Huh. Seems like a lot of people are afraid to try savory oats. I don’t blame you; I thought it was a crazy idea at first, too – oats were a sweet breakfast food, not a savory dinner one. But oats are a grain just like any other, and if quinoa and rice can be used in sweet dishes, why can’t oats be used in savory ones?
But I digress. Oats aren’t on the agenda for today. I actually wanted to talk about something else that a lot of people seem to be afraid of, and that is this little notion of:
nightly noshing
[a.k.a. eating before bed].
Believe me, I know how it is… I used to roll with that crowd, too. I was absolutely convinced that whatever I ate after dinner, or after the sun went down, would spitefully make its way straight to my butt or thighs, and that I’d wake up looking like a whale or some other lovably large creature.
Eating past 7 o’clock? Blasphemy!
That being the case, there were countless nights where the last thing I heard when I eventually managed to drift off to sleep was the grumbling of my own stomach; which, not surprisingly, also happened to be the first thing I heard upon waking up hungry at all hours of the night. Grrrmmmmbbbblllleeee. Wha? Time to eat?! Sigh. No 🙁 … it’s only 2:17 AM. Grrrmmmmbbbblllleeee. Now?! Sigh. No… it’s only 3:32.
Hunger. It sucks.
Considering that I need to eat pretty much every two hours or I start getting a little wonky in the head, going 12 without any food was extremely unpleasant. Unpleasant enough that it finally convinced me that I needed to man up and start having a snack before bed – anything to stop those sleepless nights.
I started out with things that I felt comfortable with. A bowl of yogurt. A bowl of fruit. Err… a bowl of yogurt with fruit. Yeah, I was kind of a wuss at first, but hey, at least I was eating something.
Unfortunately, while my feeble attempts did help, they didn’t completely alleviate my problem – I was still waking up because it just wasn’t enough -and after a few [read: many] more frustrating and sleepless nights, it was time to bring in the big boys. It was time to call in those crazy carbs…
Maple cinnamon oat bran with yogurt and blueberries.
Kashi cereals with yogurt and fruit.
Err… popcorn.
Those crazy carbs turned out to be a godsend – finally something that gave me the comfort and relief that I was looking for. I was falling asleep and staying asleep; and I definitely couldn’t complain about how comforting those carb-laden meals were after a long, hard day. But there was still something missing… still something that my body wanted that I was afraid to give it. More fat and more treats.
I feared fat and treats for a long time, and didn’t eat them as part of my nightly snack because the very thought of doing so gave me nightmares. I don’t remember exactly when my thought process began to change, but I do remember one particular instance where I was standing in my kitchen one night craving a bowl of oats with almond butter, but telling myself that it would have to wait until morning.
But… but… that’s still ages away.
So? It’s too late. You can’t have it now.
… Why not?
Because I said so.
I? I who? I want some!
Nevermind the fact that I talk to myself. That’s irrelevant. The point is that I don’t handle it very well someone tells me no – it’s my nature to get a little rebellious, and rebel I did…
Oat bran with almond milk and banana/almond butter.
A Cinnamon Raisin Bran Muffin with chocolate; a pair of SuperCharge Me cookies.
Toast with cream cheese & raspberry jam.
… and I continued to do so until I was no longer telling myself that I couldn’t have/do what I wanted.
It’s all a bit confusing… I know.
Sorry, I’ll stop with the I’s.
So that’s the story of how I became a nightly nosher. It was a gradual process of dipping my toe into the water, introducing some fear foods, seeing that nothing bad happened, and introducing some more.
These days, I’m proud to say that I’m quite fearless when it comes to my nightly snacks…
Yogurt mess with Kashi puffs, banana, caramel pudding, and chocolate.
Banana covered with almond butter and trail mix.
Baked pumpkin oatmeal with melted coconut butter.
Anything goes. And the best part of it all? I sleep like a baby 😀
. – . – . – .
Are you a nightly nosher?
What’s your favorite bedtime snack?
I HATE that myth- it’s so ridiculous!! Its not like your body stops burning calories after 7pm! 😛 I don’t have a night snack though, because I eat a big dinner and then dessert at about 9pm, then go to bed an hour or so later, but haha I DEFINITELY break the carbs after 7 rule! I love me some carbs 😉
I usually rebel when someone tells me no! I’m trying to rebel against myself… if that makes any sense. And I also talk to myself on a consistent basis. Outloud. It really does help to counter those negative thoughts. I’m not much of a nightly nosher but I have a feeling I should become one. I’m still at the “No I shouldn’t have that because it’s too late mind frame” but one step at a time 🙂
I wouldn’t call myself a nightly nosher (mainly because I hear this term for the first time 🙂 ) but I remember numerous nights when I couldn’t fall asleep for hours or would wake up hungry every hour just because “I am already a whale and eating at night will make things even worse”. At some point I decided to give night snacks a try, mainly carbs because that’s what I craved more than anything. And then a miracle happened! Chocolate with hazelnuts at 1 a.m. made me sleep like a baby. A handful of cookies before bed made the chocolate unnecessary because I stopped waking up at 1 a.m. If I need it, I need it. My body doesn’t care what time it is and how guilty I feel. Now that I saw how many people do it too, I feel much better 🙂 .
