Healthy Evening Snacks

Got to wondering what everyone here eats as a nice, evening snack. Oftentimes, just before bed, I need "something".

Lately it's been Lowfat Cream Cheese on Club Crackers (either Whole Grain or Low Fat), Organic Soy milk made with my own chocolate syrup (Honey, Cocoa Powder, Water, Vanilla). This is just enough to get me thru the night without feeling to full or weighed down with heavy stuff.

What's on your snack menu?

I almost always have to have something to eat before bed, or else I wake up around 2am so hungry I can't sleep.

My faves: a bowl of oatmeal (I can't eat the stuff for breakfast, but really enjoy it as a bedtime snack); a bowl of cold cereal (my current fave is a Kashi granola type with cranberries and almonds); a slice of rye bread with jam; occasionally, when we've had a very light supper, I'll make myself a small plate of nachos. All of these help me to sleep through the night.

Both hubby and I have discovered that we can't handle pork at night anymore...if we're going to have it, we have to eat it at lunchtime. And I can't handle dairy products before bed, except a very small bit of milk in my cereal.

After supper and before bed, I tend to have:

fresh fruit
raisins
tea with skim milk (I might be ingesting 2 c.)
a small slice of soy cheese or small slice of artisan, low-fat bread. We occasionally have normal, higher fat cheese, but I TRY to limit my self to a thin slice.
Swedish grain/rye crackers ..try with gourmet mustard. Believe me, it's an interesting way to go.

We don't buy chips, other cereal, etc. for home. I was never much of jam, jelly person. My oatmeal is the only cereal we buy for home. I prefer it that way. Of course it doesn't stop us from having dessert at a cafe/restaurant ...

Type in to your browser:

www.bedtimesnacks.com You will not only get great ideas for bedtime but it talks about healthy foods that won't 'keep you awake' or that will 'help you sleep sounder' at night.

Hmmm, interesting topic.

I have never been one to need a bedtime snack, but in trying to follow Chatty's link I came across a great article on healthy bedtime snacks, and I thought I would share it:



Bedtime snacks that help you fall asleep.

Based on what I read, it sounds like you are all doing fine... though the article has a few more suggestions.

I guess for me, I think a nice mug of decaf Earl Grey tea - black - sounds soothing...

I don't really need a bedtime snack. I do have something after supper..even if only a nice cup of tea or 2, with abit of milk.

There are many factors involved in needing/not needing a bedtime snack. One is when we eat supper...we have our supper at 5pm, and I usually don't eat breakfast until around 8am...that's 15 hours. If I don't eat something before bed, I will almost always wake up around 2 or 3am, so hungry that I simply can't sleep and have to go downstairs and eat something. Having it before bed saves me the trouble.

Hubby can go all the way from supper to breakfast, but he's up at 5am, so maybe that's part of the difference.

About 25 years ago I was severely underweight (98lb with my jeans and shoes on) and we determined that one of the problems we had to address was that I often ignored my hunger (I was rather poor in those days) and would get so hungry that I couldn't eat without throwing it back up. The nutritionist advised me to try to eat smaller meals more often, which is still what both hubby and I do even now.

Anne, I read through that article. Interesting choices! I always think of eggs as an energy booster and have never thought of having eggs before bed (though I do have an egg almost every morning for breakfast). Many of the things on the list for bedtime snacks are on my list for energy-providing foods, stuff I tend to stay away from at bedtime.

We just bought some whole-grain flax artisan bread...that's been a yummy bedtime snack, esp with hubby's homemade jam.

I have been trying what my friend and her husband do, eat nothing after 8:00 p.m. You can have all the water you want but nothing else. It makes your breakfast, lunch and dinner very important. I hope my appetite comes back soon, I eat but very little right now.

I actually will prepare a small egg dish for supper..it's a great protein substitute for any meat.

I might have this type of supper 2-3 times per month. I would scramble 1-2 egg white with veggies, onion and garlic. Pretty fast and simple. Can add fresh herbs.

Or I steam egg white with abit of meat, soy sacue, etc. It's a savoury egg custard...a homemade Asian dish that is common in Chinese and Japanese cuisine but not often found on restaurant menus. Again very low fat, since the egg puffs up with steam.

No, I wouldn't think of having an egg for night time snack.
chatty I can drink up to 2 cups of tea in evening with skim milk and I can still sleep fine.

I don't need a bedtime snack.

But I enjoy dessert. Flavored yogurt sometimes works, or a graham cracker with some peanut butter.

(I admit sometimes it just HAS to be cookies though!)

Keepin' it real!

Ronda

I try not to eat after dinner during the week. Weekends are different stories.

I feel great in the morning when I can stick to it.

I am totally enjoying Activia Light yogurts. They are very tasty. Also, another evening snack is sugar free pudding cups. That's what Ross eats.