Late Night Snack Addiction

We've all (at some point in our life) had a late night snack addiction. In graduate school, I remember staying up all night to work on an assignment that was due the next morning.  In addition to breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks that I consumed for that day, I was still hungry at 2a.m.  I thought to myself, why am I STILL HUNGRY! So what did I do? I ate 6 Pepperidge Farms Cinnamon Raisin bread with margarine on each slice every 2 hours. I almost ate the entire loaf. OMG! I didn't know much about nutrition at this time, but felt eating 6 slices of bread probably wasn't a good idea; especially late at night.

Looking back, I realized why I was so terribly hungry. I spent an additional 10 hrs (past my bedtime) working on an assignment that I procrastinated to complete within an earlier timeframe.  My brain was actively being utilized to develop thoughts and ideas while converting them into written words 10 pages long.  My body needed additional energy to keep it operating beyond its limit. This led to my craving of carbs! The body naturally craves carb! It's a nutrient that is easily broken down by the body to provide quick energy. I was too fatigued to actually make a meal or choose a nutritious snack. I wanted something with a familiar taste in which I would perform the "food dance" upon eating it. Have you ever eaten something so DELICIOUS that you began to move around, smile or just paused for a moment to savor the flavor. HMMM.. memories!

Nonetheless, consistent late night snack addictions may lead to
over eating and weight gain in the future.  You want to control this immediately. Ask yourself, why am I staying up late? The longer you stay up, the more energy your body is using to keep you awake. Are you working on an assignment? Did you develop a schedule to complete a project within a timely manner, but didn't follow through? You may have to become better at organizing and managing your time to prevent late night snack addictions..

However, there are many professional disciplines where you may stay up later than usual to get something done (e.g. Lawyer, Parent, Grant writer, Teacher, Entrepreneur, Nurse, Student, Doctor, etc). If this is a usual occurence, then it becomes EXTREMELY important that you have healthier snack options on hand-NO, FRUIT SNACKS FORTIFED with Vitamin C are not nutritious!

Choose any of the following nutritious items to snack on:

1. Spread celery sticks with peanut butter or low-fat cream cheese. Top with raisins. Enjoy your “ants on a log.”
2. Make snack kabobs. Put cubes of low-fat cheese and grapes on pretzel sticks.
3. Pita bread and hummus
4. Edamame
5. Toast a whole grain waffle and top with low-fat yogurt and sliced peaches.
6. Mix together ready-to-eat cereal, dried fruit and nuts in a sandwich bag for an on-the-go snack.
7. Spread peanut butter on apple slices.
8. Blend low-fat milk, frozen strawberries and a banana for thirty seconds for a delicious smoothie
9. Microwave a cup of tomato or vegetable soup and enjoy with whole grain crackers.
10. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on hot popcorn.
11. Mini Pizza: Toast an English muffin, drizzle with pizza sauce and sprinkle with low-fat mozzarella cheese.
12. Baked sweet potato fries
13. Parfait: Layer vanilla yogurt and mandarin oranges or blueberries in a tall glass. Top with a sprinkle of granola.
14. Piece of fresh fruit and low-fat string cheese
15. Tabbouleh salad with hummus and pita bread
16. Walnuts
17. Homemade soup
18. 1 cup of whole grain cereal with fresh fruit and milk
19. Low-fat cheese, whole grain crackers and fruit
20. Baked apple (in microwave) with cinnamon (or other spices)
21. Oatmeal, oat bran,  or museli
22. Cup of yogurt
23. Assorted fresh fruit with a drizzle of honey, lime zest and lime juice (absolutely delicious)
24. 1/2 Peanut butter jelly sandwich on whole grain bread
25. Raw veggies and homemade bean dip or hummus
26. Vegetable pizza
27. Bean salad

Let me know if any of these snack ideas work for you!