Hungry After Midnight?: Healthier Late-Night Options in Harvard Square

We’ve all been there – even after three nutritious meals during the day, our stomachs start growling again at the idea of a 1 a.m. burrito. We’ve also all woken up the next morning with stomachaches that make us regret what we ate. In addition to straining your wallet, these late-night treats can essentially undo a whole day of healthy eating. While it is recommended to always eat before going out, doing so is not always possible. However, there’s something you should know before you indulge: There is no way for your body to store alcohol the way it does fat, carbohydrates, or protein. Instead, calories from alcohol must be used immediately. Your body therefore stops burning fat until the alcohol is processed, which is about an hour for every drink you have. This means that if you have nachos while your body is still metabolizing alcohol, the fat from all of that cheese and sour cream will stay in your body rather than being metabolized.

Ideally you shouldn’t eat late at night, especially right before you go to bed. And ideally, if you do, it should be an apple you snagged from the dining hall or a granola bar you brought along with you. Unfortunately, this isn’t necessarily realistic. Below you will find at least two options from each of your favorite late-night spots for when you just can’t say no. These aren’t the single healthiest things at these locations, but rather items that will satisfy your cravings without doing too much damage to your diet.

CVS
Okay, so maybe CVS isn’t on the top of your list of places to go late at night, but it should be. The drugstore is open 24 hours and provides a wide variety of snacks. However, some of them might require a trip back to your room to prepare.

Option 1: Campbell’s Soup at Hand
You have to head back to your dorm to microwave it, but the delicious soup will warm you up. It’s inexpensive and packs only 80 calories. It also has only two grams of fat, which is good if your body can’t metabolize fat yet. It does have a lot of sodium though, so limit yourself to just one.

Option 2: Light Popcorn
Popcorn will satisfy your craving for something crunchy, but it is very low in fat and calories because it is light and airy instead of dense like chips are. Just make sure you get a brand that doesn’t have too much butter!

Pinocchio’s
I can’t honestly call anything I’ve had from Noch’s “healthy,” but here’s my advice for what to order when you inevitably get dragged there and just can’t resist.

Option 1: Regular pizza instead of Sicilian
As delicious as the Sicilian pizza is, that huge crust adds a lot of extra calories and fat. Unless you absolutely need that huge piece of pizza, opting for a thinner slice will probably still satisfy you but will be slightly healthier. Pizza’s high fat content makes it a bad choice if you’ve been drinking, but you can at least minimize the damage.

Option 2: Pizza with lots of veggies

If you do want the Sicilian, order it with some veggies on top so that you’re at least acquiring a few nutrients. Blot the pizza with napkins to soak up some of the grease.

Au Bon Pain
You go to ABP for meals sometimes and order healthy dishes, so why not do the same late at night? These options will help you avoid carbs and fat if your body can’t metabolize it yet.

Option 1: Fresh Fruit
ABP has a large selection of delicious, if a bit overpriced, fresh fruit. Choose from fruit salads, apples, pineapples, and a number of other options. Not only is fruit fat free, but it won’t leave you with a bellyache in the morning. This is a great option for when you don’t mind splurging a bit.

Option 2: Chickpea and Tomato Cucumber Salad
This salad includes greens, lemon-dressed chickpeas, tomato, cucumber, red onion, carrots, olives, and feta cheese. It has enough flavors to make it an exciting dish, but only 230 calories. It has 12 grams of fat, but the portion is large and you can avoid most of this fat by asking for it without the feta cheese.

Boloco
Boloco has recently been promoting itself as a late-night option, and they definitely have some healthier choices on the menu.

Option 1: Regular Mango Passion Smoothie with Fat Burner
The regular size of this smoothie made with only mango juice, mango and nonfat frozen yogurt. Add a fat burner shot to offset the metabolism-slowing effects of alcohol.

Option 2: Burrito Bowl
You can get a burrito bowl as long as you don’t add cheese, sour cream, or meat to it so as to cut down on the fat.

Sources:
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/liquid-sugar-intake

http://www.campbellwellness.com/product-list.asp?brandCatID=814&brandID=1&productID=11669&catID=301

http://www.aubonpain.com/menu/food.aspx?s=cafe_salads&f=409

http://boloco.com/food/nutrition-calculator/