Healthy Late Night Snacks to Feed Your Night Owl
It’s late at night and you’ve already had dinner, but now you can hear your stomach grumbling over your show.
If you’re like most of us, you've heard that you shouldn’t eat after a certain time because your body doesn’t digest late night snacks properly.
Well, what if we told you that you could eat late at night?
Your body doesn’t stop digesting food when it goes to sleep, but it does slow down.
So you can still have healthy late night snacks, as long as they're reasonable.
Don't worry, we’re going to help you get through those night owl cravings with some tips on what not to do and tasty suggestions too.
The Don'ts of Late-Night Eating
Foods with lots of oils and fats:
Deep-fried foods are not what we would call healthy late night snacks.
These foods take longer to digest in general, but laying horizontally will make it even harder.
It’s known to cause acid reflux as well, since it lingers a little longer in your stomach.
Anything spicy:
Spicy foods have Capsaicin, which is the active component of chili peppers.
That causes indigestion and discomfort, so getting to sleep afterward will become challenging.
So save your spicy food cravings for lunch and dinner!
Sugar or Caffeine:
This one is kind of obvious.
Snacking on chocolate and candy before bed is going to make it hard to sleep and it's going to make you feel groggy and full waking up.
If you're going to indulge your sweet tooth at all, try to make it earlier in the day.
"Go For It" Late-Night Snacks
High-fiber cereal and milk:
While great for you and an excellent go-to snack, remember to keep your cereal portions reasonable.
Try just a half-cup to three-quarters of a cup at first. Even healthy late night snacks need to portion-controlled!
Avocado slices on toast:
Stick to whole-wheat or rye when choosing your bread for your toast.
Avocado has natural, healthy fats that will keep you full until breakfast. You need to eat these instead of artificial fats, so this tasty snack can still be satisfying and healthy without frying anything in oil.
Banana with peanut, almond, or cashew butter:
Try spreading peanut, almond, or cashew butter onto banana slices, or celery if you prefer a vegetable. The
The nut butter will provide healthy fats and proteins that will keep you feeling full and the banana sweetens the deal, for those of us who can't give up our sugar cravings entirely.
Fruit and nuts mix:
This is a perfect substitute the chronic chip eater. Skip the chips and salty treats like Cheetos for this healthy alternative. Sweet, salty, and nutritious rarely live in the same bowl. Take advantage!
Sweet, salty, and nutritious rarely live in the same bowl. Take advantage!
Some of our favourite fruit and nut mix ingredients are:
- peanuts
- almonds
- cashews
- baked soybeans
- coconut chunks
- banana chips
- dried apricot
- dried cranberries
- raisins
- dried apples
- candied orange peels
- dark chocolate chips
- granola
- sunflower seeds
Snack On - Just Snack Wisely!
A tip to remember when snacking is to give yourself some time before hitting the hay, even if you eat those healthy late night snacks at a slightly embarrassing hour.
Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to give up your munchies and tasty foods. It just calls for a little creativity (and reasonable portions.)