Health snacks for evening

That Quiet Hour Before Bed: Snacks That Actually Care About You

There is something about the evening that makes us want to eat.Not always because we are hungry sometimes it is because we are tired.

Our shoulders feel tired after a day.

Sometimes it is the quiet of the house or the glow of the TV or that empty feeling when the day is ending but our mind is not.

We find ourselves in the kitchen staring at the fridge like it owes us something.I have been there times.The trouble is, most of us have been told that eating in the evening is bad.That anything after 8pm is not good for us.That we should just drink water. Go to bed.Maybe that works for some people.For many of us a small thoughtful snack in the evening makes all the difference between lying at midnight with a growling stomach and getting a good nights sleep.

So here is what I have learned from my experience and from paying attention to what makes our body feel good.

* A Banana with Almond Butter

This one is really simple it works.Bananas have magnesium and potassium which help our muscles relax.Almond butter adds some fat and protein to keep things steady.There is something comforting about it the way the sweetness of the banana softens against the richness of the nut butter.

It feels like a treat.

* Greek Yogurt with a Drizzle of Honey

Plain Greek yogurt has tryptophan in it which is the thing in turkey that makes us sleepy.Tryptophan helps our brain make serotonin and melatonin which means Snacks like Greek Yogurt with a Drizzle of Honey are working in our favor even as we eat them.Add a drizzle of honey and some walnuts and it becomes something we really look forward to.

I keep a jar of honey on the counter for this.

* Warm Oats with Cinnamon

Not a bowl of oatmeal a soft portion with some cinnamon and maybe a few raisins stirred in.There is a reason Warm Oats with Cinnamon feels like something a grandmother would make.Oats raise our blood sugar gently then let it fall as gently which helps our body get ready for sleep.

The warmth of the bowl in our hands the smell of cinnamon it slows us down.

* A Small Handful of Mixed Nuts

Walnuts, almonds, cashews, whatever we like, Snacks like A Small Handful of Mixed Nuts are good.Nuts are calorie-rich so a small handful is enough.What Snacks like A Small Handful of Mixed Nuts offer is a steadiness: fats, some protein and in the case of walnuts a source of melatonin.

They do not spike anything they just keep us even.

* Sliced Apple with Cottage Cheese

This sounds like something from a diet book there is a reason Snacks like Sliced Apple with Cottage Cheese have lasted.The apple gives us some sweetness and fiber the cottage cheese gives us casein protein, which digests slowly through the night.Together Snacks like Sliced Apple with Cottage Cheese are filling without being heavy.

Some people add a pinch of cinnamon on top.

* Chamomile, A Dark Chocolate Square

Sometimes the snack is more about the ritual than the food.A cup of chamomile tea faintly sweet tells our body that the evening is winding down.A square or two of chocolate gives us some magnesium and enough richness to feel like we have treated ourselves Snacks, like Chamomile, A Dark Chocolate Square are good.The Real PointEvening snacking is not the enemy of our health Snacks are not the enemy of our health.What matters is what we choose to eat Snacks that we choose to eat and why we eat them.If we are genuinely a little hungry we should feed ourselves kindly thoughtfully with Snacks that will help us.Our body does its work while we sleep it fixes things processes things.Giving it Snacks that give it something to work with some protein, magnesium a bit of warmth is not a failure.

It is just taking care of ourselves taking care of ourselves with Snacks that care about us.That is always worth doing that is always worth doing with Snacks that care about us.