It is normal for people to feel hungry if they are awake in the night. This is the time when they start craving for junk food. But not all food items are suitable just before going to bed. Foods with lot of sugar, caffeine content and high calorie snacks should be strictly avoided. Though they may be tasty and satisfy hunger, they may not be easily digested by the body.

Hunger may be caused due to dehydration of the body. So try gulping in 2 – 3 glasses of water first. In case you still feel hungry, it would be a good idea to grab a healthy snack to satisfy your cravings.

Choose whether you want to munch on a salty dish or a sweet one. You can then choose a snack which adheres to your craving. Choose a healthy and light snack that would not make you feel too full while you go to sleep. This is because you may end up having nauseated feeling during your sleep due to improper or incomplete digestion of food.

A simple late night snack would be to have a bowl or cereal with low fat milk. Apples with peanut butter are ideal as they are healthy and friendly to the stomach too.

Avoid food items or beverages containing caffeine as they are very harmful to health before bed time and you may also end up in disturbed sleep. For example, do not end up drinking a strong espresso coffee to fulfil your hunger. Instead of consuming a bar of chocolate, you can cut down on the high-sugar content by preparing a light chocolate drink with very little sugar. Premium ice creams with rich toppings need to be strictly avoided since you do not give your stomach enough time to digest the food before lying down.

If you want something cool, you may gulp in a cup of non-fat yoghurt. You may also consume only dried fruits like sweet prunes. They contain a lot of fibre, and also potassium and magnesium which are vital for the body.

A handful of roasted nuts can also be useful to satisfy your hunger bursts. This crunchy snack promotes production of serotonin in the brain which helps in relaxing your body and also mind. You would cut down a lot of stress at the end of a tiring day but not add a lot of calories while satisfying your hunger at the wee hours of the night.

Too much of sodium in the late night snack is not good for health. You can consume sodium crackers with low-fat cheese to adhere to your salty cravings during the night. Another option is to have some pita chips that have been dipped in sauce.

Avoid fried or deep fried oily items during the night like double cheese pizzas or huge burgers with fatty stuffing. Late night snacks should be very light and not equivalent to a full course heavy meal, especially if you follow a regular routine of staying up in the night.

Jason Ladock

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