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Many factors during residency are out of your control- one of those is night-float. Working during the night, the hormones in your gut get kind of wacky. In particular, ghrelin – a hormone that signals hunger- is not suppressed properly in response to your tummy being full. As a result, I constantly have the munchies during the night-shift.

To make matter worse, I had to work nights during the holiday season. There were holiday candies EVERYwhere. Thankfully, I discovered some healthy snacks that helped me get through the holidays without the stress of unmanageable weight-gain. Everyone is different and weight is more complicated than a “one-secret-strategy”, but strategies to consume calories intelligently can be helpful. In another words, eating nutrient dense foods can help curb calorie consumption. Below are 4 snacks that helped me keep the night-time munchies at-bay.

1. LesserEvil Super 4 Kale White Bean Bites

Three words – toss the Cheetos. These crunchy and delicious bite-sized snacks are made from white bean, chia, quinoa and lentil flours. The crunchy texture reminds you of corn snacks like Cheetos. The soluble fiber from the chia seeds and the resistant starch from the white-bean flour help to satisfy you and decrease the overall calorie content. The roasted garlic flavor is addicting. Thankfully, you can eat 45 of these little guys for a 110 calorie serving. Now that’s a night-float resident serving!

2. LesserEvil Chia Crisps

These are similar to popped chips, but are predominantly from black bean flour. Bean flour is great because of previously explained benefits. Keep in mind that some of the flavors are not vegan. My favorite flavor is feta and black olive. Opa!

 

3. Crunchy Chickpeas

The cheapest place to get these are from the Indian store, but of course the quality-control isn’t as good as foods manufactured in the US. The brand I have been eating is Saffron Road, and they have some fun flavors. My favorite has been Chilli lime. You can also make these in the oven. The good bean is another brand that I like.

4. Coconut Crisps

Literally coconut shavings flavored with sea-salt and vinegar. They are chewy so you take your time eating these. I was first introduced to them at the people’s co-op of San Diego.

Enjoy!

-DS