10 best and worst snacks to satisfy your midnight cravings

Whatever your reason for waking up, the midnight hunger pangs are no joke, while you might not want to start making eba and semo at that time.

Here are healthy and unhealthy snack options for your midnight cravings:

1. Healthy snack: Greek yoghurt

Greek yoghurt is healthy and filling [Medicalnewstoday] Pulse Nigeria

Greek yoghurt contains a lot of protein to keep you feeling full for longer. It is a great source of calcium that can strengthen bones. Additionally, it contains probiotics, which help maintain a balanced bacterial population in the gut. Taking Greek yoghurt may reduce type 2 diabetes risk and reduce blood pressure. Plus, it is low-fat and won't lead to weight gain.

Unhealthy alternative: Ice cream

Avoid midnight ice cream [Allrecipes] Pulse Nigeria

The fat and sugar can make it fall asleep. Ice cream isn't the best late-night snack, even if you are lactose-intolerant. It's heavy, fatty, and could feel like a solid object in your stomach and keep you awake.

2. Healthy snack: A granola bar

Granola bars are tasty and healthy [Inspiredtaste] Pulse Nigeria

Instead of eating biscuits and cookies, substitute them with a granola bar. Cookies are processed foods with no health benefits. Granola bars are a fantastic source of soluble fibre and protein. A granola bar's protein helps build and maintain muscle mass while keeping you satisfied for longer. The fibre helps your metabolism and cleanses your digestive system.

Unhealthy alternative: Biscuits

Stay away from biscuits at night [allrecipes] Pulse Nigeria

Too much sugar will keep you awake at night, not to mention the effects. It leads to gaining weight, and poor skin, it doesn’t satisfy, so you will be craving more biscuits, and it leads to other health challenges.

3. Healthy snack: Lemon tea

Hot tea with honey and lemon can soothe a sore throat.Vera_Petrunina/Getty Images Business Insider USA

A cup of tea will relax you and make you fall asleep faster.

Lemon tea is a low-calorie, low-sugar choice to supplement your diet with a variety of vitamins and minerals. This antioxidant, which is present in fruit peels, may reduce your risk of developing cancer, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and other chronic illnesses.

Unhealthy alternative: Sugary cereal

Avoid sugary cereal [Today] Pulse Nigeria

It's loaded a lot with empty carbs. The insulin that controls your blood sugar levels becomes less effective when you consume large amounts of sugar regularly. Since blood sugar levels rise as a result of this insulin resistance, diabetes risk increases. Fructose, a type of sugar that is high in calories, can also cause the liver to store too much fat.

4. Healthy snack: Oats

Oats is healthy and filling [Minimalistbaker] Pulse Nigeria

Oats are very filling. Oats have beta-glucan, a carbohydrate that protects the heart, helps lower high cholesterol and possibly cuts the chance of developing certain types of cancer.

Unhealthy alternative: Pizza

Pizza is unhealthy [Allrecipes] Pulse Nigeria

The grease in pizza can cause heartburn. Eating three to four slices of pizza or more daily can be harmful to your health.

The cheese and processed meat toppings on pizza contain a lot of saturated fats, which raise cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease.

5. Healthy snack: Popcorn

Popcorn is a healthy snack [Tastingtable] Pulse Nigeria

In addition to being a tasty snack, popcorn provides your body with fibre and polyphenols, which act as antioxidants. These nutrients not only make digestion easy but also promote better blood flow and potentially lower the likelihood of developing different types of cancer.

Unhealthy snack: Chips

Avoid chips at night [Muji] Pulse Nigeria

The fat and salt in most chips are terrible for your heart. Consuming excessive amounts of chips can lead to weight gain, snoring issues, dry skin, kidney illness, migraines, and inflammation. High salt intake raises blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, coronary artery disease, and other conditions.

Next time you are shopping for groceries, make sure you stock up on healthy snacks and leave the unhealthy snacks alone.