4 Nourishing Bedtime Snack Ideas

Having a healthy bedtime snack can be extremely beneficial for your health. Here are 4 simple, satisfying, and nutritious bedtime snack ideas! 

I don’t know about you, but bedtime snack is very, very important to me. I hate going to bed hungry! 

I also want to make sure I’m getting in all the nutrients my body needs to function at its best throughout the night. 

Eating a balanced bedtime snack gives your body the building blocks it needs to repair your body properly. This should include some variation of carbs, protein, and fat. 

Carbs

Carbs provide your body with glucose, which is the body’s preferred source of fuel. When the body doesn’t have glucose to burn, it is forced to search out another source of fuel— such as muscle tissue— thereby causing stress on your body. This especially affects the your liver, which is responsible for the metabolizing of glucose. When the liver doesn’t receive the glucose it needs, it is forced to produce ketones as a fuel source for your brain. That’s a lot of extra work for our already-stressed-out livers! This means that having a nourishing bedtime snack, and eating within 30 minutes to an hour of waking up gives your liver the glucose it needs to run happily and efficiently. And I can assure you.. you want your liver to be happy! The liver is responsible for over 500 functions, such as filtering your blood, storing vitamins and minerals, and generally breaking down harmful substances that enter the body. 

As the saying goes, Happy Liver, Happy Life …or something like that. 

Protein

Now that we’ve decide to provide our bodies with the glucose it needs for fuel, it’s time to give it some building blocks! 

Getting enough protein is vital for actually restoring and rebuilding your body. 

Getting enough protein boosts the metabolism, encourages structure (i.e. bone, skin, hair, and nail health), and regulates hormones… just to name a few; so get enough protein! 

And by enough protein, I mean a lot of protein. This is one I struggle with the most by far! Being intentional with getting a solid amount of protein in each meal and snack will make a huge difference in your health, and also in your body composition.  

Fat

First of all, hear what I’m not saying.

I’m not saying that you should eat copious amounts of fat with every meal, and I’m not saying that all fats are equal.

What I am saying is that fat is vital to balancing blood sugar, nutrient absorption, and keeping your brain healthy; and that you should never be afraid to put butter on your toast!

Fat plays several very important rolls in your bedtime snack. Nutrient absorption is huge. If I’m going to pay extra for nutrient-rich foods, I’d better be able to get everything out of it! 

Also, fat really helps slow down the absorption of glucose into your blood stream, and thereby helps keep blood sugar stable! Keeping your blood sugar balanced is extremely important for balancing your hormones. 

Are bedtime snacks healthy?

They certainly can be. Especially for women, it’s important to keep our stress hormones low in order have healthy bodies! 

Stress hormones wreak havoc on our systems and cause unpleasant things like weight-gain, acne, poor sleep, poor immune system function, and so much more. 

Eating a healthy bedtime snack is a great way to make your body feel safe. 

Fewh! Now we’re all set to build a satisfying, nourishing bedtime snack. 

Here are a few of my favorites:

Chocolate Banana Shake

When I first made this, I had it every single night for weeks on end. It’s such a satisfying, rich, healthy snack! 

 Ingredients:

1 Ripe Banana     

1 Cup Raw Milk   

1 Scoop Collagen 

1 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder 

Optional: Pinch of salt

Find the full recipe for this healthy chocolate banana shake here.

Sweet Potato with Butter + Raw Cheddar

Now this one might sound a little odd at first, but let me tell you, nothing hits the spot at night like a warm sweet potato loaded with butter, and some cheese on the side for a savory bite! 

Ingredients:

1 Medium-sized Sweet Potato

1-2 Tbsp Grass-fed Butter

1-2 oz Grass-fed, Raw milk Cheddar 

Heat up sweet potato with butter, slice up some cheese, and enjoy!

Tips: When I cook sweet potatoes, I cook a big batch and store the leftover potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge. It makes for an easy, ready-to-enjoy snack! 

Sourdough Bagel with Cream Cheese with an Egg

I usually want to have something sweet at night, but every once in a while I crave something more savory. Try to find grass-fed cream cheese if you can! 

Pictured is a pumpkin sourdough bagel, which is perfect for the fall

Ingredients:

1 Sourdough Bagel, sliced and toasted

Cream Cheese

Optional: Add some uncured, nitrate-free salami for a real treat! 

Grass-fed Yogurt with Bee Pollen + Honey

This is what I call a balanced, nourishing snack: high quality protein, easy-to-digest carbs, with an extra punch of vitamins and minerals from the bee pollen. 

1 Cup Grass-fed Yogurt

1 Tbsp. Raw Honey

2 tsp. Bee Pollen

Note: Bee Pollen is rich in copper, antioxidants, B vitamins, protein, and so much more. 

Save it for later!

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What’s your favorite bedtime snack? Let me know your nourishing bedtime snack ideas in the comments!