Snacking after dinner

[Quiver0f10]

I am trying to install better eating habits in not only myself but my whole family. We ate a healthy, balanced dinner at 6 and I served each person a serving of fruit salad with dinner. The kids were asking for a snack @ 8:30 and I don't know if this is simply from habit or not.

 

So my question is, does your family have a snack in the evenings?

 

Thanks.

[MelanieM]

Growing up we always had a snack before bed. I have many fond memories of sitting at my grandmother's table for toast and tea late in the evening, before bed. :D While I don't usually do that most evenings now, I did just eat a big bowl of veggies for an evening snack!

 

For me, it's important that everyone is able to eat when they're hungry (and the reverse -- not eat when you're not hungry) so I would certainly encourage an after dinner snack for anyone that feels they need it.

[Lawana]

We don't tend to snack after dinner unless for some reason dinner was early (before 6) or light or something they didn't like;). I think in order to determine whether a late snack is needed, you should look at the total calorie intake for the day. If less than usual, a snack would seem to make up the difference. If not, then habit might be the culprit.

[Joker]

I allow after dinner snacks. I was told that eating that late was unhealthy but found that all kids are different. My younger dd seems to constantly eat but she is skinny as a rail. She has the same metabolism as her dad and just needs more. My older dd goes through phases. When she's going through a growth spurt she eats a lot. I have decided to now worry about it unless I see a weight issue. I once decided that younger dd was only asking for food at night because of a habit and said no. The next morning she was shaking she was so hungry. I have never said no again.

[Sophia]

Yes. And it's always junk which dh brings into the house.

 

I've started buying almonds and encouraging that (surprisingly, my two little boys love them) and now that's it's hot, frozen red grapes also satisfy sweet cravings.

[m0mmaBuck]

We usually eat a healthy, proportioned dinner at 5-5:30 and I allow a snack that includes some protein at 8:00 before bed. The kids normally eat breakfast around 8:00 a.m. and 12 hrs is a long enough time for a little body to go without fuel. It can cause problems with blood sugar levels according to DSS's nutritionist.

[Perry]

My kids often have ice cream at bedtime.

 

I always have a bowl of pistachios and fruit sitting out, so they snack on that too.

[lllll]

..

[cjbeach]

Kids have something light at 7:30. It's called "Last Call" for food and drink. ;)

 

I have such a hard time with nighttime munchies and my dh is the WORST. OMG . The man eats nothing all day but 10pm rolls around and he's scarfing food down.

 

To be quite honest, I started crocheting at night to keep me OUT of the kitchen and keep my fingers busy...and not picking. Boy do I love to pick at night.

[OrganicAnn]

It also depends on the age of the children. Younger kids may need a little something. I would also expect kids on a growth spurt might need something.

 

I think the key to breaking kids of too much snacking is to limit it to extra healthy snacks. If they really are hungry they will eat almost anything, if it is just a bad habit then they will be wanting cookies or ice cream.

 

I start with either carrot sticks or vanilla yogurt.

[Ellie]

Almost never. I didn't when I was growing up, either, nor did Mr. Ellie.

[Sara in AZ]

We always have bedtime snacks here around 8:30, often something healthy though not always.

[ChristusG]

Usually the kids ask for something before bed.....but it all depends on what time we had dinner whether or not I allow them to eat. If it has only been an hour, then no.

 

I absolutely have to eat something with protein before bed. If I don't, I'll wake up in the middle of the night feeling very jittery, lightheaded, etc. I usually eat two sausage links or a light sandwich or a bowl of yogurt.

[jld]

Everyone here eats whenever they're hungry

 

That's pretty much how we do it, too.

[Food4Thought]

We don't snack every night, but once in a while, the kids will say they're hungry after they've gone to bed. I usually let them grab a string cheese out of the fridge.

 

There have been times that both kids have come in my room at, say, 10pm and said they were hungry. I usually make an extra meal at that point figuring it must be a growth spurt. But if it's the same time and it's every night, I imagine it's a habit. I'd tell them to drink water and wait for breakfast.

