Have you been taking part in our nightly Q&A sessions at 9pm on our Facebook page with mums who have lost their weight?
We’ve noticed that many of the questions relate to night time snacking.
Specifically mums have wanted to know how to avoid it or how to find healthy options.
So why do you feel hungry after dinner? You may feel the need for a snack after dinner for many reasons.
What you ate for dinner
First of all, it may be that you didn’t eat enough for dinner.
We recommend aiming for a meal consisting of ¼ healthy carbs (brown rice, quinoa, cous cous), ¼ lean protein (chicken, tuna, lamb, beef, tofu) and ½ vegetables and salad.
You might find that if you have a vegetable soup for instance, you end up hungry later. This is because there may not have been some healthy carbs or protein in there to keep you full.
Or perhaps you may have had some pasta for dinner, but didn’t fill the plate with any additional veggies or salad. What could happen then is that your blood sugar levels might spike after the carb overload, leading to the inevitable crash and craving situation.
So be sure that you are having a good quality dinner as this may help to see you through.
What you ate through the day
You may not have thought of this, but what you eat throughout the whole day can affect your hunger levels at night too.
Similarly to the focus on having a proper dinner, you need to ensure that you have eaten your 3 main meals and 2 snacks in the daytime so that your body is well nourished before bed.
Are you actually tired?
Another reason for the after dinner munchies is tiredness. We often look for a sweet little something to prop us up when we are in fact sleepy and should rest. Try finding some delicious herbal teas that you can indulge in when the feeling hits, and then get yourself to bed. We love interesting herbal infusions like Rose with Vanilla, or Peppermint Green Tea (just watch that they are real herbal teas and don’t contain any sugar or caffeine).
Or just a little bit bored?
Sometimes we have fallen into a bad habit of snacking after dinner. You may not actually be hungry at all, but sneaking to the cupboard and looking for chocolate is just something to do.
Try brushing your teeth, having a big glass of water or a herbal tea when the feeling hits. Just find something to do that isn’t unhealthy snacking. Call a good friend for a chat. Jump online and read a few stories on our website of mums that have lost their baby weight (good motivator!). Clean out your bedside table if that helps! Sometimes we just need to break the habit of evening snacks in order to get rid of it for good.
If you really are hungry…
Sometimes we do need a little snack in the evening and that’s perfectly fine on occasion. Especially if you are breast feeding you may find that you get hungry around this time.
Why not make sure that your weaknesses aren’t in the house in the first place if you find your willpower isn’t great before bed. Or keep a clear container in the fridge of freshly chopped fruit (pineapple, melon and grapes) and snack on those if you need a sweet hit.
Below we have 5 options that you can try out, which are all healthy ideas that you can enjoy guilt free.
- Parmesan and Rosemary Popcorn – sprinkle grated Parmesan and rosemary infused oil over some air popped popcorn
- 2 Ingredient Coconut Date Balls – these take no time at all
- Fresh Fruit and Yoghurt – always keep your favourite fruits and good quality yoghurt on hand
- Chocolate Chip Chickpea Protein Cookies – great to fill you up
- Fruit and Nut Energy Balls – make the most of pantry cupboard staples
Missed any of our Summer Challenge articles and tips? You can catch up here.
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