When trying to stick to a healthy diet, dealing with snack temptations can be a challenge. One of the biggest challenges to healthy eating is overcoming snack cravings. If you can choose nutritionist-approved snacks when dealing with these cravings, you may be able to achieve your goals without feeling deprived.
Your body’s circadian rhythm may be responsible for your nighttime snack cravings. This internal clock controls your hunger hormones and satiety. Researchers have found that, although our metabolism slows as the day progresses and we feel less hungry at night, this is often due to a sudden increase in hunger. This is thought to be the body’s way of storing energy as a response to nighttime starvation.
These cravings can be difficult to control if your circadian rhythm has been disrupted. Stress, lack of rest and irregular eating habits may all lead you to reach for high-calorie, high-sugar foods.
Here are some tips on how to reduce the amount of nighttime snacks you eat:
- Eat regularly Unless you are practicing intermittent fasting aim to eat 3 to 4 times every 12 hours to maintain your energy and support your health.
- Manage Stress: Try deep breathing or yoga during the day.
- Improve Sleep Quality: Aim for 8 hours of sleep per night and create a relaxing bedtime routine.
A craving that wakes you up in the middle night? This could be an indication that your circadian clock is out of sync, which could be caused by excessive stress or poor quality sleep. This could be a sign that you are not getting enough calories or nutrients throughout the day. Your body can become too hungry at night if you skip meals or follow a restrictive diet.
Here are some tips on how to stop eating at midnight.
- Track Your Caloric Intake: Use an app like MyFitnessPal for logging what you eat. This can help ensure that you are meeting your caloric requirements, which may be more crucial than you think.
- Eat balanced food: Include fiber, healthy fats and protein in your meals and snack to help you feel fuller for longer.
- Try to avoid eating too close to bedtime: If you can, stop eating at least 2-3 hours before going to bed to allow your digestive system to process the food.
Do you crave salty snacks such as chips, pretzels or cheese balls? This could be a sign that you’re eating too much sodium, or not enough.
Sodium is an electrolyte that is found in salt. It is essential for fluid balance, nerve function and muscle contraction. We need sodium in our diet but too much can increase your cravings. Salty foods become more appealing as your body becomes accustomed to higher sodium levels. Over time, your body may become accustomed to higher sodium levels and you will need more salt in order to feel the same satisfaction.
If you lose a lot fluid or drink too much water (like after a sweaty exercise), your sodium level can be too low. Your body will then make you crave salt in order to return to normal.
Maintaining a healthy balance of sodium is the key to preventing salty snack cravings. Here are some tips that can help:
- Stay Hydrated: Drink lots of water but do not overdo it to avoid diluting the sodium levels in your blood. Calculating how much water you need each day can help.
Use MyFitnessPal or another tool to track your daily sodium intake. Most adults should consume less sodium than 2,000mg per day, which is the recommended limit for adults.
- Replace sodium as needed. After diarrhea, vomiting, or heavy sweating, replace sodium lost by eating or drinking electrolyte rich foods or beverages.
Sweet cravings may be a result of low blood sugar levels, nutritional deficiencies, energy requirements, or even the desire to experience a dopamine rush. Your brain may turn to sweets in these moments as a quick fix.
Regularly giving in to these cravings, such as drinking soda or eating ice-cream every night, may harm your health. It may also increase your sugar cravings with time. Good news: Research shows that removing artificial sweeteners and added sugars for two weeks can help you stop cravings. This change can reset your taste preferences, and reduce sweet cravings.
You can also try these other methods to satisfy your sweet cravings.
- Stabilize your blood sugar: Choose balanced snacks and meals. Combining protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates will help to stabilize blood sugar.
- Support Energy: Stay active and manage stress well. Get enough restorative sleeping to boost your energy.
- Naturally boost Dopamine: Replace sweets with activities that improve your mood. Try listening to music, exercising, or engaging in your favorite hobby.
If you still want sweets despite making these changes in your diet and lifestyle or if you suffer from a medical condition you should consult your doctor or dietitian to get personalized advice.
Studies show that not all pregnant women have pregnancy food cravings. However, most do. It’s not entirely clear what causes pregnancy cravings. It’s possible that a combination of physical, mental, and environmental factors are to blame. Hormonal changes and increased nutritional requirements may be involved.
Culture can also play a part in pregnancy cravings. Women may crave chocolate or salty foods in the United States.
Interestingly, foods we consider “off-limits” may trigger stronger cravings during pregnancy.
Balance is important, especially during pregnancy. Snack on nutrient-dense foods that are good for both you and your baby. Try nutrient dense options such as fresh fruit, chickpeas and nuts, or veggies with chickpeas.
Speak to a registered dietitan if you are struggling with pregnancy cravings, or feel that you are missing out on nutrition. They can give you personalized nutrition advice for pregnancy.
Here are 6 dietitian-recommended craving snacks that can satisfy cravings without sacrificing your health goals:
- Roasted Nori Snacks
- Real Dried Fruit Snacks
- Mini Perfect Energy Bars
- Greek Yogurt With Toppings
- Steamed Edamame
Cucumber slices with Relish
Shortly, cravings shouldn’t be feared. Cravings can be a sign of a need within your body. Understanding what triggers food cravings will help you manage them in a healthier way. Stocking up on snacks that are approved by dietitians is a smart strategy to curb cravings. You can achieve your health goals and stay satisfied by stocking up on healthy snacks.
