Posted on 02/28/2013 9:51:57 AM PST by nickcarraway
It's 2 a.m., and you've just scarfed down another chicken wing topped with Cheez Whiz. Embarrassed? Don't be. Plenty of people flock to their refrigerators to snack on strange, late-night food concoctions, reports a new study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.
Researchers had 507 students take a "concocting survey" that quizzed them on their eating behaviors and what types of foods they typically ate to satisfy their cravings. The results: One in four participants admitted to creating and indulging in crazy food combos. Think sugar-covered scrambled eggs and mayo-smothered vegetables -- and 41.2 percent chalked up their creations to cravings. (Guys, really? Cure your cravings without going crazy with these Easy Egg Recipes.)
"We were curious on how common concocting actually was," explains lead study author Mary Boggiano, Ph.D., an associate psychology professor at the University of Alabama. "And to differentiate it from regular snacking, we defined it as making strange food mixtures that you would be too embarrassed or ashamed to share with others."
Should serial snackers with a taste for the weird be ashamed? Not at all. "There's nothing wrong with concocting," Boggiano says. But you don't want your midnight snacks to wreak havoc on your waistline -- and that's where Alexandra Caspero, R.D., owner of weight-management and sports-nutrition service Delicious-Knowledge.com, comes in.
The next time your grumbling gut beckons you to the kitchen at night, trade in your high-calorie combos for these healthier alternatives:
If you're craving something sweet...
Snack on Greek yogurt and fresh fruit. Less sugar, less fat, and more natural, this combination is perfect for solving your ice cream cravings, says Caspero. Your move: Grab 6 oz. of Greek yogurt and 1 cup of grapes or mixed berries.
If you're craving something salty...
Grab a tortilla (a high-fiber one works best) and an ounce of sharp cheddar cheese, and create a low-fat cheese quesadilla on the fly. It's easy to make, and it'll prevent you from going overboard with the chips and queso, Caspero says. Just fold it in half, bake it, and top it off with a scoop of salsa.
If you're craving a mix of sweet and salty...
Reach for sliced apples and peanut butter. "A sweet, crispy apple paired with salty, all-natural peanut butter is one of the easiest and healthiest snacks to have on hand," says Caspero. One apple provides you with 5 grams of heart-healthy fiber, while all-natural peanut butter contains 4 grams of protein per tablespoon. The best part? The mixture of protein, fat, and fiber all aid in fullness, which means you won't be reaching for another snack an hour later, says Caspero.
What! No cold chili sandwhich w/mayo, no chocolate chip cookie topped with roast beef?
Topped? Heck no. Dipped!
I’m a somnambulist. I find food out in the kitchen on many mornings. Last night I apparently snacked on low fat yogurt with freeze-dried Blueberry powder stirred in. Pretty healthy! But Monday night I woke up sitting on the kitchen floor. I woke up when I knocked over the jar of the mustard that I’d smeared on a foot long sub. Sub was gone!
Does Scotch count?
What’s so strange about mayo on vegetables? For years the only way I ever ate broccoli at home was topped with mayo, and that habit was passed down from my mom. In retrospect, she might have done that to cover up the fact that she overcooked the broccoli.
Apples and peanut butter? Where is the bologna, cheese and jalapenos? No sense in getting up if you can’t take an uncomfortable sh...dump in the morning.
Heck no! Nothing bizarre about Scotch...especially with a good cigar.
I don’t think Alexandra Caspero grasps the idea of a late-night snack. Snacks are by nature meant to taste good. Grabbing a vegetable for a late-night snack is perfectly fine if you’re a rodent. Humans desire something a little more tasty than health food. Or “natural” peanut butter on an apple.
The line of the thread. Award the prize now!
And now that I think about it, scrambled eggs with sugar doesn’t sound so odd either.
It’s 2 a.m., and you’ve just scarfed down another chicken wing topped with Cheez Whiz
Topped? Heck no. Dipped!
Are you crazy?
You INJECT the chciken wing with cheese using a can of “EZ-Cheeze” THEN you Dip it!
She can’t smell it when you come back from the kitchen?
The Federal Government will solve this problem. Moochelle is waiting to be placed in charge of a new department to monitor and control people who have thee late night food cravings. Legislation is coming which will require people to get a permit to eat anything after 11 pm and Moochelle will enforce it.
Peproncini peppers with extra sharp cheddar cheese squares ... Big Cheese crackers on the side. Wash it down with a splash of White Zin or a cold Pepsi on ice. ... I’m making myself hungry. BBL
Simple solution: Ban late nights. It’s a nanny state, people gotta get to bed by 8 pm and if they were safely in bed instead of wandering around who-knows-where, think of all the electric power that could be saved. Think of all the bathroom accidents (already a worldwide epidemic, crisis, and disaster of epic proportions) that could be avoided.
I eat my peas with honey...
Each new fridge will come with a safety lock.
Hmmmmmm. Maybe that’s why she decided we needed seperate bedrooms.
My favorite late night snack is a big slice of cheese, a couple of pickles and about half a sliced onion.
Does Scotch count?
Over ice cream. Mmmmmm.
And now that I think about it, scrambled eggs with sugar doesn’t sound so odd either.
And now that I think about it, scrambled eggs with sugar doesn’t sound so odd either.
Alabama Saturday breakfast: biscuits, scrambled eggs, bacon, shredded cheese, covered in maple syrup and pepper gravy, all mushed up together. OH! and sasser that coffee to cool it.
Alabama Saturday breakfast: biscuits, scrambled eggs, bacon, shredded cheese, covered in maple syrup and pepper gravy, all mushed up together. OH! and sasser that coffee to cool it.
Breakfast of champions!
Actually, fried or scrambled eggs lathered with strawberry jam makes a fine toast sandwich.
Not just for late nights, neither!
Sheesh - amateurs! You forgot the next steps: wrap it in bacon slices, fry it, dip it in Cheez Wiz again, then roll in bacon pieces!
Scotch always counts, and don't ever let anybody tellya different.
My favorite late night snack is a big slice of cheese, a couple of pickles and about half a sliced onion.
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That doesn’t sound half bad. Sort of like a sandwhich without the bread!
Red or White onion?
You lost me at White Zin.
That sounds delish! Although I probably wouldn’t mush it all up together.
A glass of Beringer’s White Zinfandel.
Alternate late snack is sweet girkins, swiss cheese, and a gingerale. Put the pickles and cheese on a couple of slices of pumpernickle, if ya got it. A drizzle of mustard makes it even better.
Red or White onion?
I prefer sweets. My least favorite onion is red.
Only had cravings when I was pregnant. Spam and squeezie cheeze sans the bread, or crackers. To this day I can’t stand the sight of a can of spam, or squeezy cheese. Ah, motherhood!
That's a beautiful thing, right there (except we call it liverwurst) : )
I bet she can smell it 2 hrs later ; )
Nah, Cold Stella with a Kettle One sidecar!
LOL!
That sounds delicious! I like to add a sliced dill pickle to it, though.
Easy to say if one has food.
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