Healthy Late Night Snacks To Help You Sleep
Is it bad to eat a healthy snack before bed?
There are no negative effects on your weight or metabolism if you eat late at night. There’s no truth behind “eating past 6pm will make you gain weight.” Your body will digest the food at 5:59pm the same way it will digest food at 6:01pm.
If you find yourself still hungry after dinner or struggling to fall asleep at night because you’re hungry, I recommend that you grab a healthy snack.
Pros:
A planned healthy snack before bed can prevent grazing from dinner to bedtime, which can cause you to eat more than expected. A (2014) study found that adding in a schedule snack 1.5 hours after dinner, helped adults who regularly graze to stop grazing. This resulted in them eating almost 400 calorie less a day and 1.85kg weight loss in one month. [1]
Cons
Eating late at night, however, can interfere with your weight loss efforts if it pushes you into a calorie surplus or if it interferes with your sleep. Similarly, to light exposure, When we eat affects our circadian rhythm, and signals to our brain we are awake. Therefore, eating late at night regularly can push back your bedtime which can create problems if you end up having less than 7-8 hours of sleep.
What is the healthiest late-night snack to help you sleep?
It’s important that the foods you eat before bed promote sleep, instead of keeping you up late. This is because a good night’s sleep is important for appetite regulation, muscle building and recovery, mood and energy levels.
The healthiest late-night snack are:
Snacks to help you sleep
1. Kiwis
Just 2 kiwis can help increase the amount of time you spend asleep and reduce the time it takes to fall asleep. With so many variations available, you can try green kiwi (budget-friendly), golden kiwi (sweeter and higher in Vitamin C) or kiwi berries. [2] [3]
2. Pistachios
Pistachios has the highest melatonin content out of all nuts. A handful of pistachios before bed can help you fall asleep and give you a good dose of fibre, vitamin E, magnesium and phosphorous.
3. Lavender Tea.
Lavender tea is a low-calorie midnight snack that is completely caffeine free. In a 2015 study, postnatal women who spent time to appreciate the warmth and aroma of lavender tea just before bed reported higher energy levels, reduced depressive symptoms and fatigue. [4] You can also use 1-2 drops of lavender oil to a diffuser or on your pillow to help with sleep quality. [5]
4. Golden milk.
Golden milk is a traditional Ayurvedic drink that consist of plant-based milk (light coconut milk is often used), turmeric, ginger and cinnamon. One of the reasons why golden milk is such a healthy midnight snack is that is contains turmeric which has an active compound called curcumin. Curcumin provides anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and can contribute to improved brain function and memory.
Golden milk is traditionally made with plant-based milk in India and is vegan-friendly.
What is the best, healthy late night snack for weight loss?
As a rule of thumb, I try to keep late night snacks under 250 calories for weight loss (but this varies between individuals).
TOP PICK
Strawberry Protein Smoothie:
If you’re looking to kickstart your muscle-building process when you sleep and go to bed feeling comfortably full, then this high protein strawberry smoothie recipe is for you. The spinach and fruit give a good dose of fibre and are an effortless way to sneak in your fruit and vegetables for the day.
High Protein Strawberry Smoothie Recipe: 1 cup strawberries, 1 frozen banana, 30g vanilla protein (or strawberry flavoured protein), 1 cup spinach, and 1.5 cups of milk of choice
HEALTHY SWAPS FOR WEIGHT LOSS
- Swap a packet of chips for Popcorn + Furikake
Need a low-calorie snack after dinner to munch on? Air popped (oil-free) popcorn with furikake seasoning is salty, sweet and crunchy. Furikake is a Japanese rice seasoning that is a mix of toasted sesame seeds, seaweed (nori), salt and a little bit of sugar. This umami flavouring is delicious with rice, but is also a healthy addition to popcorn to still get the satisfuing crunch from chips with half the calories.
- Swap ice-cream for Frozen banana + peanuts (or nice-cream)
Usually reach for the ice-cream, prepare ahead of time and still satisfy your sweet tooth with one of my favourite, budget-friendly desserts growing up.
I personally use Lady Finger bananas that you can find in Asian grocery stores because they are sweeter and the perfect little size. Regular bananas work well too. This is a no-cook, mess-free ice-cream replacement. Simply peel the bananas, slice in half, place peanuts on top and freeze overnight.
If you want the texture of ice-cream and don’t mind washing some dishes, you can blend up frozen bananas with almond milk to create a nutritious nice cream.
