7 Healthy Late-Night Snacks Nutritionists Approve Of

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Most people are aware that you should not eat late at night or indulge in a midnight snack if you want to stay healthy. Eating too late or snacking in the middle of the night can interfere with your sleep and throw off your circadian rhythm. It also tends to lead to weight gain as well as an increased risk for minor digestive issues such as heartburn and acid reflux when you lay down very shortly after eating.

Avoiding late night snacking is always the best, but sometimes your stomach has different ideas. Everyone has had one of those nights where they wake up at 2:00 a.m. to find that they stomach is snarling like an angry wolf and attempting to digest their spine. Trying to go back to sleep at that point is probably useless, but that does not mean that you should eat whatever you want. That chocolate cake might look delicious for dessert after a late dinner or it might seem best to just heat up that leftover Chinese for a quick midnight snack, but there are far better things to eat when you get hungry late at night. Here are seven healthy late-night snacks nutritionists approve of that will help you both fill up your stomach and fall easily back into sleep.

Almonds

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If your stomach starts growling like an irritated cheetah long before the sun wakes up, a handful of almonds might be exactly what the doctor ordered. Nuts are high in protein, so they keep you feeling full for a long time even if you only eat a few. This is good for late night snacking because you do not want to try to go back to bed when your stomach is extremely full. You will not sleep well, and you will be more likely to suffer from heartburn or acid reflux either that night or in the morning.

In addition to getting a lot of bang for your buck with nuts, almonds are also high in calcium and tryptophan, both of which increase your body’s production of melatonin. Melatonin is the hormone that your body produces in a sharp burst right before you fall asleep. Almonds are also high in magnesium which relaxes your muscles so that you sleep better. In addition, magnesium increases during deep slow-wave sleep, so that handful of almonds will help you fall into a deeper sleep more quickly.

Soy Milk

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Soy milk was originally consumed only by people who were lactose intolerant. Frankly, no one else wanted to drink soy milk at first. The taste was sour, lingered for hours and left a slimy feeling on the tongue. Today, however, the taste of soy milk has improved immeasurably, and it is commonly consumed by both people who can and cannot digest lactose. The plant-based drink is seen as being healthier than cows’ milk. It is lower in fat and cholesterol, which helps with managing weight, but it is also a drink that could help you sleep. Like almonds, soy milk is rich in tryptophan which helps produce melatonin. Soy products also contain isoflavones that may help ease sleep problems in postmenopausal women.

If you are too hungry to settle for simply a glass of milk, pour soy milk over a small bowl of cereal for a good late night snack. Just be sure that the cereal you choose has little to no sugar in it. Grape Nuts or plain Cheerios work well at night–Frosted Flakes, not so much.

Jasmine Rice

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When you are hungry, you might also want something warm to eat. Warm foods tend to make people feel more satisfied than cold foods. Eating or drinking something warm is also very relaxing which is a good thing when you need to go to sleep shortly after eating. That said, when most people think of warm foods, they think of full-sized meals or hearty soups. Your body will not thank you for putting that much food in your stomach and then trying to go right to sleep.

If you want to eat something warm without staying up for the rest of the night as a result, have a small bowl of plain jasmine rice. Jasmine rice is low on the glycemic index which means that the body digests the food slowly. This prevents sudden spikes of glucose and energy so you do not suddenly get a second wind. Be sure, however, that you are eating jasmine rice, not white or basmati rice. Those are much higher on the glycemic index.

Cherries

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When you need a snack, fruit is almost always a good choice. Fruit is low in calories and easily digested so you are not up all night while your body tries to break down something heavy. Fruit also has the advantage of tasting delicious and being easy to keep on hand.

If you want to have a fruity snack at night, cherries are a great option. Red cherries are high in naturally occurring melatonin which can help those suffering from insomnia fall asleep faster. Cherries also contain procyanidin B-2 which your body uses to make its own melatonin. In addition, cherries have anti-inflammatory properties which can help prevent aches and pains from keeping you up late into the night. So, if you are craving something sweet after a late dinner, have a handful of cherries for dessert. Your body will thank you in the morning.

Bananas

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Bananas are another excellent fruit to keep on hand for when you need a late night snack. This classic yellow fruit has been linked to increased melatonin production with some men experiencing a four-fold increase in melatonin levels after eating two bananas. Bananas are also one of the handful of foods that are naturally rich in serotonin. Serotonin both influences your sleep on its own as well as being converted into yet more melatonin. So, if you are looking for an extra hit of melatonin to help you fall asleep quickly, a banana might be the best thing you could eat.

In addition to being a yellow melatonin factory, bananas are high in potassium and magnesium, both of which are natural muscle relaxers. Relaxed muscles will cut down on the likelihood of cramps and nighttime restlessness. Though it has not been conclusively proven, potassium has occasionally been linked to an increased ability to recall your dreams upon awakening. To make things even better, bananas are hassle free for those nights when you do not want to wake anyone else up by rummaging around in the kitchen for a knife, plate or fork.

Kiwis

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Kiwis are not a fruit most people keep in their kitchen, but if you are prone to late night snacking, you might want to change that. Like all fruits, kiwis are low in calories and high in a variety of essential nutrients. Kiwis specifically are known for being high in both fiber and potassium as well as having potent antioxidant properties that have been linked to increased immune function and healthier respiratory systems. Recent studies, however, have shown that kiwi fruits may also be the perfect snack for before bedtime. Kiwis were shown to have decreased the amount of time it took people to fall asleep as well as improve the quality of sleep of study participants. People who ate kiwis also experienced fewer periods of wakefulness after falling asleep. These are all definitely good reasons to keep the funny looking green fruit in your kitchen on a regular basis.

Pistachios

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Many people list pistachios as their favorite nut. The nuts are crunchy and have a unique taste that people enjoy in a variety of ways. There are, after all, few places that have almond or cashew flavored ice cream. Pistachio ice cream, on the other hand, is considered to be a classic flavor. There are also pistachio creams, macarons, yogurts, coffees and cakes.

Pistachio ice cream would not be a great idea for a midnight snack, unfortunately, but a handful of unsalted pistachios might be exactly what you need to get back to sleep. Pistachios are high in melatonin as well as fiber and protein. The melatonin will help you fall back asleep quickly while the fiber and protein will satisfy your hunger without requiring you to eat buckets of the nuts. The fiber and protein will also help you stay full longer so that you do not wake up a few short hours later and find that you are already hungry again.