How to Avoid Overeating at Night

Although it's tempting to come home after a stressful day and dig into some rich comfort food, it might not be the best strategy in the long term. Here are some suggestions on how to avoid overeating at night.

1. Eat apples as a low calories snack throughout the day. The pectin in the apples will keep you feeling full and by snacking throughout the day you will keep your blood sugar stable and will be less likely to overeat or binge at night.

2. Try to space your calories evenly throughout the day. Most people embarking on a healthier diet will hardly eat any calories during the day and then will be starving at night. Don't be afraid to eat more during the day, so you can avoid overeating at night.

3. Skip dessert and instead have some hot herbal tea such as peppermint or licorice to satisfy your sweet cravings. Don't sweeten or use stevia leaf, a zero calorie sweetener.

4. Brush your teeth immediately after eating dinner, this will make you less likely to do some late night snacking.

5. Pamper yourself at night with a foot soak and massage, listening to relaxing music, or meditating before going to bed instead of a rich dessert!

6. Start an exercise program. When you start to see how much effort it takes to burn calories, you'll be less likely to overeat at night so that you don't undo the hard work you've put in at the gym during the day.

7. Allow yourself healthy treats. Just because you are watching your weight doesn't mean you have to completely deprive yourself of your favorite treats. Just watch the portion size or find a healthier alternative to your favorite decadent snack. A great example is substituting your favorite candy bar for a small piece of dark chocolate. Allowing yourself some treats during the day will make you less likely to feel deprived and want to indulge and overeat at night.

8. Watch your salt intake at night. Whenever you eat something really salty your body will crave something super sweet. So if your dinner is really salty, you will be more likely to crave a sweet dessert. Limiting your salt intake at dinner time will help you to potentially avoid overeating at night.

9. Substitute a rich dessert for a fruit plate. If you are really craving something sweet after dinner instead of pie or cake, reach instead for a few pieces of fresh fruit. There will be enough natural sugar in the fruit to satisfy your sweet tooth, but fewer calories than traditional dessert.

I hope you enjoyed these tips on how to avoid overeating at night. For more healthy tips and recipes please click on the links below.

Cecilia is a raw foods expert who was able to lose 25 pounds on the raw food diet.
Click here for the raw food recipes that helped her slim down. Click here for more healthy lifestyle tips at the raw food blog.

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