Best late night snack

Latley I have been waking up in the middle of the night craving peanut butter and crackers. I give in and eat a whole row of saltine soup crackers. Is that really bad for me?! And also what would be a better alternative for a really late night snack that wont make me FAT!

For bite size snacks: apple slices, grapes, carrot sticks, celery, almonds, whole wheat popcorn (without butter)

For some comfort: oatmeal, cream of wheat, hot soup, piece of dark chocolate, low cal pudding

Keep small portions in mind, drink them with a tall glass of water, and you're good to go! [:

Original Post by organik:

Dude, peanut butter has got to be the WORST choice, you might as well just eat a chunk of butter instead, pure fat!

 actually no... if you MUST eat something before bed you want a mixture of FAT and PROTEIN, but very few carbs as they digest quickly giving you energy and keeping you awake longer rather then allowing you to have a restful night's sleep.

I hate when people say peanut butter is bad, it's not k. UNLESS it's commericial peanut butter (aka Jiff, Skippy, Kraft.. etc) that stuff is FULL of hydrogenated oils (trans fats), extra sugar, salt, stabolizers, chemicals, and perservatives...

what you want is ALL NATURAL peanut butter with nothing added except PEANUTS!! Real Peanut Butter is a gread source of healthy unsaturated fats, high quality plant protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and few carbs/sugar. It's slow digesting and will keep you full for a long time....

it's not like "eating a chunk of butter" it's very good for you, where as butter is TERRIBLE for you. Don't let the high fat content of peanut butter scare you, fat does not make you fat, unless you eat too much of it, just like any food will do that. 1-2 tablespoons a day is a perfect addition to a healthy diet, try it on fruit, whole grain bread, oatmeal, celery, etc..

BUT for the main topic: If you MUST eat before bed eat something with fat and protein like I said before, these macronutrients are slow burning and will keep hungry at bay throughout the night allowing you to sleep.

try something like 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, a protein shake, 1 tbsp natural peanut butter on celery, a couple egg whites, or a hard boiled egg... etc.

don't be afraid to snack on low sugar/starch free vegetables either... cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, mushrooms.. etc. they're so low in calories its hard to overdo it

 

cereal is like crack. Don't open that box. :)

Popcorn is a good option. Just buy an air popper dealy, throw in 40g's of kernels and its 100 cals for a big ol bowl of it. That's my "munchy" food of choice. You seem to be wanting more carbs, so I'd take that route. They also sell 100 cal packs of popcorn (smart pop is the best)...