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If you think you crave unhealthy foods at night because you’re just a naughty eater, it’s actually not your fault. Your circadian system was designed to make you crave all things sweet, salty, and starchy as the sun goes down. It has something to do with our great, great, great ancestors needing to store energy. But you don’t have to do that. Your DNA just hasn’t gotten the message. So after everyone’s cleaned up their dinner plates and gone to bed, you start dreaming of mac ‘n cheese. And donuts. And ice cream. And chips. And cheese dip. It’s certainly not very helpful if you’re trying to lose weight or even maintain a healthy weight.
You may not be able to rid yourself of the pesky cravings, but you can find healthier ways to satisfy them. If your work or lifestyle requires you to be up late, it’s especially important to find light and nutritious ways to snack at night because you don’t have the option of just sleeping through the hunger pangs. So long as you can trick your taste buds into thinking that they’re getting the heavy, fatty, cheesy, sugary stuff, your stomach won’t know the difference – well, it will, because it will stay slim. Here are healthy ways to satisfy late-night cravings.
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Broth-based soup
Whether you go with miso soup, chicken and veggie soup, or Italian wedding soup, this will fill you up on a few calories. The warm broth is nice and comforting, and the liquid will fill up your tummy, making you feel full when you really haven’t consumed much. Easy on adding things like noodles or rice since that will make this too carb-heavy for a late-night snack.
