Late Night Eating: Healthy Substitutes for Unhealthy Cravings

Some of us get the strongest cravings late at night before bed or in the middle of the night. Instead of choosing unhealthy snacks or foods to munch on in the late night hours, try replacing them with healthier substitutes. The benefit of eating healthier at night includes the negative effects of continuous weight gain. It is advised that you should not eat after a certain time of the day in order for food to be properly digested before you go to sleep. But sometimes you really want a snack and a healthy option is your best bet.

Instead of chowing down on greasy leftover pizza or anything else that you ate earlier that day, try fixing yourself a small deli sandwich. If you stock your fridge with deli such as turkey and whole grain bread, you can make a quick sandwich with a small apple on the side.

If you are craving sweets, steer clear from Reeses, bite-sized Snickers or any other kind of candy. Instead, go for some fresh fruits like strawberries, cantaloupe, watermelon, apples and pineapple. Fresh fruit can be more appealing if it is pre-cut and already mixed into a fun and fresh fruit salad. You can cut up a medley of different fruits before you go to sleep. Having fresh fruit already cut and waiting for you in the fridge is probably the best option for late night snacking.

Sometimes, you might be craving a nice bowl of your favorite ice cream late at night. Substitute ice cream with a cup of yogurt or applesauce. You can even add some fruit to your yogurt to make it interesting. Also, some people forget how delicious apple sauce really is. It could be the perfect snack choice at night if paired with a handful of pretzels to contrast the sweet flavors. Pretzels are also a great substitute for potato chip cravings.

The best way to satisfy for late night cravings is by preparing for them in advance so that you do not make unhealthy snack choices in the middle of the night. Just by having cut up fruit in your fridge, you eliminate possible bad food choices.