Hi ,
Merry Christmas. 🎄
I hope today is full of good food, people you like, and a bit of calm in between it all.
I’m not here to tell you to eat less on Christmas Day.
I’m here to show you one small evening habit that can help you sleep better – without giving up your favourite foods.
THE LATE-NIGHT EATING PROBLEM
Most of us do the same thing at night, especially around holidays:
Big dinner
Dessert
Snacks on the sofa
Then straight to bed
It feels relaxing. But for your body, it’s a bit of a mess.
When you eat a large meal or sugary snack right before bed:
Your body is busy digesting when it should be winding down
You may get heartburn or feel very “heavy” lying down
Your blood sugar can rise, then drop during the night
You wake up at 2–3am, hot, restless, or suddenly hungry again
You might think, “I’m just a bad sleeper.”
But often, your evening food timing is the real issue.
WHAT REALLY MATTERS
The goal is not to be perfect.
The goal is to change when and how much you eat late at night.
A helpful evening pattern looks like this:
Your main meal is eaten a couple of hours before bed
Heavy, rich or very sugary foods are not the last thing you eat
If you do have a late snack, it’s small and balanced (not a second dinner)
You may need to rethink your evenings if:
You feel very full or bloated when you go to bed
You often get heartburn lying down
You wake in the night feeling too hot, wired, or wide awake
You need a lot of caffeine the next morning just to function
Carbs are not the enemy.
Slow-release carbs (oats, potatoes, rice, wholegrain bread, beans) are great for steady energy.
The problem is very big, very heavy or very sugary meals right before sleep, not carbs in general.
PRACTICAL WIN: THE 3-HOUR, LIGHT-LATE RULE
You don’t have to give up Christmas pudding or chocolate.
Use this simple rule most days (including holidays):
Big meals 2–3 hours before bed.
Light snacks only in the last hour before sleep – and only if you’re truly hungry.
Step 1 – Shift your main meal a bit earlier when you can.
Christmas dinner at 5–7pm is easier on your sleep than a huge feast at 10pm.
Step 2 – If you want something later, keep it small and balanced.
Ideas for a light, sleep-friendly snack:
Small bowl of Greek yoghurt with a few berries
A banana with a spoon of peanut butter
One or two oatcakes with cheese or hummus
A small handful of nuts and a piece of fruit
These give you a mix of protein, healthy fats and slow-release carbs.
They are gentle on your stomach and less likely to wake you in the night.
You can still enjoy:
Christmas pudding
Chocolate
Party food
Just try to have most of it earlier in the evening, not right before your head hits the pillow.
BONUS: A SIMPLE CHRISTMAS EVENING RESET
Here’s a tiny routine that gives you more value from the food you’re already eating:
After dinner, take a 10–15 minute easy walk
(around the block, with family, or even just inside if it’s freezing)When you get back, keep the lights a bit softer and avoid staring into a bright screen right before bed
If you do snack, follow the light-late rule above
This small reset can:
Help your body handle a bigger meal
Reduce that “too full to sleep” feeling
Make it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep
Leave you with more energy tomorrow (even if you’ve eaten more than usual today)
No guilt. No “starting over in January”.
Just small, repeatable habits that make real life a bit easier.
Got questions about evening snacks, late dinners, or how to balance carbs at night?
Reply to this email – I read every message personally.
See you next week,
Gabriel, Nutrition Hacks | gbMeals
P.S. Next Thursday: How to reset after a big holiday week (without a crash diet, juice cleanse, or “I’ll start again on Monday” plan).