Girl, I hear ya! I always have to have some kind of snack before bed or else I’m ravenous ALL NIGHT. That’s no fun at all haha
Every night I’ll either have a big protein smoothie with peanut butter and soymilk, some greek yogurt concoctions, or my favorite–nut butter, casein protein powder, and cottage cheese all mixed up 😛 I look forward to it every night! 😀
I was SO afraid of this too! It actually was because of seeing you blog about your nightly snacks a long time ago that I bit the bullet and ate something after 8pm *gasp*. I’ve never gone back!
Your nightly noshes look so yummy! My favourite night time snack is either chocolate (this doesn’t tend to help me sleep though….) or a bowl of honey oat bran and soy milk. Oats are just so comforting 🙂
xxx
I always think it’s crazy how we can be so afraid to try something new, and then we go for it and wonder how we ever lived without it before. That’s happened to me more times than I can remember, and it just goes to show that you’ve gotta push yourself to try the things that scare you!
I think I am the biggest nighttime snacker in the blogging world seriously – I live for snacking before bed! It’s my favourite time of day and probably when I feel most comfortable to just ‘let go’ and eat whatever I want. I used to be scared too and started off like you with fruit, then fruit with yogurt and now it is definitely all about the carbs! I eat multiple bowls of cereal, slices of toast with PB, cookies..just any carby yumminess! I continue to graze in front of my laptop from 9pm until I go to bed at like 11pm and I don’t care because I LOVE it 🙂 I probably get through at least 600-1000 calories before I go to bed! Doesn’t stop me though, I need to have a happy tummy to get me through the starvation of sleep!
Aaah at last – someone who agrees with night eats!
I work out first thing in the AM anyway, so I always want a bit more in the evening. But regardless – I like my dessert! I went through a phase of greek yogurt, chocolate and a hot chocolate, then it was a muffin with yogurt, and now I’m on a slab of good old dark chocolate, with some cereal/milk/almonds on the side. SO GOOD!
It’s totally 4am and I woke up hungry. I need to take some tips from this post because obviously I need to be eating before bed so I don’t wake up in the middle of the night starving, like I’ve been doing lately.
Awwr 🙁 That used to happen to em all the time. But a snack before bed totally solved that problem so I definitely recommend that you try it out 🙂
YES! i always have something! usually its a nanner with pb and chocolate chips becuz there is no better way to end a day!!!! sohappy u wrote this post- there are so many ppl out there afraid to eat at night!
I dont know how it happened but now i cant sleep unless I have SOMETHING right before bed. It usually involves a dairy (milk or yogurt) with a carb (oatmeal cookies or cereal). I find that combination helps me drift right off to sleep. Although, I do understand the idea gaining weight from eating a bedtime snack. I know that calories are the same no matter what time of day you eat them. But some people may be like me, sometimes I get a little crazy with my bedtime “snack”. If i dont watch out it can turn into an all night binge. I know because I am going to bed the guilt will not be there that night so somehow it doesnt matter what I eat. But you better believe its a horribly guilty feeling in the morning. Fortunately the snack nights are increasing and the midnight binges are going away!!
Im definitely a convert to the nightly nosh-fest. i used to be so scared of eating more after dinner…. but then i started having a little bit of something, which grew into a proper bedtime snackeroo of cereal goodness! my fave is to mush up different cereals, with warm milk and pop it in the microwave to go all goeey and blended. SOOO good!!! i look forwards to it everyday (and even tho it still makes me feel abit guilty) im not giving it up for anyone! 🙂
I don’t like to eat right before I sleep but I’ll never skip a late night desert if that’s what my body is asking for! I lovee coconut bliss ice cream or dates with pb or cashew butter 🙂
I love your night-time snacks and this whole post! I think that people are too affraid of eating something before bed because ot their weight and such, but going like 8-12 hours without any meal is not good for your body! I like to have at last some apples with peanut butter, but an occassional bowl of oatmeal is a great switch some (most) days 🙂
Loving this post.
