MIDNIGHT MUNCHIES ARE THE WORST. I know I’m far from the first person to peruse the pantry past hours, but it still irritates me that the dangerous (and often strongest) cravings are those that come at the most dangerous times! Eating too much prior to sleeping can be problematic for various reasons, but most notably, it is metabolically inefficient. While asleep, your body requires very little fuel to sustain itself through several hours of complete rest. Therefore, over-fueling prior-to means you will store much of what you’ve eaten as fuel reserve…aka FAT. Not a good deal if you are weight-watching or trying to lose. So how can we cope with eating urges that are counter-effective?!!!
I certainly don’t claim to have the answer, but I will share some insight into my own personal coping strategies: 1. Stick with protein. In a nutshell, protein is not as easily converted to fuel as carbs and fats, so the body is less likely to store it as fat. Therefore, protein is a better choice to eat prior to sleeping (your biggest metabolic slowdown of the day). I know, I know… the first thing on the list of things that satisfy is a big piece of chicken breast, right? Yeah, not so much. It’s the sweet and/or salty that sound good to me at night. But those things usually come with a high caloric price tag. Calories are the unit by which we measure fuel potential, and since we don’t need much fuel to sleep on, I also try to 2. Keep it low calorie. This is likely why I’ve grown to love stevia as a sugar substitute! I’m not much of a proponent for zero calorie sweeteners as most of them are not plant-based (or are in other words chemically engineered or processed). Stevia itself is a plant-sourced zero calorie sweetener that is not a sugar alcohol. It is with these things in mind that I have drummed up this low-calorie, late-night go-to for a sweet satisfier that masquerades as a sort of crepe or quesadilla-like treat. (you decide!)
INGREDIENTS: 6-8 egg whites, powdered stevia, cinnamon, oil in a sprayer or spritzer (coconut oil, flax oil, or olive oil)
METHOD: Pour egg whites into a large frying pan and cook over med-high heat. Allow eggs to cook enough to form pancake-like structure. Spritz with a VERY light amount of oil, sprinkle with stevia & cinnamon, and fold your egg white pancake in half. Cut into wedges and let cool a bit before enjoying.
Leave a Reply