Healthy Nightly Snacks That Don’t Interfere With Your Diet

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Seeing the words snack and nightly together may seem a bit odd when it comes to dieting, but you can definitely consume certain foods at night before bed. Unless you are diagnosed as being obese, you usually won’t have to worry about any fat gains. Essentially people are recommended to have a healthy nice evening snack.

Evening Snacking Depends on Willpower and Body Type

Though snacking on nutritious foods is recommended for most, we must first ensure you are not one who should not do this. Willpower is actually the primary concern here because you have to be able to make the choice to consume proper foods, and also eat with moderation in mind.

People often get carried away with their evening snacking because they choose foods that are unhealthy such as chips, cookies, or even a late night can of soda. These foods contain little to no nutrients, and do nothing but increase your blood sugar levels.

You need to have the willpower to stay away from these sugar urges and consume foods that have more nutrients especially protein and fiber. If you cannot make good choices then do not snack at night.

Next, we have the different body types. If you have trouble gaining weight and are basically always skinny then you are classified as an ectomorph. This body type is recommended definitely to snack at night in order to make an attempt to add more weight and muscle to your body.

The endomorph is the easiest body type to gain extra fat, so be cautious with what foods you consume at night, and how many calories they equal. This group also allows the best muscle gain, so the road is two sided.

Then we have the mesomorph. This means you have an athletic body that is strong and probably knows a thing or two about fat loss. The mesomorph is what most strive for, but in the end all these categories are just that – categories. Don’t focus too much on these labels and just pay more attention to the food choices.

Why Consume Fiber and Protein Rich Foods for Night Snacking?

All nutrients are good for you one way or another, but these two are what you should focus on consuming prior to bed because of their numerous benefits. Fiber is one nutrient not often talked about as much as it should be, and the average reported amount being consumed is half the daily recommended value.

Fiber essentially has fewer calories and causes your body to use extra calories to get send the fiber back out. This nutrient is also important for lowering blood pressure and chances of heart disease. The feeling of being full and content comes from both fiber and protein.

Protein is one of the most important nutrients in our body that is used by most processes taking place. This macronutrient is more known for its ability to encourage muscle growth by repairing damaged muscle cells and increasing their size after recovery. Protein strengthens bones and encourages your body to not need snacks.

Cottage Cheese Recipe Ideas

Low fat cottage cheese is always good to have around for nightly snacks because it is high in casein protein. Casein protein is slow digesting meaning your body needs more calories to digest this nutrient, plus it keeps you full longer to last until you wake up.

Cottage cheese can be mixed with a variety of foods ranging from sweet, savory, or both. Here are a few recipe ideas:

Cottage Cheese with Salsa – Tomatoes have a decent fiber rate and bring a different taste to the cottage cheese that just goes well. You should create your own salsa to prevent consuming extra ingredients. Add mango for a sweeter taste and to add extra fiber and carbs to keep your body running smoothly.

Cottage Cheese with Peaches – Peaches’ taste sweet and encourage you to think this is a dessert, which lessens the amount of hate you can have for healthier foods. Throwing in some mixed berries can up the fiber intake and add extra antioxidants in there too.

Low Fat Yogurt Unflavored with Clover Honey and Mixed Berries

Low fat yogurt can be healthy for you too, but not the average ones you are used to. Flavored yogurts can contain large amounts of sugar that cause fat gains to occur. Sugar is not terrible before bed, but in excessive amounts it is.

The mixed berries provide the fiber and antioxidants with other important smaller nutrients. The clover honey is sweet and provides some protein content along with antioxidants and the possibility of fighting off major health conditions. This is definitely not an ingredient to pass up trying.

Cherry and Banana Bowl with Mozzarella Cheese

Taking cherries and a banana to chop up sounds good already, so now add in slices of mozzarella or shredded cheese into the equation. Cherries may help reduce muscle soreness, contain antioxidants, and could help improve your ability to fall asleep.

Bananas contain plenty of potassium, but are also high in fiber while being sweet and easy to consume for most. Mozzarella cheese contains high amounts of protein and B vitamins to top it all off. A nutritiously sweet bedtime snack that keeps your tummy rumbles away.

Moderation is Key to Dieting Properly

All these recipes contain nutritious foods for your body to utilize while at rest. However, consuming too much of them allows body fat to become earned again. You must have the willpower to only consume the amount of food your particular body structure needs.

Those heavily overweight may need to seek the advice from a registered dietician, but all the rest of you are capable of making these decisions on your own. Having the courage to be different and eat healthy seems to not be around much. These healthy nightly snacks definitely will not affect your diet when eaten properly in the right amounts.

Author Bio
Demmy James is a fitness buff who loves inspiring people to reach their health and fitness goals. He is also a content contributor for Muscle & Strength.