What You Need to Know about Midnight Snacking #24Hours

Last Updated on February 16, 2020 by Diane Hoffmaster

This midnight snacking post is brought to you from McDonald's but all opinions expressed are my own.

I live in a very early to bed and early to rise sortof house.  In fact, we get up disgustingly early even on the weekends. I remember the days of sleeping until noon when I was fresh out of college but since then, once the sun comes up I am out of bed.  I realize that my family is a bit odd like this.  My teenagers will often ASK to go to bed...usually around 9 PM if we have cut off the mind numbing effects of teenage television.  They, too, are up with the sun.  People keep telling me that one day their teenage hormones will insist that they not get up until after lunch but I have yet to see it.  I know that there is a large population of people who think we are insane for getting up this early without needing to. Midnight snacking is not something I have ever actually done, seeing as I am usually comatose and drooling on my pillow at midnight.

There are many people who's normal daily schedule takes them from noon to midnight or beyond, whether it is due to an odd work schedule or just their own slightly out of whack internal clock. I have always wondered what those night owls do in terms of meals when their schedule is sortof messed up. Do they wake up and eat lunch?  Do they eat dinner at 10 PM?  Is their after dinner snack at 3 AM?  What is the appropriate food to be eating at 1 AM when the munchies hit and you are on your way to pick up your dry cleaning from the all night laundry place?  If you are one of those midnight snacking kind of people, here are a few things to munch on when you are eating in the wee hours of the morning!

Base Photo Provided by MorgueFile

Midnight Snacking 101

1.  Fruit:  High in fiber and loaded with antioxidants, fruit is a great after midnight snacking suggestions.  Keep a bowl of fruit salad in the fridge for midnight snacking on the computer and if you are heading by a McDonald's at 1 AM you can try their Fruit n’ Yogurt Parfait.

2.  Nuts:  Lightly salted nuts will satisfy your craving for salt but also help you load up on protein to keep you full for a while.

3.  Whole grains:  Brown rice cakes with peanut butter, popcorn with Parmesan cheese or an Eggwhite Delight McMuffin are all a good balance of protein and whole grains that make great midnight snacking ideas. The McDonald's oatmeal with dried fruit is another great midnight snacking suggestion loaded with fiber and whole grains.

4. Milk:  Easy to pour, low fat milk is a good way to fill up without leaving yourself sluggish.

5. Veggies:  I know you don't really want to reach for the broccoli when you are in the mood for midnight snacking but they are loaded with water, vitamins and nutrients which will leave you feeling much more refreshed when you finally wake up again at noon.

The McDonald's After Midnight Menu  has been designed for those people who are awake between midnight and 4 a.m. It s a late-night menu option available in all 24-hour restaurants.  The menu includes a variety of breakfast and lunch/dinner favorites that you can get with either fries or hash browns and your choice of beverage.  What can you order from the after midnight menu?

• Egg McMuffin
• Big Mac
• Fruit n’ Maple Oatmeal
• Egg White Delight McMuffin
• McChicken
• New Quarter Pounder burger flavors:  Bacon Habanero Ranch, Bacon & Cheese, and Deluxe 

Of course, many of the midnight snacking folks aren't awake happily at that hour and are in serous need of coffee to make it to their early morning bedtime.  The After Midnight Menu also includes all McCafe hot and cold beverages to help keep you awake, even if you don't want to be.   Their Premium Roast Coffee is a great complement to any late night meal, it is also customized for each order, ensuring you receive the freshest coffee possible.

Is midnight snacking something that calls to you or are you up with the chickens?

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Diane Hoffmaster

Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy.  She has two college aged kids, one husband and more pets than she will admit to. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire  but left her career in science to become a stay at home mom. Years of playing with LEGO and coloring with crayons had her craving a more grown up purpose to her life and she began blogging and freelance writing full time.  You can learn more about her HERE.