Article cover. Text in yellow letters on the upper left corner : Create healthy snacks for late evening cravings @Nutrition by Maria Tikka. On the bottom left, there is an animated graphic of a young person sleeping on a stripped pink and baby blue armchair. On the right side of the armchair, there is an animated graphic of a pink coffee table with an empty bowl on top. On the top right corner there are eight star frames with pictures of foods in them (cheese, strawberries, eggs, yogurt with rasberries, cocoa powder, oats, pistachios, wholegrain biscuits). The background of the cover is a purplish night starry sky.
Nutrition Topics
February 16, 2022

Tips to make healthy snacks for late evening cravings

By Maria Tikka ANutr, MMedSci

Updated: 26 August 2022

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Does your bedtime snack help you sleep more peacefully?

  • A small snack close to bedtime will not slow down your progress, if you make smart options and maintain the energy deficit you are aiming for.  
  • If you are used to having a late night snack, the best thing you can do is including it in your meal plan in the first place! Let your dietitian/nutritionist about it instead of hiding it (like it is nessecarily a bad thing).
  • If you have acid reflux, try to have your snack up to 2 hours before sleeping! Please follow your registered dietitian’s advice.

Having healthy ingredients for super quick snacks is the key!

The goal is to satisfy your evening craving with the fewest calories (up to 150 kcal) and sleep well. That’s why low fat ingredients are very handy to make low energy filling snacks:

  • 1g of fats contains 9 kcal. Protein and carbohydrates (including fibre) contain 4 kcal/g.  This is why going for high protein snacks with healthy carbs is the smartest option.
  • There is something “wrong” with fats as a part of our daily diet. On the contrary, we need them!
  • Foods with protein and fibre can keep you full for fewer calories at night.

Here are a few tips to prepare sweet or savoury snacks for your evening cravings:

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Tips for sweet snacks:

1. Add at least one high protein low fat ingredient.

Protein digestion triggers the production of the PYY peptide and cholecystokinin. These peptides are satiety signals and can help with stopping your evening cravings as soon as possible. Here are a few examples:

Fat-free quark yogurt:

  • It tastes similar to yogurt and cream cheese. A versatile ingredient to make healthy snacks for your evening cravings. High in protein and low in calories!
  • Feel free to use it for low calorie desserts
  • You can use it as a spread on a cracker bread or oatcake, or added a couple of tablespoons on fresh fruit
Lemon mousse with fat free quark and lemon zest served in a glass bowl
Lemon mousse with fat free quark and lemon zest. 147kcal per portion! Ready in 5 minutes.
  • Low fat cream cheese: Stick to one tablespoon!
  • Plain yogurt: A great base for low calorie desserts. A standard pot it’s a high protein filling snack on its own!
  • Plain soy- based vegan yogurts are the highest in protein, if you prefer a plant-based option. Oat yogurt and coconut yogurt are low in calories but very low in protein as well. If you like them and the keep you full at night, please keep enjoying them!
Macronutrient information Fat free Greek yogurt (170g pot): Energy 98 kcal, Protein 18g, Total fats 0g, saturated fats 0 g, Net carbohydrates 6.6 g, Sugars 6.6g, Fibre 0 g. Plain Soya yogurt (170g pot): Energy 83 kcal, Protein 6.9g, Total fats 3.9g, saturated fats 0.7 g, Net carbohydrates 4.1 g, Sugars 3.7g, Fibre 1.7 g. Fat free quark (90g/ 2 tbsp): Energy 68 kcal, Protein 13 g, Total fats 0.5g, saturated fats 0.5 g, Net carbohydrates 3 g, Sugars 3 g, Fibre 0 g. light Philadelphia cheese (51g/ 1 tbsp): Energy 56 kcal, Protein 6 g, Total fats 2.4g, saturated fats 1.6 g, Net carbohydrates 2.4 g, Sugars2.4 g, Fibre 0 g. Credits @Nutrition by Maria Tikka

2. Add  sweet and stomach-friendly fresh fruit

Soluble fibre fermentation by gut flora also contributes to satiety signal regulation. Fruit is a low calorie sources of soluble fibre and full of vitamins and minerals!

  • Make sure you choose fruit you don’t find heavy on your stomach, especially if you have acid reflux. Apples and bananas, pears and strawberries are low acid options and very sweet!
  • If you are not in the mood for chopping fruit at night, a handful of strawberries and mature blackberries are ideal healthy snacks to eat or add to your treats! Berries are high fibre and low in simple sugars.

Let’s see an example. A pot of fat free Greek yogurt and strawberries contain:

Macronutrient information for 170g of fat free Greek yogurt and 5 medium strawberries: Energy 140 kcal, Protein 20 g, Total fats 1.2g, saturated fats 0.2 g, Net carbohydrates 11 g, Sugars 11 g, Fibre 3.3 g. Salt 0.14 Credits @Nutrition by Maria Tikka

3. Wholegrains, nuts and coconut flakes:  Stick to 1-2 tablespoons or make truffles!

Ingredients like oats, coconut flakes and nuts can satisfy your evening craving faster but they are also quite calorie dense. Especially fried fruit are higher in sugar comparing with the same amount of fresh fruit.