- Swap regular hot chocolate for low calorie, sugar-free hot chocolate.
Avalanche Chocolate sugar-free allows you to just add water or milk of choice for a warm, calming drink before bed that is still healthy. You don’t have to miss out on your favourite snack foods or drinks, even if you’re trying to lose weight.
No cook, low-carb late night snacks
High protein, low carb snacks before bed can help you feel full and satisfied. My favourites are:
- Beef Jerky or Veggie Jerky.
- Cheese Toastie; Made With Low Carb Bread
- Edamame
- Capsicum and Hummus
- Kale Chips
- Seaweed
- String Cheese/ Laughing Cow Cheese With Apple Slices
- Vegetables And Hummus – A Classic. You can’t go wrong with vegetables and dip
Kale Chips can be made with two simple ingredients; kale and olive oil. This gives a great dose of fibre and healthy fats for a healthier, super crunchy alternative to processed chips.
What can I eat late at night without gaining weight?
When it comes to gaining weight, eating too many calories regardless of which food it’s from will cause weight gain.
Of course, there are low energy-density foods that are better at preventing weight gain. These foods are often high in fibre and have a high water content including watermelon, air-popped popcorn, string cheese, carrots and hummus, low-fat yoghurt, and strawberries with lite whipped cream.
Don’t forget, Portion size does matter.
What to eat at night when hungry and trying to lose weight?
Stuck on what to eat at night for dinner?
Try these 5 Healthy Late-Night Dinner Ideas:
1. One pan salmon and roasted veggies
2. Buddha bowl – Choose your protein. tofu, chicken, edamame, salmon or tuna
3. Stuffed Peppers – Make with lean beef, turkey, chicken or TVP
4. Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli Stir-fry
Unhealthy Late-Night Snacks To Avoid
Avoid highly processed foods and fatty foods as they can trigger reflux late at night.
Another reflux trigger is alcohol. While many individuals occasionally use alcohol to help them fall asleep, it actually disrupts your REM sleep. This is the reason why when you drink alcohol, you find yourself waking up at 3am.
Also make sure you consume caffeine-containing foods and drinks before midday because it can make it harder to fall asleep. e.g. diet soft drinks, energy drinks, caffeinated teas
Dark chocolate also contains small amounts of caffeine but if you’re only have 2-3 squares, it should only contain 20-30mg of caffeine (which is less than half a shot of coffee). This may affect individuals that are highly sensitive to caffeine.
What can you substitute for late night snacking?
Late night snacking is one of those habits that we can fall into, that can be so difficult to break. To stop late night snacking, it’s important that you break the cycle of behaviours leading up to late night snacking.
1. Change your environment. Instead of sitting at the dining table or your desk munching on snacks, get up immediately to wash dishes, or take a shower.
2. Replace eating with a pleasurable, non-food activity such as reading a book, drawing, journaling or listening to music.
3. Still feel like you need something in your hands while watching a movie? Substitute your Netflix snacks for a warm mug of tea or sugar-free hot chocolate.
References
[1] Waller SM, Vander Wal JS, Klurfeld DM, McBurney MI, Cho S, Bijlani S, Dhurandhar NV. Evening ready-to-eat cereal consumption contributes to weight management. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004 Aug;23(4):316-21. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2004.10719374. PMID: 15310735.
[2] Lin HH, Tsai PS, Fang SC, Liu JF. Effect of kiwifruit consumption on sleep quality in adults with sleep problems. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2011;20:169–74.
[3] Nødtvedt, Øystein & Hansen, Anita & Bjorvatn, Bjørn & Pallesen, Ståle. (2017). The effects of kiwi fruit consumption in students with chronic insomnia symptoms: a randomized controlled trial. Sleep and Biological Rhythms. 15. 10.1007/s41105-017-0095-9.
[4] Chen SL, Chen CH. Effects of Lavender Tea on Fatigue, Depression, and Maternal-Infant Attachment in Sleep-Disturbed Postnatal Women. Worldviews Evid Based Nurs. 2015 Dec;12(6):370-9. doi: 10.1111/wvn.12122. Epub 2015 Nov 2. PMID: 26523950.
[5] ismer, Kate & Pilkington, Karen. (2012). Lavender and sleep: A systematic review of the evidence. European Journal of Integrative Medicine. 4. e436-e447. 10.1016/j.eujim.2012.08.001.
