Keep your late night snacking at bay!
Ways to Snack healthy in the witching hour
The usual rule is that you should not be eating anything after 8:00 PM if you want to stay healthy and keep obesity at bay. And yet, who says that your stomach conforms to the demands that your schedule and erratic sleeping hours put on it? The fact is, work and study can keep you awake for long, making you put in a lot of effort to keep the best of results coming. With all that hard work, you undoubtedly will feel hungry in the wee hours. So how do you indulge yourself, while staying healthy? Here are a bunch of healthy snacking for you to opt for, while snacking at midnight!
Why do cravings occur and how can you keep them at bay?
Cravings for food at night happen for a large number of reasons. Here are some of the reasons why this occurs and what you can do to settle these cravings:
• The foremost of these are that your last meal might have been too early. If you know that you are going to stay up for a while, don’t eat an early dinner. Try to keep a late dinner, so that you don’t eat again at night.
• You might also be dehydrated, and your cravings will kick in because of that. Keep yourself well hydrated through the day, and make sure that you get at least 4 litres of water in a day.
• Not having anything to do when you stay up for long hours may also result in boredom, which can lead to cravings. Make sure that you stay up for a purpose, and not to do nothing, or to just veg out before the television.
• Sometimes, Low salt or sugar levels can make you seek out something to eat late at nights. Always make sure that your intake through the day is balanced and well stocked on all the requisite sugar and salt levels.
• Another common reason is the lack of protein in your body. Make sure that you have a good amount of protein that will help ensure that you don’t have any cravings.
Eating healthy late at night:
– Salad sticks are clever and healthy snacks to keep in tow for long nighters. Sticks of cucumber, zucchini, carrots, radishes and beetroots are light and do not impinge on your health while they fill your stomach just as well. Cut up all these vegetables into sticks, and keep some good hung curd, or light mayonnaise around, so you can use them as a dip.
– Fruit cubes are also a smart and healthy snacking option in the middle of the night. Although most people might argue against eating fruits, light options like watermelons and bananas are a good option. Chopped fruits left in the freezer double up as a smart little ice cube full of flavour and nutrition.
– If you have a sweet tooth and your cravings are centered towards sweet stuff that fruits can’t satiate, Dark Chocolate is a smart snack to have at midnight. Since dark chocolate is low on sugar and high on cocoa, it is actually healthy for you because it can keep your stress low by lowering your blood pressure and also help improve your mood.
– Tofu and Paneer sticks are a wise snacking option. Rich in proteins, the snack will help you boost your recovery while sleeping, if it is eaten late into the night. It also helps you feel full, although it could be a little heavy on the stomach to process.
– On occasion, you can enjoy some ice cream, but in moderation. Ice cream can be a high calorie snack and is least recommended, but a little bit can fill you up just as well. If you would rather not opt for ice cream of the regular kind, you can have frozen bananas and frozen berries on the go.
– Jasmine and Chamomile Tea is an ideal midnight snack for people who have insomnia and are not able to eat. Brew a bag full in hot water, and you will sleep as soundly as a baby, if not more.
– Nuts, especially almonds, walnuts, peanuts, cashews and pistachio seeds are good to indulge in at midnight. Roasted pumpkin seeds and channa dal are also comfortable bites to nibble on. Since they are rich in salts, they keep you de-stressed and help you unwind at night no matter how heavy your workload may be.
References:
http://www.thefitindian.com/19-healthy-late-night-snacks-to-control-craving/
Picture courtesy: http://fruitguys.com/
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