In order to feel our best, we need adequate sleep each and every night. Here are 12 foods that may interfere with your ability to get a good night’s rest.

1. Celery. Avoid celery and other foods high in water content (cucumbers, watermelon, etc.) before bed because they are natural diuretics.

2. Tomatoes. Tomatoes are rich in tryamine, and amino acid that triggers the brain to boost its activity. Other tryamine-rich foods: eggplant, soy sauce, red wine and aged cheeses.

3. Fried foods. Foods high in fat take longer to digest and can interfere with your ability to fall asleep.

4. Alcohol. Although alcohol will make you doze off quicker, it robs you of REM sleep which is important to concentration, memory and motor skills.

5. Beans. Beans are a disaster before bed because they take so long to digest and can cause gas.

6. Dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is heart healthy, but just before bed, the caffeine in the chocolate could keep you up.

7. Sugar. Anything that causes your blood glucose to spike will cause a release in insulin that will make it hard to stay asleep.

8. Spicy foods. Spicy foods are often the cause of heartburn once you are laying flat.

9. Marbled red meat. A little marbeling makes a steak taste great, but the greater the fat content, the slower you will digest it. Steak at a late dinner could keep you up.

10. Carbonated beverages. Even the least suspecting carbonated beverages can have caffeine in them. If you’re going to drink soda before bed, check the label.

11. Large meals. A heavy meal before you sleep can keep you up. Allow three hours to digest before you sleep.

12. Broccoli. While broccoli is full of nutrition, it is also full of slow-to-digest fiber which will keep your body working hard while you’re trying to sleep. That goes for cauliflower and brussels sprouts, as well.

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A landmark study from Loma Linda University years ago showed that ingesting processed or refined sugar as opposed to a more natural form of sugar found in fruits and vegetables makes the white blood cells—the cells we rely on to fight infections—less responsive.

One thing that ingesting sugar is known to do is to provoke an inflammatory response. The body’s reaction to that is to send the protective white blood cells to limit the damage that inflammation can do. If white blood cells are made less responsive by the sugar that is present, they’re less able to protect the body from inflammation.

Here are 5 additional reasons to limit the amount of refined sugar in your diet:

1. A steady diet of refined sugar can lead to insulin resistance which means your body is less able to make good use of the sugar through a simple release of insulin. Over time your body may need far more insulin to make use of the sugar you are consuming to keep your blood sugar levels steady.
2. Sugar promotes inflammation. Inflammation is a known risk factor in heart attacks and strokes.
3. It can lead to weight gain. This one’s a no brainer. Empty calories are empty …
4. Sugar contributes to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Our livers process refined sugars the same way they process ethanol (alcohol). Eating too much sugar is like alcohol without the buzz.
5. Sugar acts like fertilizer for cancer cells. Cancer cells without fuel grow slowly making them far less dangerous than cancer cells that grow and spread quickly.

Refined sugars—syrups, honey, table sugar, soda, baked goods, etc.—when consumed in quantity, or even in small quantities but consumed regularly can lead to disease and can hamper your ability to fight off infection.