by Laurel Michaels

Created on: July 07, 2008

It's a common problem for dieters: late night munchies. You know you shouldn't give in to them, you know they sabotage your diet, but what can you do about them? Understanding what causes late night food cravings is the first step to controlling them.

The simplest explanation of why we feel hungry is that our blood sugar levels drop. The foods we eat to satisfy our hunger affect the rise and fall of our blood sugar levels, thus, our appetite. Simple carbohydrates, such as white flour and sugar (found in most "munchie" satisfying snacks) are converted to sugar the quickest, causing our blood sugar levels to spike. Our bodies then rapidly produce insulin to process the sugar, and the increased insulin causes our blood sugar to drop, and we are hungry again. See how that works?

Logically then, one of the best ways to control late night hunger pangs is to keep your blood sugar levels stable all day. There are a few ways to do this.

EAT COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES

Complex Carbohydrates are converted to sugar more slowly, so our blood sugar levels don't spike. Sustained levels of sugar mean that our bodies produce moderate levels of insulin instead of frantic doses, thus our blood sugar doesn't drop rapidly, and we feel fuller longer. Foods such as brown rice, whole grains products, green leafy vegetables, legumes, and fruits are complex carbohydrates. A diet rich in these foods will help to control hunger pangs and food cravings.

EAT AT REGULAR INTERVALS ALL DAY

Don't believe the old adage to avoid between meal snacks. Eating healthy foods every
2 - 3 hours keeps your energy levels up, your sugar levels stable, and helps you to not give in to late night binging. Start with a good breakfast. Eating healthy in the morning sets the tone for good eating habits all day. Have a mid morning snack, lunch, another snack, a moderate dinner, and a light snack about two hours before bed.

EAT THE RIGHT SNACKS

You already know you want to avoid simple carbohydrates like processed snack foods, but what are some good choices for between meal and after dinner snacks? Low fat string cheese, cottage cheese and fruit, a handful of nuts, celery sticks with peanut butter or low fat cream cheese, are all good choices. An old Weight Watchers trick is to make a pot of vegetable soup and have a cup whenever hunger pangs hit. It's healthy, low calorie, and filling.

In addition to keeping your blood sugar levels stable, there are a few other things you can do to help control late night food cravings.

EXERCISE

Exercise

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