Protein powder has gone from “bodybuilder’s only” to a staple in many Americans’ pantries. You can even find it taking up a whole row in the average grocery store.

Nowadays it seems like everyone and their grandmother is using it, but is that wise? Is protein powder good for your health? And if so, how should it even be used? Is there a certain kind that’s best, a perfect time of day, an ideal amount?

Not gonna lie, protein powder confused me for the longest time. I actually avoided jumping on the bandwagon for a while simply because it can be so expensive. Now I have a couple protein powders that I LOVE (I’ll get to that) and use pretty frequently. I will say, it took me a long time to find even one I trusted.

“I knew it was sugary, but 16 GRAMS OF SUGAR? In one serving??? I couldn’t believe it.”

The more I’ve learned about nutrition, the more appalled I’ve become with the food industry. Nowadays, people are much more health conscious than they used to be. Because of that, you’d think there’d be fewer harmful ingredients in processed foods, or even less processed foods overall.

But just walk into a grocery store and you’ll see that’s not the case. There are tons of processed foods out there. And despite researchers, doctors, and registered dietitians telling us to eat more whole, natural foods, we tend to keep buying these man-made products.

Why? Well that’s an easy one.

“Why does my body do this every night?? I’m a curious person, so I needed to figure this out.”

The other night I was sitting on the couch and it hit me: an intense urge to eat something sweet before going to bed.

I’m no stranger to this feeling. Every single night, despite my best intentions, I have a strong craving for a dessert after dinner. Sometimes I’m also hit by the desperate need for something salty.

On this particular night, I turned to my boyfriend and said, “I want to eat something so badly but I’m not at all hungry. WHY?! What is happening? Why does my body do this every night??”

I’m a curious person, so I needed to figure this out. And figure out if there’s actually a good way to stop. Because eating when you’re hungry is one thing, but eating sugary, greasy foods when you’re not hungry is just plain not good for you.

Why are so many of us plagued by late night snacking?