Hi Megan, great post! I love how when you started to change you asked yourself why not have the oatmeal with (delicious) almond butter? When you came up with no good reason, you went for it, that is so inspiring! I am working on eating when I am hungry, which is so much easier said than done and I find that I am definitely hungry at night. I used to go bed early to stop thinking about food, but I am finding that there more I fuel myself throughout the day and have a normal snack near bed, I don’t wake up starving….crazy stuff right!? 😉
My favorite snack before bed is an apple with nut butter, or a bowl of cereal, or a granola bar with nut butter….recent favorites!
No Megan’s here, just an Amanda 😉
Ah, you are so right! THANK YOU for posting this!
xoxo
I always get a lot of people surprised by savory oats whenever I post them, too! I’ll admit, I was scared to try them at first but they’re sooo delicious!
I’m definitely a night time nosher. I eat to feel full all day but usually end up under my calorie requirements due to my workouts, so nightly noshing’s kind of a must. Plus, I’m the exact same way..there’s no way I could go 12 hours without eating, sleeping or not. I’ll wake up the middle of the night STARVING which is miserable. Carbs are my favorite, too. They actually help to put me to sleep!
I can’t get over how ridiculously beautiful all your photographs are! If I’m ever not sure what I feel like having to eat I can just come to one of your posts, and be drooling over every picture until I decide on the perfect thing 🙂
I don’t like going to bed uncomfortably full, but I still snack on plenty during after dinner hours. I don’t have any one particular favourite snack, but it tends to be something sweet 🙂
I’m not a nightly nosher because I usually eat a giant dinner really late at night (like 8 or 9pm). I usually do my workout early in the morning so I like to be full when I go to bed, plus it helps me sleep. I don’t believe ANY of that crap about carbs being bad before bed or anything. My dinner is probably around 150-200 grams carbs and it’s never affected me. To me, it’s all about calories in vs calories out…not what time you eat them. But I also understand what works for others, might not work for everyone. I bought steel cut oats today after seeing them on your blog so much, so I made some today and overnighted them for tomorrow! Please tell me how to make baked pumpkin oatmeal. Pumpkin is my favorite thing in the world. Pumpkin pancakes, waffles, muffins, cake, ice cream, you name it..and I’ve had it. My favorite bed time snack used to be cereal. Honey Bunches of oats or cinnamon life or kashi go lean
Not a nightly nosher at all… I do eat late at night upon occasion when I have no choice, but I hate it, because I always wake up feeling nauseated if I go to bed on a full stomach! Though I suppose a “snack” would be different than a “five course meal” … but I can’t say I’ve ever had trouble sleeping due to hunger. Considering I’ve had trouble sleeping pretty much all my life, I doubt that would be the problem. 😉
<3 <3
YOGURT MESS is my go-to-night-snack! But I also am a huge fan of anything before bed to keep my tummy happy, especially if sweets are involved. And, despite my old beliefs as well, the chocolate has never appeared on my stomach or thighs in the morning!
Love your posts! Just commented for the first time today because today I started a blog, finally!
Good for you for honoring your nightly cravings! I definitely like to get down on some snacks before I go to bed. It’s usually some kind of cereal or granola, maybe a muffin (since I’m such a compulsive muffin baker!) or a banana with peanut butter or almond butter. It could be ANYTHING. It really depends on my mood. Sometimes I’ll “snack” on a beer. It’s been known to happen from time to time:-)
I’m not a regular nightly snacker, but occasionally when I do need something to “take the edge off” before bed, I’ll grab something light like fruit or Greek yogurt. Anything more than that and I’m too full to sleep well. But I do remember the old days of thinking the same thing you did…if I eat after *insert arbitrary time I decided was too late*, I’ll get FAT! And then I would force myself to ignore the rumblings in my tummy, wake up for breakfast, and be starving!!
Gawd! I’ve been out of oat bran for TOO long…I’m seriously having to hold back some restraint right now as all I want to do is lick my computer screen!
Mmm don’t do that… it’s a pain in the butt to clean it…
I’m a nightly noshy monster and I love it! I have to eat before I go to bed or I will wake up at 2 am starving!! U know what? Even when I eat before bed, I do still wake up hungry!!! Some people I think worry about that, I guess u have to find what works for u! We are all different! I def need to eat before bed! I know that! I actually have casein protein alot, mixed with water to form frosting and feral mixed in too! Ha! Or peanut flour with apples or popcorn is a fave too!
Love u! Yay for exclamation love!! Haha! Have a good nite!! Xoxo <3
First off, I love the word Blasphemy. haha.
I nosh nosh nosh every night. Around 8 o’clock is when I start to wind down and a snack is ALWAYS needed otherwise just like you I will wake up every hour thinking “is it time to eat NOW?”
Don’t fear the bed time snacks people!!
Hrrrm favorite bedtime snack? Cereal with banana’s and PB or a a PB & J 🙂
Where do u get pumpkin oatmeal? That looks so yummy!