Among coconut ingredients, coconut flour is the lowest in energy and highest in protein and fibre.

Let’s see a few examples:

Macronutrient information for oats, raisins, almonds desiccated coconut and coconut flour. Oats 2 tbsp/20g: Energy 78 kcal, Protein 2.3g, Total fats 1.6g, saturated fats 0.3g, Net carbohydrates 13g, Sugars 0g, Fibre 1.6g. Raisins 1 tbsp/18g: Energy 54 kcal, Protein 0.5g, Total fats 0g, saturated fats 0 g, Net carbohydrates 12g, Sugars 12g, Fibre 1.1g. Almonds 6 whole/6g: Energy 37 kcal, Protein 1.3g, Total fats 3.2g, saturated fats 0.3g, Net carbohydrates 0.5g, Sugars 0g, Fibre 1g. Desiccated coconut 1tbsp/7g: Energy 52 kcal, Protein 0.5g, Total fats 5g, saturated fats 4.3g, Net carbohydrates 0.5g, Sugars 0.5g, Fibre 1.7g. Coconut flour 1 tbsp/7g: Energy 25 kcal, Protein 1.2g, Total fats 1.1g, saturated fats 1g, Net carbohydrates 1.5g, Sugars 0.5g, Fibre 2.6g. Credits @Nutrition by Maria Tikka

If you like to meal prep, use these ingredients to make low calorie and high fibre truffles instead! You can keep them in your fridge for up to a week.

4. Avoid adding more than a teaspoon of added sugars

Added sugars can increase your craving instead of satisfying it. It doesn’t mean you need to completely exclude them either. Adding up to a teaspoon is fine. Remember:

  • Honey, agave syrup, vanilla extract and other “natural” fruit syrups are still added sugars!
  • Marshmallows and chocolate chips can add plenty of added sugar and calories to your snack.

Try adding ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg or a teaspoon or unsweetened cocoa powder!

5. Avoid commercial low fat flavored desserts and processed cereal products

Different products, but they have something in common:

They usually have plenty of added sugars and they are low in fibre. Which means, they will probably not satisfy you for more than 20 minutes. This is why these snacks are not the best to include in your diet, even if they are advertised as weight-loss friendly.

  • Instead, add fruit and a drizzle of vanilla extract to plain fat free yogurt or on wholegrain crackers.
  • Avoid granola and muesli bars with added chocolate chips, raisins or syrups. They are higher in energy and sugars than you think!
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Tips for savoury snacks:

1. Reduced fat cheese: Check the portion size and salt content!

A source of protein and calcium for savoury snacks.

  • If you enjoy cheese regularly, pay attention to your portion size! Even if you choose reduced fats options, you can easily have more than 100 kcal if you have more than 30g.
  • Cheese can be particularly high in salt. If you don’t want thirsty at night, you could stick to lower salt options, like cream cheese, cottage cheese, mozzarella and ricotta.

Here are a few suggestions for low calorie snacks:

  • Mix 2 tablespoons of low fat cream cheese and mix with dried herbs! Dip in celery or carrot sticks and you are ready!
  • 30g of reduced fat cheese on a cracker bread or oatcake.
  • Try it with non-starchy vegetables you don’t find heavy on your stomach.
  • Prepare a few pastries with wholegrain flour and low fat cheese for the whole week!
eight star shaped feta cheese oatcookies served in two plates
Low-fat feta cheese oat cookies, 86 kcal per piece!

2. Hard boiled eggs

A high protein healthy snack for late evening cravings, definitely less salty than cheese! According to the NHS guidelines, there is no recommended limit for the eggs you can consume per week. You can enjoy them in moderation as a part of a healthy diet, unless your doctor or registered dietitian advises otherwise!

  • They are super easy to make and keep in your fridge (unpeeled) up to a week.
  • A large hard-boiled egg contains 81 kcal and 8 grams of protein.

3. Prefer unsalted homemade popcorn instead of crisps and savoury puffs

30g of homemade unsalted popcorn contain 122 kcal, 4g pf protein and 4.4g fibre.

Chips and other retail savoury puffs particularly high in calories and saturated fats. They are also too salty and could be too spicy for a night snack!

4. Wholegrain crackers and cracker breads

Crackers and cracker breads are versatile ingredients for super quick healthy snacks to eat at night or at any time!

  • Try them with vegetables, a tablespoon of cream cheese or a tablespoon of low fat hummus.
  • Check the energy per piece on the front of the pack! Prefer cracker breads, oatcakes and wholegrain biscuits with 20-35 kcal/ piece.

5. Baked Non- starchy vegetable chips

If you find vegetable-based snacks heavy on your stomach at night, it’s better to try them if you have cravings at least two hours before you sleep.

  • Oven-baked kale chips and tomato chips can be ready within 10 minutes!
  • Try to reduce the added salt by using more spices. Dried mint and oregano are excellent suggestions!
Summary
Tips to make healthy snacks for late evening cravings
Article Name
Tips to make healthy snacks for late evening cravings
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Tagsweight management

About The Author

My name is Maria Tikka. I am a Registered Associate Nutritionist and a biologist. I post about nutrition topics, healthy lifestyle tips, weight management advice and healthy recipes!