Occasionally, it’s fun to have a midnight snack. But instead of reaching for cookies, what are the best foods to eat late at night, according to nutritionists?

Top of the list – walnuts. Lots of nutrients, and they’re loaded with melatonin so they might help you go back to sleep.

Chocolate-covered nuts are good too – but go for dark chocolate, but not too much as there’s caffeine in dark chocolate.

A banana might also help you sleep has potassium is a natural muscle relaxant, and there’s tryptophan too.

Greek yogurt with berries and almonds is another good choice as it keeps blood sugar balanced, with protein, carbs, and fat.

Finally, peanut butter, but on a rice cake. And it should be natural peanut butter too – the others are loaded with extra sugar which may keep you up.

Image Credit: AndreyPopov / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Now that’s it’s getting colder, and the days are growing shorter, you might start to feel more anxious or sad – and you’re not alone – you may have Seasonal Affective Disorder.

And there are some ways to make it a lot easier.

First, make sure you keep routines – even just going to bed and waking up at the same day each day will make a difference in how you feel.

Make sure you get light exposure – at least 30 minutes of natural light, or from a light device – and do it earlier in the day for best effects.

Keep up with activities that make you feel better – regular exercise, socializing, and eating a proper diet.

If you’ve taken those preventive steps but it doesn’t help, don’t be afraid to reach out to your doctor – they can check you out, and even recommend additional resources.

Image Credit: Gargonia / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Like it or not, pumpkin season is here – and if you don’t like it, you might want to start trying it, because pumpkin is incredibly healthy for you.

It’s good for eyesight, since pumpkins are loaded with vitamin A. And vitamin C as well, which helps boost your immune system.

You’ll find plenty of potassium too – which helps keep you limber as you’re less likely to cramp your muscles, and it can help maintain blood pressure.

And, before the cold weather gets here and starts to turn your skin raw, pumpkins can help with antioxidants that slow down the aging process.

Finally, it can help you lose weight. If you don’t just eat pumpkin in pie, you’ll get plenty of fiber that fills you up, and as they’re mostly water, they’re low in calories too.

You might not get all these benefits in a pumpkin spice latte, but there’s plenty of other pumpkin items out there!

Image Credit: Lilechka75 / iStock / Getty Images Plus