[keptwoman]

Our main meal is usually fairly shortly before the younger ones go to bed. The rest of us generally have a snack later at around 9.30pm, none of us are even slightly overweight.

[Rosie_0801]

A healthy snack before bed keeps blood sugar levels regular over night so you don't wake up hungry in the middle of the night (weirdness like pregnancy and growth spurts aside.) In theory, it should help people wake up more agreeably in the morning. Low blood sugar when you are supposed to be waking up makes it hard to actually do it. If people are particularly grumpy in the morning, having some juice available could also help. It is absorbed quickly, so boosts the blood sugar levels up so you have the energy to get breakfast before they crash again. Don't procrastinate though, because the rush only lasts long enough to make breakfast, lol.

 

Rosie

[keptwoman]

A healthy snack before bed keeps blood sugar levels regular over night so you don't wake up hungry in the middle of the night (weirdness like pregnancy and growth spurts aside.) In theory, it should help people wake up more agreeably in the morning. Low blood sugar when you are supposed to be waking up makes it hard to actually do it. If people are particularly grumpy in the morning, having some juice available could also help. It is absorbed quickly, so boosts the blood sugar levels up so you have the energy to get breakfast before they crash again. Don't procrastinate though, because the rush only lasts long enough to make breakfast, lol.

 

Rosie

I should try the juice thing! I hate getting out of bed in the morning.

[amyinva]

Everyone here eats whenever they're hungry, since we don't have set meal times.

 

I'm curious about this. How does this work? Do you cook dinner and then folks just eat whenever they want? Or does each person fend for him/herself?

 

My 4 youngers go to bed fairly soon after dinner/cleanup. If not, they can have a snack. Teens eat whenever they want. Like locusts.

[Nestof3]

We always have a snack after dinner. The boys usually eat theirs when they're reading.

 

And, no, it's not always healthy. ;)

[RoughCollie]

The boys and DH eat snacks after dinner, sometimes multiple snacks. DD and I virtuously do not.

[lllll]

..

[MamaT]

We almost always have snacks at night. Most of the things available are healthy, but sometimes we'll have ice cream. I usually have a homemade dessert available too. No one around here is overweight and everyone gets lots of exercise.

[TammyinTN]

Everyone has a light snack at night here. Cereal with milk and fruit, yogurt, cheese and crackers, nachos, peanuts or almonds, sandwich or granola bar. It's always fast and easy. Our 12 year old is growing and that kid eats all the time.

[HappyCrazyMama]

We almost never have bedtime snacks but if they do happen to ask for something I figure they must be hungry and therefore need it so I give them something. I guess it is on a as needed basis, not just as a habit. :)

[Quiver0f10]

Thanks for the replies!

[ConnieB]

I am trying to install better eating habits in not only myself but my whole family. We ate a healthy, balanced dinner at 6 and I served each person a serving of fruit salad with dinner. The kids were asking for a snack @ 8:30 and I don't know if this is simply from habit or not.

 

So my question is, does your family have a snack in the evenings?

 

Thanks.

 

As someone who has lost (and kept off) 117 pounds, I can tell you that snacking is NOT the problem. It's what you snack on. If your children express hunger, then feed them....the single hardest thing I learned in my weight loss journey was that starving wasn't the answer. Learning to read my body's signals was difficult, but essential.

 

However, the snack shouldn't be cookies and milk or simliar. Next time they ask for a snack be sure that they have several choices, but that they are all healthy choices. Odd as it sounds, lightly steamed veggies is a marvelous snack. When I make veggies for dinner, I put in extras and take them out about 5 minutes before the others are done...so that nuking them in the microwave for a snack later doesn't turn them into soggy messes, but instead just completes the cooking process.

 

Fruit (preferably whole fruit rather than canned, even the ones in "natural juices" has more sugar than fresh fruit). My kids like frozen grapes more than they like popsicles! Speaking of popsicles, we make them out of blended fresh fruit (a GREAT way to use anything that has reached it prime but not gone bad).

