Healthy Midnight Snacking
T he moment you get into your bed and the second thing that comes into your mind is “to eat” or “I am hungry”! And then you snack on cookies, crisps with sodas or any thing that satisfies you, but eventually this leads to a massive weight gain.
So what’s the way out?
Is it that much bad to indulge yourself into a midnight snack? What if you choose for a healthy midnight snack to satisfy your hanger-pangs!
YES! It’s possible to have some healthy snacks even after dinner when you are in bed and you feel hungry. Healthy midnight snacks won’t ruin your effort to maintain a healthy diet. If you keep low fat- low calorie foods on hand, you can curb your cravings with healthy midnight snacks, rather than junk foods and spoiling your weight loss plans. The problem arises when you eat late night snacks and this boost your total calorie intake, more than what actually you need for the day, however, Its more wise to avoid snacking late night.
Here are some tips and suggestions on how you can avoid late night snacking.
- The best way to avoid late night snacking is to eat healthy, small frequent meals the whole day, because if you didn’t eat enough during the day, then at night you cant satisfy your stomach.
- Satisfying your appetite is very simple, try to eat every three to four hours, just to keep your blood sugar levels stable the whole day.
- Take your dinner before 8, and your dinner should include a salad, a portion of lean protein, a serving of whole grain and vegetable, end up with a serving of any high fiber fruit.
- If you have a schedule to eat late dinner, then watch on your calories, don’t eat excess calories.
- Some midnight snacking is purely base on stress; because when you’re stressed you calm yourself with food. So try to avoid stress as much as possible.
Ideas for healthy midnight snacks:
So now still you can’t take your hands off on midnight snacking but at the same time you also don’t want to put up extra calories, here are some foods that can fill you up with very less calories;
- MILK: Go for a low fat version with added calcium and vitamin D. Milk contains tryptophan, an amino acid that helps you to have a deep sleep. Calcium and vitamin D in a cup of milk can help you to strengthen your bones.
- NUTS: Nuts are rich in antioxidants, also nuts are full of fiber, they’ll keep you feel fuller till morning. These nutritious nibbles also help you to regulate your blood sugar levels.
- POP-CORN: Whole grain pop-corns are ideal snacks, when you crave for something salty. Whole grain pop-corns are good source of complex carbohydrates and are also low in calories (don’t add butter and keep the salt away).
- VEGGIES: Although having fresh raw vegetables doesn’t seems to be appetizing as a midnight snack but they are packed of vitamins, minerals and many phytonutrients and they’re full of water, so you’ll fell less dehydrated in the morning. They are also low in calories, high in fiber, haveyou vegetable sticks with any good low fat yogurt dip, and you’ll be much satisfied.
- WHOLE GRAINS: Grab whole grains like, oatmeal, high fiber cold cereal, whole grain crackers or toast with low-fat cheese. These have complex carbs, that won’t raise your blood sugar instantly which causes you to sleep restless.
- LEAN PROTIEN: Lean portions of proteins are not only the building blocks of your body but they also makes you feel fuller longer without widening your waistline. Lean proteins are lower in calories than some fat-rich foods. So have few slices of lean turkey or chicken or even low fat cheese slices to tide you over until morning.
