Munch, munch, munch! Of course before you know it, you’re halfway through the king size bag of Doritos. It’s late at night, you’re sitting in your room, and you’re snacking on one of the unhealthiest snacks in your pantry. Ugh! What a buzz kill, right?! All of your day’s hard work of eating leafy greens and protein-enriched meat rapidly goes down the drain in about ten minutes. Don’t worry, there are many easy ways to avoid the painful downfall of late night snacking.
There are many reasons why we late night snack: we’re procrastinating on homework, we’re upset, or we’re even lonely. Although these three are huge reasons why we snack late at night, the number one reason is because we are just plain old bored. It’s weird to realize we sometimes eat out of boredom. Think about it, if you’re sitting in your dorm room and you’re staring at the ceiling, what runs through your mind? Your eyes wander your room as you see the mouth-watering snack bin and immediately crave sweet, salty, and everything in between. Finally, something to inhabit your mind instead of just empty thoughts, so you continue to violently stuff your face with thousands of calories right before bed. You’re neither smart nor satisfied when you realize the choice you made as you feel disgusting and bloated the next day.
The reason we lean towards snacking is because there is so much selection (and of course your pantry is definitely stocked up with a cornucopia of your favorite unhealthy snacks), so obviously it’s easy to find something you absolutely love. But now you’re worried. Oh no I can’t fit in my jeans anymore! This is the first sign that exemplifies the results of continuous late night snack attacks. Don’t fret; there are ways to fix your addiction.
1) Shopping skills: Buy more of the right foods. When I say right, I mean healthy. Snacks with lower carbohydrates, sugars, and fats are much better for you, and they make you feel a lot less guilty.
2) Freeze: As you reach for the Doritos bag or Twinkies, you must ask yourself the question: “Am I even hungry?” If your answer is no, then freeze. Once you freeze you are in automatic control of your cravings.
3) Control: If you are hungry and you do end up eating some snacks, make sure you control the portion size. A handful is usually right, give or take a few chocolate covered goji berries or kernels of popcorn. Just enough to satisfy you, but not ruin your day.
4) Enjoy yourself: Sometimes you are going to have that bar of chocolate or that bag of Fritos, but it’s okay! As long as you don’t make a habit of bad snacking you’ll be fine. But make sure you enjoy that indulgence, because it shouldn’t happen often.
These tricks will definitely aid you in controlling your cravings to becoming a healthier late night snacker. Just think, it’s as easy as munch, munch, munch to a healthier you!