By Mariam Nihal
Saudi Gazette
Those late night sweet cravings are the worst. You’ve been great the whole day and before you know it that one thing keeping you awake is the craving you’ve just admitted to yourself. That’s when this will come handy. Especially on weekends.
1. “To satisfy your sweet tooth without pushing yourself over the calorie edge, even in the late night hours, think ‘fruit first,’” says Jackie Newgent, RD, author of The Big Green Cookbook. So if you can, then resist the ice cream, fondant, chocolate cake, and instead enjoy a sliced apple with peanut butter.
2. Dark chocolate. For those of you who cannot be pacified with fruits, then this is gold. Dark chocolate even with fruits is an excellent idea. Make your version of Godiva’s fruits dipped in chocolate at home.
3. Have sweets earlier in the day to satisfy that craving. If you ignore the urge to do so best believe it will show up later that night and if you’re not prepared it may kill all the effort you made that day. Keep dates and blueberries close.
4. Protein bars are a healthier option. Make sure they’re not loaded with sugar or any artificial flavors.
5. Raisins are a great substitute to candy and super sweet bites. You can have them with cold skimmed milk with a bite of dark chocolate.
6. A support system. This could be your workout buddy or friend who watches out for you. Someone to yell “no cream” when making a cup of coffee. Message them, stay focused and never let your guard down.
7. Yoghurt. Be it fruit yoghurt or Greek yoghurt. “Plus, Greek yogurt also works wonders as a natural low-calorie base for dressings and dips—or as a tangier alternative to sour cream,” says Newgent.
8. Eat this, run that. Keep that in mind. Any extra bite or calories need to equate to extra running time. Burn it off. The guilt we mean.
9. Also let’s get into why this has happened and let’s make it stop. Eat breakfast: This is key to stop these nighttime cravings. Don’t starve yourself. Have all the carbs you want in the morning, preferably oats and protein pancakes instead of starch and sugar heavy products.
10. If you’ve got blood sugar problems then a great option is a whole food protein shake. Chuck in fruits, hemp seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, almonds, coconut butter, cranberries or blueberries, and a little unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk for a tasty mix.
11. Relax. Stress means binge eating or worse, stress-eating. Avoid this. Try yoga, Pilates, meditation and exercise to reduce stress. Get enough sleep. Stop thinking and reaching out for food or mindless eating.
12. Try supplements that stop these cravings. Omega-3 fats, like fish oil capsules a day can help. Vitamin D regulates hormones and balances insulin. Chromium, amino acid,lipoic acid, N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) can also reduce cravings.
13. If you are about to give in, just remember there’s a healthier way to cheat. There might not be a right way but there’s always the less destructive one. Go for wholewheat or multigrain; brown sugar instead of white, and more. Try to adapt healthier recipes for what could be disastrous midnight snack choices. You will definitely wake up guilt free and can always reward yourself in the morning with a king size breakfast.
