Healthy Ways To Satisfy Late-Night Cravings

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If you think you crave unhealthy foods at night because you’re just a naughty eater, it’s actually not your fault. Your circadian system was designed to make you crave all things sweet, salty, and starchy as the sun goes down. It has something to do with our great, great, great ancestors needing to store energy. But you don’t have to do that. Your DNA just hasn’t gotten the message. So after everyone’s cleaned up their dinner plates and gone to bed, you start dreaming of mac ‘n cheese. And donuts. And ice cream. And chips. And cheese dip. It’s certainly not very helpful if you’re trying to lose weight or even maintain a healthy weight.

You may not be able to rid yourself of the pesky cravings, but you can find healthier ways to satisfy them. If your work or lifestyle requires you to be up late, it’s especially important to find light and nutritious ways to snack at night because you don’t have the option of just sleeping through the hunger pangs. So long as you can trick your taste buds into thinking that they’re getting the heavy, fatty, cheesy, sugary stuff, your stomach won’t know the difference – well, it will, because it will stay slim. Here are healthy ways to satisfy late-night cravings.

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Broth-based soup

Whether you go with miso soup, chicken and veggie soup, or Italian wedding soup, this will fill you up on a few calories. The warm broth is nice and comforting, and the liquid will fill up your tummy, making you feel full when you really haven’t consumed much. Easy on adding things like noodles or rice since that will make this too carb-heavy for a late-night snack.

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Ricotta quesadilla

If you love quesadillas late at night (who doesn’t?) make yours a bit healthier by swapping in ricotta cheese for cheddar cheese. One cup has about half the calories of a cup of melted cheddar cheese and is lower in fat. It still tastes good with salsa or hot sauce but tastes equally good with surprising sweet add-ons like fig jam or strawberries.

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Parmesan cheese scramble

Scramble up some eggs with a bit of parmesan cheese. Eggs actually help the body produce melatonin, so they can prepare you for bed. Plus, they’re loaded with protein on few calories, so they can help you stay full through the night. Parmesan cheese is one of the lower-fat cheeses, and a little bit adds a lot of flavor.

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Dressed up popcorn

If it’s something crunchy, salty, and starchy you want, ditch the greasy chips and pretzels and make some stovetop popcorn. You can consume four or five cups of popped popcorn and eat just around 120 to 150 calories. Stick to healthy toppings like paprika, garlic powder, or chili powder. Avoid butter or caramel.

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Spicy edamame

Spicy edamame can satisfy your craving to have something salty you can munch on for a long time without consuming too many calories. You can have a full cup and not reach 200 calories, and it’s easy to dress up with chili powder or fresh garlic. Some research also suggests that soy products can help you become sleepy.

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Kale chips

If you just like to constantly snack for hours at night, then you really need to watch the calorie count of what you’re stuffing in your mouth. Pretzels and cookies can become a problem. Kale chips, however, are a great pick. They’re salty and crunchy and extremely low in calories, satisfying the urge to have potato chips without all of the fat.

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Banana “sandwiches”

Skip the bread and just make a banana and nut butter sandwich. Cut your banana lengthwise, like you do for a banana split, and slather your favorite nut butter between the two pieces. Peanut butter, by the way, is a good source of sleep-inducing tryptophan (what you find in turkey, too), so it’s a good late-night choice, and its protein will fill you up.

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Whole wheat hummus wrap

If you want something a bit more substantial that feels more like a meal than a snack, put some hummus inside of a whole wheat tortilla. You can add some lettuce and jicama sticks for crunch, and some chili powder or hot sauce for a little kick. If you want chips on the side, you can pair it with kale chips or popcorn.

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Roasted pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seeds are another good source of tryptophan, the amino acid that makes your eyelids heavy, so they’re an excellent pre-bed snack. They’re also salty and crunchy, but much healthier than chips. You can eat a whole cup without reaching 300 calories, and you likely won’t consume a whole cup, because of the work involved in eating these.

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Whole wheat tortilla “pizza”

If pizza calls your name at night, you know the urge is strong. You want something doughy and cheesy and saucy. Okay. Smother some simple tomato sauce on a whole wheat tortilla. Drizzle that with skim-milk mozzarella cheese. Put it in your toaster oven. All of that thick dough of a traditional pizza is hard on your digestive system and keeps you up at night.

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Cauliflower “wings”

If you want hot wings at night, you can try a healthy alternative and make cauliflower buffalo “wings.” You’ll still get the spice and crispiness of traditional wings, with far fewer calories. As a healthy alternative to ranch dressing for your drip, try low-fat Greek yogurt, mixed with a little white vinegar and dill.

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Tempeh tenders

Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans and is very high in protein while remaining low in calories. It’s firm and grills up very well. You can bread it to make tempeh tenders for a healthy alternative to chicken tenders. Again, the soy in this can help you become sleepy, and the protein can keep you full throughout the night.

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Zucchini spaghetti

If it’s pasta you’re after at night – spaghetti marinara or pasta carbonara – try making Zucchini pasta instead. You can make a light tomato sauce, or even just have it with sautéed cherry tomatoes, olive oil, basil, oregano, and a dash of parmesan cheese. You can use the tempeh from the tenders to form “meat” balls here, too.

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Tomatoes and feta on toast

Tomatoes help your body produce melatonin, so they’re an excellent pre-bed snack. And if you love cheese at night, feta is one of the healthier options. Pair tomatoes and feta together put them over some whole-wheat toast, and drizzle some olive oil – which also helps the body produce melatonin.

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Date oat bites

If you want something sweet, go for something nutritious too that will balance rather than upset your blood sugar levels. Candy and cookies will make your blood sugar skyrocket, then crash. But natural date balls made with chopped up dates, oats, and nuts will give you a boost of protein and fiber to keep your blood sugar stable.