[Weight Loss Filter] What foods are okay before bed?

February 5, 2009 6:37 AM

I get really bad midnight munchies. I know I shouldn't eat before bed, but sometimes I just have to. What should I eat or avoid eating to minimize damage?
posted by valadil to Health & Fitness (17 answers total)

Cheese, but try to remember to brush your teeth or you'll wake up--cheesey
posted by emhutchinson at 6:40 AM on February 5, 2009

Eating before bed as a weight gain mechanism may be a myth. But if it's not, celery, carrot sticks and hummus are always a good bet.
posted by electroboy at 6:44 AM on February 5, 2009

I find that if I don't have something sweet after dinner (ice cream, or even, cereal) I get the munchies. Something that has worked in the past, but never seems to occur to me, is those little Cuties - or any clementine orange.
posted by notsnot at 6:47 AM on February 5, 2009 [1 favorite]

I've long had success by shifting my dinner time back late. I rountinely eat a late lunch, around 2:30, then eating dinner around 8:30 or 9. I find I can wait that long because I know food is coming. But since I eat so late, I'm generally not hungry for the munchies before I go to bed around 11:30. Might work for you.
posted by lpsguy at 6:47 AM on February 5, 2009 [1 favorite]

I find going to bed earlier (at 10 or 10:30) is an effective way to combat the munchies
posted by KokuRyu at 6:52 AM on February 5, 2009 [1 favorite]

eat peanut butter. Nothing fills me up longer than a tablespoon of peanut butter. The high fat content will keep your body busy until the morning.
posted by any major dude at 6:56 AM on February 5, 2009

Seconding what lpsguy said.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 6:57 AM on February 5, 2009

I see it in a different light. I plan on having a somewhat-late night dessert or snack, so I have a smaller supper. As long as the calories you eat are balanced out by exercising or not eating some in other meals, a late night snack isn't that bad. Just keep it as a small snack. A fruit is great. A small portion of dessert is nice from time to time. Popcorn (popped myself, on the stovetop) or pretzel sticks are not too bad to eat. Hummus is always great - it's like an omnipotent magic food.
posted by Meagan at 6:58 AM on February 5, 2009 [1 favorite]

I have to eat at bedtime to make sure I don't get a low blood sugar drop in the middle of the night (I am type 2 diabetic).

I suggest a fat free yogurt with a few salted peanuts in it, or a few ritz-type crackers with a little cheese or a couple of sugar free cookies (or not sugar free if you don't have to worry about sugar levels). All these work well for me and stop me me dropping low or spiking high when I get up and take a blood sugar reading.

Umm.. seconding the brush before you drop off to sleep though!
posted by 543DoublePlay at 6:58 AM on February 5, 2009

It's possible that you're mistaking mild dehydration for hunger. Drink a couple glasses of water or mugs of decaf/herbal tea in the earlier evening and see if that makes a difference. (Obviously though if you chug the beverages right before bed you might find yourself getting up to go to the bathroom a lot during the night.) Personally I find that sweet snacks in the evening are likely to perpetuate rather than eliminate my hunger later in the evening. I think it depends on an individual's particular metabolism.

Re: the cheese and hummus suggestions -- I love both those foods too, and they would no doubt satisfy hunger, but they're both high in fat and unless you're one of those skinny folks with a high metabolism, eating high fat snacks like that right before bed (again, in my personal experience) definitely puts on pounds over time.
posted by aught at 7:06 AM on February 5, 2009 [1 favorite]

Many strength athletes and bodybuilders drink a protein shake or have cottage cheese before bed to keep their nitrogen balance favorable and help repair their muscles during sleep. Not a bad idea for anyone, really.
posted by aquafortis at 7:21 AM on February 5, 2009 [1 favorite]

Actually, I would suggest higher-fat snacks, as well as a higher-fat diet as part of your munchies are probably carbohydrate cravings. Fat doesn't spike insulin, carbs do, and insulin spikes facilitate fat storage.
posted by Anonymous at 7:22 AM on February 5, 2009

Response by poster: I've usually been getting cheese cravings at that time of night. I'll try to stick with a bit of cheddar instead of a bowl of cereal.
posted by valadil at 7:36 AM on February 5, 2009

I usually keep string cheese and packaged yogurt around for before-bed snacks - fat and protein keep me from waking up ravenous the next morning. I have noticed, tho, that when I give in to my urge to eat fruit immediately after dinner (I always want pears or apples after I have dinner, I don't know why) then I don't want the protein snack before bed. Same dinner, no fruit, and I'll be snacking on string cheese at 11pm.
posted by annathea at 9:30 AM on February 5, 2009 [1 favorite]

Seconding cottage cheese, especially with cut up apple and a sprinkling of cinnamon.
posted by burntflowers at 10:21 AM on February 5, 2009

Many strength athletes and bodybuilders drink a protein shake or have cottage cheese before bed to keep their nitrogen balance favorable and help repair their muscles during sleep.

Most bodybuilders who do this would limit it to casein, which is a more slowly digested protein than whey or plain old milk. It's still a good suggestion, though. Just about any protein is going to be better than anything else.

A casein shake with a little natural peanut butter (good fat!) before bed might help with the cravings, while not causing unwanted weight gain. As long as you don't go overboard, of course.
posted by coolguymichael at 12:05 PM on February 5, 2009

It actually doesn't matter what time you eat. For real. It just matters how much you've eaten in any given day.
posted by specialfriend at 9:45 PM on February 5, 2009