Sometimes the midnight munchies just won’t go away. You know you want a snack but you don’t want the calories that often go hand-in-hand with late night snack foods, so what can you eat? We’ve come to the rescue, here are our fave low calorie snacks for when you’re feeling peckish late in the evening.
Air popped popcorn
A handful of popcorn (provided it’s not the heavily buttered kind!) contains far fewer calories than a handful of potato chips which means it’s a great option to satisfy savoury food cravings. Plain, air popped popcorn is your best option.
Have a drink
Sometimes if your stomach is feeling empty, a drink can go a long way toward making you feel full – and sometimes when we think we’re feeling hungry, we’re actually thirsty! A warm herbal tea, miso soup or low fat trim hot chocolate could help curb your appetite late at night. Just avoid drinks with caffeine in them as it can still be in your system around eight hours later which is likely to affect the quality of your sleep.
Put down the cake!
Rather than ice cream or sweet baked goods such as cakes and pastries, have a piece of fruit instead. Either one large piece (e.g. apple, orange), two smaller pieces (e.g. mandarin, apricot), or a handful of fruit (such as blueberries or grapes) will help to satisfy your craving for sweet food without adding too many calories to your daily intake. As an alternative if you’re feeling more like a treat, you could make a mini fruit salad combined with low fat yoghurt.
Stay away from…
Anything super carb-heavy; carbs are like fuel for your body, so if you eat them late at night when all you’re going to do is go to sleep, they may end up getting stored by your body as fat to be used at a later date. Not to mention your body will have to work to digest them so you may feel overfull when you’re trying to get to sleep.
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