I know that eating late at night--any time after 8ish--isn't a good thing, but is there ANYTHING that a person can eat that isn't actually that bad? For example, veggies? I enjoy a late night snack, so this is some handy info for me to know.

Hi Stevie,

There are lots of good choices for evening snacks.

I'm guessing that you're concerned about eating after 8:00 pm because you're watching your weight. I have a lot of patients who share those concerns. But be assured, the hour on the clock does not guarantee that incoming calories will be stored as fat or muscle or burned for energy. It's the total diet that affect those things. It's very important to spread your nutrient and calorie intake out over your day, but it doesn't matter if your intake ends at 6 pm, 8 pm or midnight. If you've eaten too much, you'll gain weight. If you've taken in fewer calories than your body uses, you'll lose weight regardless of the time.

Defining a cut off time is a good idea for some people, however, because it stops the endless nighttime nibbles. If setting a rule like that helps you eat fewer calories over the entire day, then it might be a good idea. Otherwise, there's no problem in having a small snack. In fact, if you're hungry, you should eat. I would want you to honor your body's hunger cues. It's certainly better to eat dinner a 9:00 than to go to bed without dinner. I would suggest a small meal, however, if you'll be going to bed soon, so the digestion of the meal doesn't disturb your sleep.

As for snacks, if you're watching your weight and you want something junky, why not work it into your day. Plan for it, and budget the calories - say 150 or so calories. If other snacks will do, look back over your day to see what food groups are missing. Did you eat enough fruit? How about dairy, whole grains?

You might have fruit, fruit and nonfat yogurt, reduced-fat cheese and some whole grain crackers (like All Bran or Triscuit Thin Crisps), whole grain cereal and skim milk, 1/2 peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread, any raw veggies you like plain, dipped in hummus or salsa. You probably get the idea that most snacks are okay if they don't push your total calories over the top. Be sure that you don't eat so much or so late that it disturbs your sleep or keeps you from wanting to eat breakfast in the morning.

Jill Weisenberger, M.S., R.D., C.D.E.
JHMFD Online Expert http://www.familydoctormag.com/meet-the-experts/meet-the-experts/jill-weisenberger-ms-rd-cde.html

This is great info! I've been thinking that I can't touch food past a certain time!

Thank you so much!