Okay, so you’ve been told to stop snacking at night. You really don’t want to. You love to snack at night, and it keeps you going, especially if you’re working late and burning the midnight oil.
But now you’re going to have to starve because late-night snacking has been causing weight gain while making you feel guilty.
But wait just a minute there. What if we told you that there are 10 great snacks that you CAN eat at night without getting punished in terms of weight gain or pangs of guilt?
But it’s true. Because God actually clearly does love us after all, we can snack at nighttime and not pile the pounds on as long as we stick to the right foods.
So join us as we take a look at the 10 snacks that are A-okay to eat at night!
This one is a bit of a funny one. After all, isn’t cheese supposed to be fattening?
And doesn’t cheese before bedtime give us nightmares?
And and and … isn’t string cheese processed?!
Okay, yes, cheese is fattening.
But the idea that eating cheese before bedtime gives us nightmares is a total myth (we hope).
And, yes, string cheese is processed. But before you move down to the next item on this list, bear with us a second: Because while string cheese is most certainly processed, it’s also really low in calories. Indeed, one pack contains just 80 of ‘em.
Secondly, string cheese is rich in protein, which will keep you feeling full for longer. And it also contains tryptophan, an amino acid that can make you sleepy.
Everyone seems to be eating avocados on toast these days, from your mom to your grandma (though she probably thought it was something else!).
But while people generally eat it during the day because it’s a healthy, tasty and feel good snack (and, for some people, upholds their hipster image!), did you know that avocado is also the perfect late night snack?
Yup, stock up on avocados so that you never have to go hungry again at night.
Save some for us, too!
You might argue that you’re already eating cereal before bed. But are you eating the healthy kind that’s not going to cause you to put weight on?
There are different kinds of cereal, and while some are really sugary and bad for us, others aren’t – such as whole-grain cereals.
We’re talking about bran flakes and oatmeal, two cereals that pack a fibre-punch, and which you can top off with berries, nuts, seeds, quinoa and honey.
Now, doesn’t that sound like the most amazing night time snack ever?
This might sound a bit counter-intuitive, right? The apple makes perfect sense – it’s a fruit, and it’s rich in dietary fibre that keeps you feeling full for longer.
Peanut butter might be the snack of choice for Americans (who also love donuts, pancakes and all kinds of other carbs and sugars), but its protein content combines with the apples fibre to keep you feeling full until the morning.
Plus, apple when dipped in peanut butter just tastes better. So there.
Woah! What are we trying to do to you? First, we recommend that you drizzle peanut butter on your apple slices. And now we’re recommending that you eat chocolate pudding?!
“Are you just trying to make me fat?!”
The clue should be in the name – non-fat chocolate pudding. And as far as healthy midnight snacks go, they don’t come any more indulgent of luxurious than this. It’s one of those guilty pleasures that you don’t even have to feel guilty about. In other words, the best kind.
Non-fat chocolate pudding keeps your weight off, tastes delicious, melts away in your mouth, and goes down really easily! (Of course it does!)
And if you’re still not convinced, just check this out – a singe serving contains just 90 calories.
Eggs are full of protein, which means they keep you feeling full for longer. We don’t suggest that you scramble them, as that will require at least 2-3 eggs, which could be too much. Hard boil and egg, put it on toast and et voila – a satisfy and healthy late night treat.
Yogurt might be another nighttime favourite of yours. But again, are you eating the right kind? Ergo, the healthy kind?
Yogurt can be really fatty, and eaten just before bed it can cause weight gain. But the non-fat Greek kind is the opposite.
A small tub of nonfat Greek yogurt contains just 150 calories at the most, and well as all that satisfying protein, it also contains a healthy serving of sleep-inducing tryptophan.
Even better, Greek your has been found to soothe restless stomachs, ensuring that you wake up feeling ready to seize the day.
We know how it is. It’s late at night, you’re super hungry, and all you feel like is a sandwich. You know it’s going to fill you right up.
Maybe you normally go for the cheese. But since cheese is fattening, it’s probably best that you avoid it this time around and rustle up a healthy, vegetable sandwich instead.
You can be as creative as possible, and stick what you like on there. Top it all off with hummus and YUM.
Strawberries make for the perfect snack at any time of the day because they’re tasty, juicy, healthy and easy to eat. All you need to do is rinse them under the tap and bite away.
If you want to make them more interesting, slice them in half, and drizzle them in cream. It won’t add too many calories, we promise.
It’s late, you’re watching a movie and you’ve got a serious case of the munchies. Instead of reaching for a big bucket of buttered popcorn, try the organic stuff instead.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
