Q: Can diet affect sleep?
– John in California

A: Yes, I discuss this topic in length in my book, Food & Mood. Avoid eating large or spicy meals in the evening, since they might make you groggy, but they interfere with a good night’s sleep. Avoid coffee and other caffeinated beverages and foods after 12 noon. Caffeine can linger in the body for 12 hours or more. About 45 minutes to an hour prior to bedtime, have a small, all-carbohydrate snack, such as a small bowl of popcorn, a half English muffin topped with jam, or a half bagel with honey drizzled on the top. This will help boost levels of a nerve chemical called serotonin that aids sleep. -Elizabeth Somer

Q: Do people gain more weight when they eat late at night than at other times of the day?
– Becky in Seattle

A: This myth might have originated from a decade-old study that found that “diet-induced thermogenesis” or DIT (the extra calories it takes to digest and assimilate foods) was higher after breakfast than after lunch, and higher after lunch than after dinner (at least in men). These results suggested that more calories are used up and so are not stored as fat when consumed earlier in the day compared to at night. No research since has added credence to the theory. There probably is a slight fat-storing effect when a person eats a large dinner or evening snack and then sits around all night compared to eating a large breakfast followed by an active day, but the effect is too small to make any difference in a person’s weight. When it comes to weight gain, it is much more about how many calories you take and how many you burn in a 24-hour period than it is about when you eat or exercise. – Elizabeth Somer