Healthy Meals for Late at Night

Late-night munchies can wreak havoc on your diet. During the nighttime your body does not expend much energy and eating unnecessary calories can therefore trigger weight gain. Many diets suggest you stop eating after 8 p.m. to avoid this excess weight. Boredom, fatigue and everyday stress make late-night eating hard to resist and often unhealthy foods, such as hamburgers, french fries, chocolate, cookies, potato chips, and ice cream are the preferred fare. Replace these unhealthy foods with healthier options, to avoid sabotaging your diet.

Salads

If you want to eat late at night, make yourself a salad. Salads are easy on your digestive system and don't contain a lot of calories, so your diet stays intact. Select some mixed greens and add some chicken for protein. Protein helps fill you up, so you are less likely to overeat. Avoid heavy dressings which have many calories; stick to light and low-fat dressings. Instead of dousing your veggies with the dressing, have it on the side, so you can better control the amount you consume.

Cereals

A bowl of cereal is an easy go-to meal during the late-night hours. Avoid cereals that are high in sugar, because these spike your blood sugar and leave you feeling hungry again fast. Consume a cereal that is high in fiber and protein and low in sugar and fat. Look for whole-grain varieties. Whole-grains are complex carbohydrates and digest slowly, so you feel full for a long period. Eat your cereal with low-fat or nonfat milk to keep the total calories low.

Soups

Soup is an ideal late-night meal because it is easy to make and has a warming, soothing and filling affect. Many varieties are low in calories per serving and have added fiber. Eat water-based soups, such as vegetable and chicken soup, instead of creamy soups that are higher in calories. Check the sodium content per serving, if you opt for a tomato-based soup, because these tend to be rather high. If you crave a thick, creamy soup, drink two glasses of water beforehand, so you consume less soup.

Sandwiches

A healthy sandwich late at night can be a satisfying late-night snack. Instead of using white bread, use whole-wheat bread because complex carbohydrates fill you up, digest slowly and don't spike your blood sugar. Place a slice of low-fat cheese on the sandwich or opt for a lean meat, such as turkey. To make your sandwich even more filling, add vegetables, such as lettuce and cucumber to it. If you crave something sweet after eating your sandwich, eat fruit, such as strawberries or an apple. The natural sugars will satisfy your sweet tooth.

Foods You Can Eat on the Master Cleanse Diet

The Master Cleanse is a 16-day diet consisting of three phases. In the first three-day phase, you cut out all processed foods; in the next 10-day phase, you consume liquids only; and in the final three-day phase, you add back in healthy foods. The diet claims to promote fast weight loss and detoxification, but there's no evidence that it does this any better than simply eating a diet of nutritious whole foods. A healthier way to do the Master Cleanse is to consume the lemonade drink in combination with a variety of nutritious foods.

Phase One

There's no doubt that cutting processed foods out of your diet will help you lose weight and improve your health. Processed foods are often high in sugar, sodium, unhealthy saturated and trans fats and refined carbohydrates, which can increase your risk for various health problems, including obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

The Master Cleanse also suggests cutting out meat and dairy during this phase. If you choose to do that, make sure you consume other sources of protein and calcium, including dark, leafy greens and legumes. In this phase, focus on eating a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables -- the diet recommends a 40:60 ratio of fruits to vegetables. You can also juice and blend your fruits and veggies or make nutritious soups.

Phase Two

The cleanse begins in the second phase, when you add in the lemonade drink made with water, fresh lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. The diet prescribes six to 12 glasses of this drink and no solid food for 10 days, but this doesn't align with widely accepted guidelines for promoting sustainable weight loss or overall health. Instead, drink a glass of the lemonade drink before you eat a balanced, low-calorie, nutrient-dense meal.

Filling your belly with a glass of water before a meal may help increase satiety and reduce calorie intake at that meal. Then, enjoy your meal made with fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains and lean protein. You can also drink a glass of the lemonade between meals if you feel hungry, but be sure to limit your calorie intake each day if you're trying to lose weight. A registered dietitian can give you a daily calorie goal for weight loss.

Phase Three

The last phase of the Master Cleanse adds solid foods back into the diet, but since you've already been eating nutritious solid foods, all you do in this phase is continue your healthy eating habits and stop drinking the lemonade mixture. The lemonade mixture is not a beverage that you should drink for the long term because it contains added sugar from the maple syrup. Replace the lemonade drinks with plenty of pure water. You can continue the habit of drinking a full glass of water before meals, if you find that it helped you eat less. Drink water whenever you feel hungry throughout the day, as thirst is sometimes mistaken for hunger.

Second Phase Sample Menu

During the second phase of the Master Cleanse, you'll combine a nutritious, calorie-conscious diet with the lemonade drinks. Drink a glass of the lemonade first thing in the morning when you wake up, before you eat breakfast. Then, whip up a low-calorie, high-protein omelet with a few egg whites and some fresh spinach and tomatoes. At midmorning, have another glass of the lemonade drink and a piece of fruit or cut-up veggies if you feel hungry. Combine your lunchtime lemonade with a salad with dark, leafy greens, fresh veggies, beans or canned light tuna in water and a low-calorie dressing made with a little olive oil, vinegar and dried herbs. Have another glass of the lemonade and a snack of fresh fruits or veggies midafternoon. Before dinner, drink a glass of lemonade, then eat a filet of fish with some brown rice and steamed broccoli. Have a final glass of the lemonade an hour or two before bedtime.

How to Increase Metabolism With a Vegetarian Diet

Metabolism is the key to weight control. And exercise and diet are essential to maintaining and increasing your metabolism. If you gain weight even though you consume less calories than your co-worker, it's most likely because you have a low Basal Metabolism, which is the rate your body burns calories to maintain normal bodily function. Metabolism rates depend on genetics, physical make-up and diet. To improve your metabolism to burn more calories, you must find the right balance of diet and exercise. An appropriate vegetarian diet consists of proteins, fruits, vegetables and some whole grains, eaten in smaller portions. Exercise should consist of muscle-building work-outs.

Eat more, smaller portioned, well balanced meals. Don't eat 3 large meals in one day; rather eat at least 5 or 6 times. Eating the right foods regularly keeps your body working, continually breaking down food, digesting and metabolizing. Though eating often appears to be the cause of weight gain, this actually works when paired with the right diet. Eating less actually slows your metabolism.

Consume foods that require more work to digest in order to boost metabolism. This is known as the high thermic effect. Proteins typically have a higher thermic effect than other foods. But you're trying to do this without meat, which is the most protein-rich food group. Fats have about a 3% thermic effect. Proteins have 30% thermic effect. Fibrous vegetables have a 20% thermic effect. So vegetables are not that far off from meats. Plus many vegetables are high in protein (see Resources below for a chart of high-protein vegetables).

Experiment with soy products for protein, such as tofu, a great alternative to meat. Tofu comes in many textures and flavors. Other protein-rich foods include legumes--beans, lentils, chickpeas, bean sprouts, and peas--as well as whole grains. Nuts are also rich in protein, but are full of fats as well.

Exercise. You increase your basal metabolism by increasing muscle, which burns more calories than fat. The key to losing weight is burning more calories than you consume. But the key to increasing your metabolism is increasing your muscle. Along with your regular exercises, aerobics, yoga or jogging, add muscle-building workouts such as push-ups or weightlifting. Building up body muscle will help increase basal metabolism, which means you will burn more calories a day just by being awake.