The Midnight Munchies

We have all been there – you are lying in bed, late at night, your stomach is churning and gurgling, and you just cannot sleep. Maybe you are not even hungry but have a craving too irresistible to turn down. What do you do? You go to your kitchen and have a late-night snack, of course!

There are many reasons people develop this continuing habit and sometimes the cause may never be discovered. A food diary is a great way to try to figure out the culprit. What are you doing when you want to chow down on a late-night snack? What kind of food are you craving? Do you feel satisfied after eating or do you get tired or sick feeling? These are all very important questions to answer and document in your food journal. You will be surprised when you see a repetition in your night time bad habit.

A large percentage of the time an individual can kick this habit on their own, in usually just a week or less. No one is saying this process is easy, but after you initially break the habit it gets much simpler. Some of the most common causes that you will discover from your food journal are:

• Television Temptations: Do you see a commercial or meal in a TV show?
• Boredom: Do you have nothing else to do?
• Self-Deprecation: Are you not eating enough of the right foods during the day?
• Grief: Are you trying to replace the feeling of being sad with over-eating?
• Lack of Exercise: Do you get enough exercise from day to day?

How do you avoid these causes? Try to distract yourself. Play your favorite song, have a pep talk with yourself, call someone to help take your mind off of food, drink warm water and/or brush your teeth. Brushing your teeth with a mint flavored toothpaste is a great way to avoid that irresistible meal, because nobody wants a minty tasting pizza!

You might be thinking to yourself, “what if I am actually hungry?”. Yes, this could certainly be the case. Avoid the pizza, cookies, cake, and ice cream and have a healthy snack instead. Find something with lean protein and make sure to avoid the heavy carbohydrates and sugar. A few suggestions for healthy late snacking are listed below:

• A small handful of almonds.
• Healthy low-fat yogurt.
• Pumpkin seeds.
• Edamame.
• Egg whites.
• Low-fat mozzarella cheese stick.
• A spoon of peanut butter. Yes – it has carbs, but it is high in protein and fiber, and fills you up quickly.
• Turkey.
• Raw carrots, broccoli, or celery.
• Popcorn.

Fighting the late-night food urges can be easy for some, but please consult your primary care doctor if you think you might have a condition that could be causing these symptoms and cravings. Dr. Dharia and his team at Palm Beach Internal Medicine are here to help you decide whether or not these symptoms are something you can address with a few changes at home or whether you should look into a possible underlying condition.