 

Instead of store bought veggie dips that are high in fat, we make our own with plain yogurt and spices. Each family member has their own particular spice blend preference, so the kids mix their own while I slice and dice veggies (carrots, jicama, zuchini, radishes, baby tomatoes, etc are favorites).

 

Instead of baked potato with all the butter, sour cream, bacon and other high fat toppings, try some homemade salsa. Or better yet, bake sweet potatoes instead, no topping needed, and quite sweet.

 

Instead of frozen french fries, make oven baked fries with either potato or sweet potato. A little sprinkle of spices give either a zesty zing....or a sprinkle of kosher salt (the large grain salt) gives it the saltiness of fast food fries with a lot less sodium count.

 

A million different ways....which at first will come with some resistance. Who wouldn't want cookies over carrots, after all. But if they are truly hungry, they'll take the fruit or veggies, especially if they see you eating and enjoying them. Some families have taken to bribery, lol, but whatever works....eat these veggies first and then you can have a cookie.

 

Weaning them off sweets to veggies doesn't happen overnight, but every step helps.

[Chris in VA]

What an interesting thread.

We snack.

[Quiver0f10]

As someone who has lost (and kept off) 117 pounds, .

 

Congratulations!!! And thank you for the healthy tips.

[AngieW in Texas]

My middle dd has to eat quite frequently. She eats dinner at 8:30-9pm (we are on a later schedule than most of y'all). She usually has another dinner around 10:30 or 11pm. Then she sometimes has another dinner at midnight. She has been known to get up around 2 or 3am to have another dinner so she can go back to sleep.

 

Unless she is asleep, it is rare for her to go more than 3 or 4 hours without eating (and like I said, sometimes she has to get up in the middle of the night to eat). She is 5'0.5" (that 1/2" is important) and weighs just 100 pounds that is all muscle. She rarely eats junk.

 

She started eating like this at 11yo and has been this way ever since. She burns through food pretty quickly.

[melissel]

We usually eat a healthy, proportioned dinner at 5-5:30 and I allow a snack that includes some protein at 8:00 before bed. The kids normally eat breakfast around 8:00 a.m. and 12 hrs is a long enough time for a little body to go without fuel. It can cause problems with blood sugar levels according to DSS's nutritionist.

 

DD4 has to eat almost the minute she wakes up or we have a meltdown on our hands. It's been a challenge for me to recognize this, but I finally started to understand :blushing:

 

I allow snacks after dinner to a certain extent. If the child didn't eat much dinner or dessert for whatever reason, then I allow a healthy snack (fruit, a small piece of cheese, nuts). If she whines about those options, then I know she's not really hungry, so she doesn't get a snack.

 

If the child didn't eat much dinner, I allow a very small dessert. If she starts asking for a "snack" after that she's directed back toward her leftover dinner. This is usually DD4, and she'll almost always eat the rest of her dinner, so I know she's really hungry.

 

If the child ate lots of dinner and their dessert but a lot of time passed between dinner and bedtime, then I allow a healthy snack. But if bedtime is imminent, I send her to bed anyway. Usually, that one is just a ploy to stay up later :D

 

It depends a lot on the situation, but I will almost always allow something healthy before bed.

[MaMa2005]

No snacks after dinner here and we eat early by most people's standards - between 4:30 and 5:00.

 

The plus side to this is that no one in our house has any problems with acid reflux or heartburn upon turning in for the evening.:001_smile:

[Pretty in Pink]

My kids almost always have a snack before bed. We eat between five and six, then I serve a snack around 7:30. I serve substantial snacks, really they are more like small meals.

 

PB&J with a glass of milk

Bagel w/ cream cheese and a piece of fruit

Baked sweet potatoes with cinnamon and maple syrup, glass of milk

Oatmeal with almonds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, glass of milk

 

And I usually have another, smaller snack around ten most nights!

[Nestof3]

I also wonder how much bedtime plays into this. My boys go to bed late -- usually 10:00 PM. I don't think it's unreasonable to desire a snack a few hours after a meal.

 

Usually from 9-10 is spent in their room reading or listening to an audio book while eating a snack.