How to Stop Late Night Food Cravings

Sometime after dinner is done, the urge to snack often creeps in like a familiar nighttime ritual. External cues like commercials on TV or snacks in plain sight are often just the invitation needed to start a little munching. But you don’t have to accept the offer. Prepare yourself mentally and physically to avoid the pitfalls of succumbing to late night food cravings.

Instructions

1. Make the most of dinner. Make fiber a big part of your meal. Insoluble fiber keeps your body full throughout the evening, reducing the desire to snack. Keep blood sugar levels steady by eating foods rich in soluble fiber. Include a non-starchy soup or large tossed vegetable salad and plenty of water with your evening meal to help stay full. Eat dinner a little later. Try having dinner at 7 p.m. rather than 6 p.m. to give yourself that much less time to snack. (Likewise, begin each day with breakfast and follow with a healthy meal or snack every four to five hours to stay full throughout the day and avoid overeating late at night.)

2. Plan ahead. Purchase healthy snacks and be prepared with good options like popcorn, salsa and low-fat crackers or raw veggies when the urge to snack attacks. Try snacks that are lasting, but not loaded with calories, like a popsicle, pistachio nuts with shell, or some other type of low-fat frozen bar. Leave tempting treats in the grocery store. If it’s not in your house, you can’t eat it.

3. Move instead of munch. Find other things to do rather than head to the pantry or refrigerator. Try crocheting, completing a puzzle, or engaging in any fun craft or activity that will take your mind off munching. Don’t follow the visual persuasion of ads on TV. Tune out the numerous temptations to eat; either change the channel, do some crunches or stretches when the commercials begin to roll, or simply turn the TV off.