, the best time to eat dinner depends on the circadian rhythm.
Cottage cheese at dinner is good for weight loss!
Cottage cheese is among the best cheeses for weight loss. Above all, it has only a few calories. A 2% fat cottage cheese has only 82 calories per 100g, or 15 calories per tablespoon!
Moreover, cottage cheese regulates appetite because it’s particularly high in protein! It has 11 grams of protein per 100g, or 1.65 grams per tbsp.[3]
A diet high in protein is good for weight loss. First, protein has the highest thermic effect than carbs and fat. About 30% of calories of protein are burned during digestion!
In addition, protein and fiber promote satiety. So, you should eat cottage cheese with fiber-rich foods, such as whole wheat bread or vegetables.
It’s vital to consume light, easily digested foods before bed in order to lose weight and even improve sleep quality and duration.