I eat dinner so late like 9 pm so i usually just fall asleep lol if I get hungry I grab some cookies and tea 🙂
I just add a few spoonfuls of canned pumpkin to the oats along with some maple syrup, almond milk, and spices, and toss the whole thing in the oven 🙂
I am a total night nosher – I cannot go to bed without eating a snack. Even if it’s super late, I have to have something or else I’ll wake up in the middle of the night starving!!
Nightly nosher here! I think I just found my twin, actually 😛 I love big bowls of cereal with fruit and peanut butter, and when the weather was cooler oatmeal was the favored choice. All along with a muffin, of course. I’m with you – 3 hours w/o food is pushing it, 8 would just be ridiculous.
And I am in love with your photography skills. And food, of course.
Haha I love carbs at night…My recent favorite night-time snack is Brown Rice Wrap (warmed up) with almond butter and date pieces. The warm ooey goodness reminds me of the Korean treat I used to love when I was younger. The problem is, when I’m trying to study and if I had such snack, I start to become super sleepy to continue studying!
Btw, your nigh-time snacks make me drool – mine’s are mostly really ugly-looking, haha.
Mine too! They just had to get dressed up for this occasion 😉
Indeed I am a nightly nosher- I usually have a bowl of greek yoghurt, berries, and a hunk of blueberry crumble or lemon pound cake for dippage (and sustenance) every night before bed no matter how late- I just can’t fall asleep without the nighttime snack 🙂
I love savoury oats- when I was in India my host family used to make savoury oats for breakfast (this south indian porridge with mustard seeds/cumin seeds/bay leaves/veggies etc) …super delicious!
I have to agree with the other girls~I love my nighttime snack! I’m always hungry in the morning, I think my stomach would stage a revolution if I didn’t snack before bed!
Unfortunately, my ED tries to twist my fondness for nightly noshing by convincing myself that I have to restrict throughout the day. Gotta keep fighting that voice 😛
Ahhh I feel like I could have written this post! I have a pretty big snack every night but if I’m not super hungry I just have a big spoonful of nut butter and a glass of soymilk. Waking up with a growling tummy at 3am is basically the worst thing ever. Oh and all this savory oat talk is making me crave them!!
I just don’t understand how anyone can end their day on a savory note. Nightly noshing has always been necessary for and *thank goodness* my avid late night sweet tooth was strong enough to resist the “no carbs after 7” phenomenon. You can take my life, but you can’t take my [dessert].
do you have any idea what movie that’s from? Because I do not. Hmm..
Lol Jenny. That’s Braveheart… but I’m pretty sure he replaced dessert with freedom 😉 Which, in the end, is really the same thing…
Bahaha!
Omg I’m a huge nightly nosher 😀 I eat most of my calories at like 10pm lol I hate when people say that it’s a sin to eat past 6pm or else all food turns to fat. Nonsense!! Your body doesn’t run on a 24 hour clock… My routine nightly snack is cottage cheese, yogurt, cinnamon, cocoa almonds, peanut butter, strawberries, cheerios, and some honey. This is everyday lol Obsessed much? Haha It’s like 500 calories and amazing at that! This girl does not go to bed hungry ;D
Woo! Girl, you’re my hero 😉
Yep. avid nighttime snacker. I’m not much of an oats person, so it’s cinnamon toast with butter for me with some chocolate milk– which obviously comes after my nightly dessert of ice cream, esp. during the summer. mmm mmm good.
I’m definitely a nightly nosher. I can’t fall asleep unless I’ve had a good snack within the past couple of hours. All of the pictures in this post were ridiculously beautiful. I especially love the banana and trail mix!
I am totally a nighty-night nosher. However, if I eat too much (of the “safe things” usually …erm…veggies, veggie burgers, etc) I don’t sleep well. Carbs and fats are the way to go. Thanks for the reminder. Peanut butter and jelly with a glass of almond milk and coconut water might be in order tonight.
I have a snack every single night before bed – I actually look forward to my nightly snack!! It definitely helps me to sleep better! Some of my favorites are chocolate banana smoothie topped with cinnamon harvest cereal, whole wheat toast with peanut butter and banana or simply yogurt and cereal. Now that the weather is war,er I love chocolate smoothies made with frozen bananas before
. They say a banana or milk before bed helps promote sleep!
When I was inpatient long long ago, I often had bananas and 2 percent milk as part of a late late nighttime snack.
I love this post because I used to have the same mentality. Once dinner was over, the kitchen was closed. But now Im totally a nightly nosher! Like you I HAVE to have something before I go to sleep or I wake up in the middle of the night starving.
My fave bedtime snack is a bowl of cereal topped with yogurt and cashews. So delicious!
Not really a night nosher, but I usually have a little cereal or chocolate as my last snack of the day.