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I hold a degree in biochemistry from Hobart College and a doctorate in nutrition from Penn State. I'm a widely published writer (Men's Health, Rodale Books, etc.). And I'm here to answer your questions for free!

Ask The Macro Manager

Q: I generally eat red meat closer to bedtime, because as I understand it, it's a slower-digesting protein, a more complete amino acid complex, and better protein synthesis. Is that sound logic; and if not, is there a better late-night protein source?

Mike: Your logic is on the right track, but I can show you how to optimize your late-night feedings in order to best achieve your goal. The two keys for a pre-bedtime meal are to stimulate muscle growth and set the stage nutritionally to minimize protein breakdown while you're sleeping.

Research shows us that stimulating protein synthesis is all about spikes in essential amino acids (especially leucine) and not necessarily keeping the amino acids levels in your blood elevated for long periods of time. But in order to minimize protein breakdown, we want to make sure that you have a surplus of amino acids in your blood stream as long as possible.

To recap, we want a meal that will deliver a spike of essential amino acids and then a slow drip of amino acids overtime. To do this I'm going to select foods for you based on their rates of digestion and amino acid profile. If we can build a meal that would deliver a slow infusion of glucose, not causing a big spike insulin, that is a bonus as insulin and squash growth hormone release. Growth hormone levels are naturally elevated while you are sleeping, providing an addition level of muscle protein sparing.

First let's look at what impacts speed of digestion. There are 4 main factors that I like to consider:

protein type

fat

fiber

form

1. Protein Type

Numerous studies have looked at how long it takes the amino acids from different forms of whey and casein proteins to get into our bodies and then what happens when the amino acids get there. Generally these studies show that whey protein is digested faster than casein protein (meaning that the amino acid levels peak in your blood quicker). They also show that whey and casein hydrosylates are digested faster than their whole protein counterparts. Whey protein, due to its high concentrations of leucine, maximally stimulates muscle protein synthesis while casein has been shown to prevent protein breakdown overtime.

2. Fat

The addition to dietary fat to a meal causes the release of the hormone cholecystokinin, which slows down digestion.

3. Fiber

The addition of fiber, specifically soluble fiber, to a meal will also slow down the rate in which food is digested.

4. Form

Food form is an often-overlooked factor, but the form in which you eat food will impact how fast your body digests it. A steak will take your body longer to digest than a whey protein shake, as with the steak your body needs to go through the mechanical process of breaking down the food in order to extract the nutrients. When you drink a whey protein shake, the nutrients are more readily available and thus taken up faster.

Click To Enlarge.
Protein shakes are much easier to prepare
and will be absorbed easier than steak.

Putting Your Pre-Bed Meal Together

Here are the ingredients for your optimized pre-bedtime meal and what they are bringing to the table nutritionally.

Fat Free Greek Yogurt

Coconut Milk

Flaxseed Meal

Vanilla Whey Protein

Raspberries

Below are 350 kcal and 500 kcal versions of this killer bed time snack for you to use depending on your calorie needs. Just mix up all the ingredients in a bowl and you're ready to eat!