Hunger cravings during pregnancy are something that all the expecting mothers are familiar with! Mommies usually consider late night hunger to be something unusual, but that is not the case. During pregnancy your body is going through a lot of hormonal changes and the odd-hour eatings can often lead to nausea.

How To Manage Night Hunger During Pregnancy?

• You can avoid night time hunger by drinking lots of water during the day and eating smaller meals at frequent intervals instead of large meals.
• Ensure that you stay hydrated by drinking enough water.
• Especially during the night, if you are feeling very hungry, it is advisable that you opt for light snacks with a lot of fiber and protein, instead of carbohydrate rich ones.
• Stock your refrigerator with fruits and veggies like carrots and cucumber to munch on every time you feel hungry during the night.
• If your night cravings have become a routine, then have some easy to make light snacks by your bedside for a restful night.

Here are some quick bite healthy snack ideas that are not only easy to make, but will also do the trick of satisfying your hunger.

#1. Crunch Midnight Munchies

A bowl of soy chips, buttered popcorn or some baked tortilla chips with cheese and salsa dip will be the perfect choice if you crave for something crunchy at night. You can also munch over some nuts, dry fruits and trail mix giving you the right amount of iron boost in small bites. Roasted masala papad with cucumber, corn, and tomatoes is another easy to make quick and healthy snack for your hunger pangs.

Roasted masala papad recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 large papads
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 medium tomato finely chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tsp lime or lemon juice or add as required
• 1 cup fine sev bhujia
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• Salt
• Ghee for shallow frying papads

Method:

• Take the papad and heat oil on a flat tawa and shallow fry like a paratha
• Place the fried papad on a paper towel.
• Add finely chopped onion and tomato
• Sprinkle chilli powder, salt, lemon juice, chopped coriander leaves on top of papad
• Add bhujia sev and serve

#2. Healthy Protein and Fiber

If you feel you couldn’t manage to eat the right balance of fiber during the day, have some fresh fruits, sprouts or corn chaat. A whole wheat sandwich, toast or roasted chana can also be a good choice to complete the dose of a high valued meal.

Recipe for corn chaat

Ingredients

• 2 cups boiled sweet corn
• 1 tsp butter
• ¼ tsp kashmiri red chilli powder / lal mirch powder
• ¼ tsp cumin powder / jeera powder
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ¾ tsp chaat masala
• ¼ tsp salt

Method:

• To fresh boiled corn, add in 1 tsp butter
• Add chilli powder, cumin powder, tsp chaat masala, salt and lemon juice.
• Toss well so that everything is mixed well and serve.

Also Read: What could bleeding mean in pregnancy? Should I visit to the doctor?

#3. Smoothies

You can quickly have a bowl of low-fat yogurt fruit smoothie or fresh fruit juice. Also, yogurt with cereal will be a complete meal in itself that is full of calcium and protein benefits. Soups or kesar milk can also satisfy your midnight cravings if you feel like drinking something hot.

Recipe for banana smoothie:

Ingredients

• 2 -3 seedless dates
• 2 -3 badams
• 2 -3 cashew
• 2 -3 pistachios
• 1 ripened banana
• A spoon of honey
• 1 cup milk

Method:

• Grind all dry fruits together
• Add banana and grind it with the dry fruits.
• Next add the honey and milk and blend smooth and serve.

Also Read: Is It Safe To Get Waxed During Pregnancy?

Midnight cravings are usually prominent during the first three months or if you have improper meals during the day. Since the baby is growing with you, your body demands supply of the right amount of wholesome nutrition. If you are hungry then it is a sign that your baby is hungry too. These quick snacks at night can also help you to avoid morning sickness and waking up feeling tired.

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