There are plenty of people out there in the bad habit of snacking after dinner.

One problem with night time snacking is you can quickly lose control of what you are eating. Quite often the food you choose will be convenient, in a package and full of all those things you work hard to avoid during the day.
It is possible that you could consume as much as another one third of your daily kilojoule intake by having after dinner snacks.

Like many health related topics. opinions are all over the place in terms of whether eating after dinner is good or bad for you. Some journals say it contributes to weight gain and others dispute the claim. I should point out that these journals focused more on eating right before you go to bed rather than after dinner snacking.

For me, eating after dinner is all about control. Personally, I feel really good when I’ve overcome the temptation to dive into the fridge and grab the cheese or whatever else is in there!

Here are some ideas you can try to control the late night snacking habit:

  • Eat five or six small meals every day

    • The trick here is to include complex carbohydrates to your meals. Eating regular smaller meals throughout the day helps to slow insulin production. This means your body stores less fat and burns more of it.
    An added bonus of including complex carbohydrates to your diet is your appetite will decrease.
    Root vegetables, oats, potatoes, brown rice, pasta, lentils and beans are all good sources of complex carbohydrates.

  • Forget Chocolate – Eat more nuts, seeds, fish and green, leafy vegetables

    There is quite a high percentage of people who suffer with magnesium deficiency.

    Some chocolate contains this important vitamin so your urge to eat a chocolate bar may be due to a deficiency.
    The bad news is this doesn’t mean you can fill your pantry up with chocolate!
    Instead, consider including nuts, seeds, fish and green leafy vegetables in your diet.

  • Change your daily diet

    • Cravings and the urge to late night snack may indicate insufficient wholegrains, complex carbohydrates and vegetables in your diet. Consider introducing foods to your day like low-fat yoghurt, cheese, fish and chicken.

  • Keep tempting foods out of the house

    • It’s best to just not have those foods that tempt you in the house to begin with. If they are there and you know it, your craving for it may just win out. If it isn’t there, problem solved!

  • Eat more fibre

    • Eating fibre rich foods will take longer to chew and digest meaning your stomach has longer to feel full. Include fruits, vegetables, wholegrain cereals and legumes, they contain a higher water content and fewer kilojoules.

  • Drink water

    • Sometimes your brain may think it’s hungry but it could actually mean your body is thirsty.
    Try drinking water and see if that fills you up. Of course, one down side to this is you may need to use the bathroom during the night!

  • Chew gum

    • Chewing gum sets off the part of your brain that helps regulate appetite, know as the appestat.
    We have a ready supply of Wrigley’s sugar free gum in our pantry and will usually finish off dinner with a piece. In-fact, if I am finding that I’m feeling hungry I will often chew gum and it does help.


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