Eating late-night snacks for a long time may satisfy your craving, but it also brings some health risks, the most direct of which is weight gain. Because of the reduced physical activity at night, energy is difficult to consume, and fat can easily accumulate, turning you into a ‘pot belly’ in no time. However, today, I will tell you about what kind of late-night snacks are healthy and can help you lose weight. You will definitely be surprised after reading this!

1. Coarse rice porridge

It is said that the coarse rice porridge was a dish specially tailored by Soong May-ling for Chiang Kai-shek. Back then, Chiang Kai-shek’s stomachache was intermittent, and Soong May-ling suggested that he drink a moderate amount of coarse rice porridge. Coarse rice is nutritious and can help digestion, which was indeed very beneficial for Chiang Kai-shek’s stomachache. Choosing coarse rice porridge for dinner does not place too much burden on the digestive system and is actually beneficial. The preparation is also very simple. Wash the coarse rice and mixed grains, soak them in water, and then steam them in an electric pot. You can add sea salt or brown sugar to make it salty or sweet as you like.

2. Roasted sweet potatoes

Red hearts are the best for sweet potatoes, white hearts are drier, and purple sweet potatoes are even drier. Purple sweet potatoes are smaller, and they can all be cooked directly in a microwave oven. A small sweet potato of about 1 kilogram has about 100 calories. Eating it little by little while blowing on it can increase both the psychological satisfaction and the feeling of fullness.

3. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are also a great choice for a late-night snack. Experimental studies have found that tomatoes contain very few calories. Only 19 calories per 100 grams of tomatoes, so for those who have the habit of eating late-night snacks but are afraid of gaining weight, it is a good idea to eat more tomatoes. There are many ways to eat them, but the best way is to eat them raw or make a salad to avoid nutrient loss.

There are many benefits to eating tomatoes for dinner. The lycopene in tomatoes has powerful antioxidant properties that can fight free radicals, helping you to delay skin aging. While lycopene also has excellent weight loss effects, it can inhibit the increase of fat cells, helping you to achieve weight loss goals.

Tomatoes contain a large amount of dietary fiber, which can help the growth of probiotics in the intestines. In addition, tomatoes are rich in pectin, which can fill your stomach, stimulate the satiety center of the brain, and at the same time, they can also remove acidic metabolic waste in the intestines, helping you to complete intestinal detoxification during the sleep process.

4. Soy milk and soy products

The calorie content of soy milk and various soy products is relatively low, making them a good choice for a late-night snack. Moreover, the abundant calcium in beans is beneficial for weight loss and sleep, so those who are accustomed to staying up late might as well make a cup of soy milk for themselves. Besides filling you up, it can also warm your stomach. As a late-night snack, a bowl of soy milk made with black beans and red dates is also a great choice because black beans have a higher protein content and also contain a certain amount of iron.

5. Natural Fruit Drying

Many people think that the nutritional value of dried fruits is not high, and they only consider them as a snack to satisfy their craving. In fact, such an idea is wrong. Dried fruits are not only rich in dietary fiber but also easy to digest, and their value is not inferior to fresh fruits at all. The most important thing is that they are convenient to carry and easy to store, making them a perfect snack companion for people of all ages. Containing various vitamins and nutritious natural fruits, dried fruits are a natural and convenient dessert.

Before eating dried fruits, you first need to learn to distinguish between ‘dried fruits’ and ‘candied fruits’ and ‘jelly’. Products such as dried dates, raisins, longan, persimmon cake, tangerine cake, apricots, figs, and apple dry are all dried fruits. These products are easy to buy. Their common characteristics are that they are completely sugar-free, salt-free, oil-free, and contain no additives, and are in a completely natural state after the drying and concentration of fruits. Otherwise, they are not healthy and the calories will increase.

Real dried fruits are products made by drying fruits through a drying process, which will concentrate the sugar, protein, fat, and various minerals in fruits, as well as dietary fiber and some heat-resistant antioxidants and vitamins. Therefore, natural dried fruits such as raisins, mangoes, apricots, etc., can help the human body supplement minerals such as potassium and calcium, as well as dietary fiber, especially suitable for consumption during hot summer days when sweating is abundant. For the elderly with poor digestion and cold aversion, dried fruits can serve as a supplementary source of fruit nutrition.

6. Yogurt

Yogurt containing rich protein and calcium can not only promote peristalsis of the intestines and stomach, improve constipation, but also help to enhance immunity. People with lactose intolerance can also eat it. However, when choosing, be careful not to mistakenly select acid milk drinks or flavored drinks, as their effects are not the same as yogurt! Low-fat yogurt is a good choice. The calcium it contains can help you accelerate fat burning without the risk of excessive fat intake, which is very beneficial for healthy weight loss.

7. Foods rich in calcium and magnesium

Nutrition experts believe that the combination of calcium and magnesium can act as a natural relaxant and tranquilizer. Milk is rich in calcium and is also known as a weight loss food. Nuts contain a lot of magnesium. For example, walnuts are often used to treat symptoms such as neurasthenia, insomnia, forgetfulness, and frequent dreams. Therefore, if you want to relax your nerves and stabilize your emotions at night, why not have some milk and walnuts?

8. Foods rich in B vitamins

B vitamins can regulate metabolism, stabilize a person’s spirit, and alleviate restlessness. Whole wheat foods are rich in B vitamins. Who would like to work overtime at night? Therefore, working overtime at night can make people feel restless. Therefore, when having a late-night snack, I recommend oatmeal, barley, brown rice, whole wheat bread, and whole wheat biscuits, etc., which are all whole wheat foods.

I found that as soon as summer comes, many people like to drink ice beer and eat grilled skewers on the roadside. One big problem with this is the alternation of cold and heat, which can cause considerable harm to the gastrointestinal function. If you eat some vegetables that are not cleaned properly, or even some spoiled food, it can lead to the onset of gastritis and enteritis. Compared with these late-night snacks, aren’t these ones much healthier?

Actually, during the summer, the high temperature often causes the human body’s nerves to be in a state of tension, and the function of some glands is also affected, thus often leading to weakened digestion and lack of appetite. Therefore, we should eat more light and easily digestible foods such as soy products, fresh vegetables, melons, and fruits, and eat less greasy food.