Back in the day, whenever I wanted something light, I used to chop up a salad for dinner. They’re quick to make and are pretty delicious – but they’re not actually all that easy to digest, as I recently learned from a nutrition expert who strongly advised me to eat less raw food in the evening.
“Raw foods such as salad contain a lot of fibre (which is very healthy during the day and conducive to a healthy diet and lifestyle; editor’s note), which is difficult to digest and, if eaten too late, can put a strain on the digestive tract,” says Dr. Maximilian Schubert, Medical Director at the MAYRLIFE Medical Health Resort. He adds, “It can lead to bloating and discomfort. This in turn could have a negative impact on sleep quality.”
“At F.X. Mayr Medicine, we attach great importance to healthy digestion and its influence on general well-being, especially sleep,” says Dr. Schubert. And it is precisely in order not to disturb the latter that the expert recommends not only avoiding salad in the evening, but also any form of raw food. This includes raw vegetables, meat and fish. And unroasted nuts too, by the way, which many people would probably not have considered as raw food.
Fruit is particularly unsuitable in the evening, apparently. “In addition to the fact that it is usually eaten raw, it also contains a lot of fruit sugar (fructose), which can lead to digestive problems such as flatulence and abdominal pain in some people. The high sugar content can also affect blood sugar levels and therefore disturb sleep,” says the nutrition expert.
Of course, salad, vegetables, fruit, nuts, meat and fish are healthy foods in principle, as part of a balanced diet. Dr. Schubert’s recommendations therefore only apply after a certain time of day.
Try to stop eating raw food after 4 p.m.
“Raw food should therefore not be eaten after 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. at the latest,” he recommends. And this applies across the board, regardless of your individual bedtime: “From late afternoon onwards, you don’t have the digestive power to digest these foods properly.”
What’s the research behind this?
According to Dr. Schubert, several studies that have investigated the effects of raw food on health also suggest that eating raw food in the evening is not the best idea. “A study published in the journal Food & Function shows that raw foods can lead to digestive problems and bloating due to their high fibre content. Another study from 2017, from the international journal Gut, which specialises in research on gastroenterological and herpetological topics, also showed that a raw food diet can change the intestinal flora and lead to significant digestive problems,” says Dr. Schubert.
He adds: “The journal Sleep Medicine Reviews has also investigated the connection between food intake and sleep quality. This paper summarises several studies and shows that meals that are difficult to digest in the evening can disrupt sleep.”
There are alternatives to salad for dinner
As a general rule, boiled or steamed vegetables are easier to digest and therefore more suitable in the evening. “As part of the F.X. Mayr Medicine, we recommend foods in the evening that do not burden the digestive tract and support a good quality of sleep,” says Dr. Schubert.
He recommends the following foods for dinner:
- Steamed vegetables
- Light soups
- Cooked wholemeal products (for example wholemeal pasta)
- Easily digestible proteins such as fish or chicken.
A version of this article originally appeared on Vogue (Germany).