If you are on a diet, nighttime cravings are guaranteed to wreak your goal to lose weight as the hunger pangs at this time is hard to dismiss. Truth be told, eating at night is not going to ruin your diet but what you eat. If your idea of nighttime snack are sweets and chips then you shouldn’t be surprised to see your weight go up. This is why you need to make a smart choice when it comes to snacking at night so that you will still be able to keep your weight loss program running without a hitch.
- Nuts. If you want to address your growing hunger pangs but don’t want to add calories to your current weight, snacking on nuts is highly recommended. For one thing, nuts are high in monounsaturated fat which is the good kind as it helps increase the “good” cholesterol. Just make sure that you don’t eat too much as they are high in calories. Go for pistachios because you can get more fats per ounce compared to other nuts.
- Avocado. Another snack that you should go for to curb your nighttime cravings is avocado. Just a few slices of this fruit can satisfy your hunger fast. You can make a homemade guacamole to go with your tortilla chips or even a multi grain bread as it has more fiber and fats in it.
- Dairy. Dairy products like cottage cheese and yogurt are good choices too if you are jonesing for a snack beyond 8pm. Cottage cheese is low in carbs but high in protein which can help satisfy your hunger. Even if you opt for a full fat cottage cheese, the fat it contains only amounts to 6 grams. Aside from these two, drinking a glass of skim milk can help assuage your late night cravings but if you need something that you can chew on like a cup of whole grain cereal.
- Dark chocolate. Another nighttime snack that will not only satisfy your sweet tooth but dull your hunger is dark chocolate. Eating a single square of dark chocolate that has 70% cacao in it can satisfy your cravings without adding calories to your weight. Also, dark chocolate is known for its antioxidants which can help fight off free radicals in your body.
- Blueberries. A single cup of blueberries can deliver fibre, protein, and antioxidants to your body that will help curb your hunger while providing you the protection you need against damages caused by free radicals. What’s great about this fruit is that it will fill your belly up minus the calories plus it can also boost your immune system.
These are just a few examples of healthy snacks that you can eat past 8 in the evening. They are the best options when you feel hungry at night but don’t want to worry about calories or weight gain as each one of these options have a small amount of calories and fats.
