Midnight Snacks: 19 Healthy Late Night Snacks For Your Hunger

Poor night sleep often leads to late night snacks binging. However, midnight binging is a proven cause of weight gain, indigestion, and high blood sugar levels. One should prefer consuming low-calorie food items or the ones that are easy to digest. The midnight snacks may include fruits, vegetable salad, nuts, and seeds.

After consulting with India’s top-most Nutritionist and Dieticians, we have found the best night snacks to curb your hunger pangs without piling in extra pounds.

3 Mandates for Late Night Munching

Hunger can be a crucial factor that can keep you tossing and turning at night. Don’t just blindly eat anything, instead follow some simple snacking rules for midnight hunger to stay fit and healthy without compromising with sleep.

Rule #1: Limit Your Calories

Hunger often leads us to pizza, ice cream, French fries, chicken wings, and burgers, etc. Maybe these food items will satisfy your craving but will surely disturb your health and sleep. Keeping the snack healthy and below 200 calories is the wisest choice.

Rule #2: Easy to Digest Food

Having fresh fruits and veggies are the best food to eat at night, without hampering your sound sleep. These food items are rich in nutrition and are easier to digest.

Rule #3: Avoid Sugar Intake

Sugar intake can not only disrupt your sleep but can also lead to a high blood sugar level, which will adversely affect your health. Thus, you should prefer snacks low in sugar.

Healthy Late Night Snacks

1. Makhanas or FoxNuts

These little powerhouses of nutrition are the perfect healthy midnight snack to munch on as they have low-calorie count and are rich in carbohydrates and proteins. Makhanas are not only gluten-free but are also known to stabilize high blood pressure, heart diseases, and obesity.

Also Read- Makhana Benefits & Nutritional Value

2. Cucumber & Black Pepper Sandwich

This is by far the simplest and healthiest sandwich recipe. Cucumbers are not just low in calories, but also easy to digest. You can also use a low-fat butter spread before adding cucumbers to bread. Also, consider using multigrain or brown bread to make sure it is healthy.

3. Protein Smoothie

Eating protein before bedtime has multiple health benefits. It cannot only support muscle repair but can also slow down age-related muscle loss. Add your favourite fruits such as blueberries or cranberries to give a luscious taste to your protein smoothie.

You might like: Health Benefits of Smoothies

4. Egg White and Bell Peppers

This late night food recipe is slightly on an innovative side. As we have already mentioned that consuming proteins at night can be beneficial for your body, these egg whites filled with bell peppers would do complete justice. You can toss your bell peppers in salt, black pepper, and lemon to enhance the flavour.

5. Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds are not only low in calories, but they also provide 310-420 magnesium for adults, which is known to provide better sleep. They are the best choice to include in your late night snacks list.

You can also checkout: Different Types of Seeds

6. Healthy Crackers

Crackers can be an excellent gluten-free snack that is packed with the goodness of various nuts and seeds like Chia, Flax, and Sunflower. They are light on the stomach and are packed with antioxidants that are great for your gut health, skin, and hair.

You might like: Best Healthy Indian Snacks

7. Quinoa Puffs

You can now enjoy the goodness of this superfood that helps increase your metabolic rate, aids weight loss, improves your digestion, and reduces constipation. This healthy late night snack is available in a variety of flavors ranging from spicy to cheddar cheese, Quinoa Puffs are a great alternative to your midnight craving for chips and saltines.

8. Nuts

A handful of nuts can be an excellent alternative for chips and saltines. Nuts are the nutritional powerhouse with innumerous benefits. Besides, nuts have a tendency to soothing hunger pangs almost instantly. Just make sure you grab a handful of it, not more than 200 calories.

9. Veggie Salad

A salad made of nutritious veggies like carrot, broccoli, cucumber, zucchini, and tomatoes sprinkled with black pepper is the best food to eat at night and can work well to curb your midnight hunger. To add more flavor, you can include a dip made of low-calorie cottage cheese.

Also Read: 20 Healthy Office Snacks

10. Oats

Oats are known to be a perfect breakfast, but yes, a warm bowl of oatmeal can be ideal for quelling the rumbling in your stomach even at midnight. They are rich in fiber and include beta-gluten that keeps a watch on your cholesterol level.

Also Read: Oats Nutrition Facts and Benefits

11. Dried Cherries

A quarter cup (100 calories) of dried cherries is perfect to have before bedtime to increase your overall sleep efficiency. They are perfect to add to your midnight snack ideas.

12. Black Olives

If you are looking for something to keep you full without adding extra calories, then nothing can be better than a small cup of black olives. Olives are perfectly proportioned with healthy fats with just 30 calories per serving.

13. Beet Hummus

Beet Hummus is not only tasty but it is loaded with ingredients that will help you fall asleep in no time. This is made of protein-rich chickpeas, olive oil, roasted beets, and tahini. You can have this amazing treat with veggies or tart cherry topping.

14. Whole Grain Toast with Peanut Butter

Toast a slice of whole-grain bread is perfect with unsaturated peanut butter to stabilize your blood sugar level during sleep.

You might like: Different Ways to Eat Peanut Butter

15. Grapes

Those who have a sweet tooth can quench their hunger with grapes. Additionally, grapes are a great source of melatonin that improves your sleep pattern. Besides, they have low calorie and high nutrition content which makes them a good option.

16. Nut Butter on Zero Calorie Biscuit/Cracker

Nut butter, such as almond butter, is also a good alternative. And, with 24 percent of your daily needed magnesium and potassium in a quarter cup of almonds, they’re a no-brainer for late-night hunger pangs. Top it on a zero-calorie biscuit/cracker to make your own quick snack.

17. Seasonal Berries

Fruits, specifically berries, are one of the most popular and relished healthy midnight snacks. Be it strawberries, blueberries, goji berries, or cranberries, you can include. Berries can give you a lush of flavours and, at the same time, keep your good night’s sleep unhampered.

18. Vegetable Chips

Chips is one food item that is gauged upon at any time of the day, especially at midnight. But, let’s not sideline the fact that it is also one of the most fattening food items. However, you can always prefer vegetable chips such as baked sweet potato fries, okra chips, and beetroot chips. Vegetable chips are a million times healthier and more nutritious than regular chips.

19. Low Sugar Granola Bar

If you check the nutrition label, this can be a suitable substitute for a cookie. Make sure your bar contains some protein and fibre, as well as a moderate amount of sugar. Granola bars can easily and quickly give rest to your midnight hunger pangs.

Conclusion

It’s normal to have midnight hunger cravings and feel the urge to have something fun and tasty. The key here is to feed on healthy stuff that is tasty and exciting too. Now that you know about the best late night snacks, you won’t resort to unhealthy snacking. End your cravings and munch on your favorite healthy snacks without worrying about gaining calories. Munch healthy and sleep well!