Really?! How do you know? Whoah! I eat carbs at night to help me fall asleep. I hear eating protein before bed is good either.
I agree with that though the only exception is green tea. Green tea is just plain good for you.
Genetics are a key part as well. It's a lot harder for some people to lose weight while others just eat red-meat every night and are told to gain weight!
The reason why carbs help you fall asleep is because your body converts it to sugar very quickly; the result is a temporary spike in blood sugar, followed by a sudden and drastic dip that resorts in a sugar crash and andrenal fatigue. That crash is actually what makes you sleepy... and that's not good at all. Why? Because your body has just been given a huge boost of energy, but hasn't used it, so that crash is like it saying "No? You don't need this extra energy? Okay, well, I'll just store it away for later..." And where does your body store its energy? That's right. Fat cells.
The reason why a small amount of protein before bed may be beneficial is because your body does most of its recalibrating and rebuilding at night. Unlike glucose, your body cannot synthesize its own protein, which it needs as building blocks for building and maintaining muscle mass. While it may not need sugar that it generates from carbs, your body will most definitely be using that protein.
Green tea is good for you, yes, but it is very high in caffeine and therefore, not exempt from its long-term effects if you consume too much of it. You can easily substitute it for you daily coffee and reap its benefits without overdoing it.
The other downside of too much caffeine? It can actually trick you into feeling hungry when you're really not. Chalk it up to its dehydrating effects.
And yes, I agree, genetics play a big part. Some people just have a faster metabolic rate than others. The key is to know what works for your body and what doesn't.