Healthy Late Night Snacks

Healthy snacks must be included in your daily eating habits if you want to stick to a healthy eating plan. You may not notice it but your healthy eating plan may be jeopardized when it comes to choosing your late night snacks.

You may stay up most nights because your work demands it or because of a good book or a television program. Whatever the reason may be, staying up late may also mean that you will get a craving for a late night snack once you hear your stomach growling.

Reasons For Late Night Food Cravings

There are many reasons why you may get a food craving in the middle of the night.

Dehydration is one of the main reasons of late night food cravings and hunger
It could derive from boredom
You could be genuinely hungry because of an early dinner
You suffer from low salt or sugar levels
Lack of protein in your body
For any of the reasons stated, your hunger needs to be satisfied nonetheless and a healthy snack is what you should grab instead of unhealthy junk foods.

Choose Healthy Snacks

Try to think about what you should eat rather than what you want to eat on your way to the kitchen. Junk foods tend to make you feel guilty afterward because you consume unwanted calories. It may satisfy your craving for the time being, but it will leave you feeling remorseful. Late night snacking may contribute to weight gain. Furthermore, junk foods may prevent you from getting proper sleep.

Since dehydration is one of the main reasons for food cravings, drink some water first when you feel hungry in the middle of the night. If you are dehydrated then the water will satisfy the hunger you are feeling. Avoid drinking coffee or any beverages that contain caffeine. If drinking water still leaves you hungry, go to the kitchen and prepare yourself some healthy snacks.

Protein-Rich Late Night Snacks

Choosing protein-rich foods for late night snacks is better for you than foods that have high contents of carbohydrates. Small servings of protein-rich foods will make you feel full longer. Some of the protein-rich snacks you may consider are:

Protein or granola bars
Egg rolls
A mixture of fresh fruits
A cup of yogurt
Crackers and cheese
Other great late night snacks ideas are:

Veggie sticks with yogurt dips
A bowl of cereal with skimmed milk
A cup of hot chocolate
A nutritious sandwich

One way to be prepared for late night hunger or food cravings is to set up a small space in your kitchen or refrigerator specifically for late night snacks. You can prepare in advance your healthy snacks during the day so that when your cravings for snacks kick in late at night, it is a sure bet that what you will grab is a healthy snack.