If you follow the ever-changing dogma of healthy eating, then you know that eating before bed is a big no-no. That said, there's a new healthy-ish ice cream that aims to not only change that, but to serve as a nightcap, to boot.
Nightfood says it’s not only a healthier alternative to traditional ice cream, but it can help you get a better night’s rest.
According to Insider, ice cream often contains ingredients that disrupt slumber – sugar, sucralose, and caffeine, for example. While your favorite pint might cause reflux, indigestion and give you a less-than-stellar night's sleep, Nightfood is designed to do the opposite.
“It’s simply a better-for-you ice cream formulated for nighttime, when most ice cream is consumed,” the company's website says.
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Seamlessly meshing into the world of its low-calorie ice cream competitors — like Halo Top and Enlightened — Nightfood offers eight flavors with calories ranging from 280 to 400. Flavors include night-themed pints of "full moon vanilla," "cookies n' dreams," "cherry eclipse" and more.
Nightfood's pints are all certified Kosher and there are five gluten-free options in the bunch.
But will this dessert actually help you sleep? All signs point toward yes, and without the help of any sort of sleep aid. According to Healthline, ice cream contains the amino acid glycine, magnesium, digestive enzymes, protein, fiber, and lower sugar levels to better your sleep, but without the use of melatonin.
"There are several studies showing how glycine helps improve sleep and insomnia, including one that showed it helps with sleep onset,” nutritionist and physician Dr. Eddie Fatakhov told Healthline.
But Dr. W. Chris Winter, president of Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and author of "The Sleep Solution," told HEALTH that he's not sold on the product. “As a society we need to get away from this idea that this pill, this spray, this app, this technology, this food is benefiting our sleep,” he says.
As of right now, Nightfood is only available online via their website or Amazon, though they plan to hit freezer shelves later this month.