Last week, I wrote about eating the right foods to try to stave off any bugs that might get us this winter.

I also mentioned that at this time of year, we have a tendency to crave high carb comfort, and that this can be ruinous for our waistline.

Judging by the number of readers who have talked to me on the subject since, this is an issue for lots of you.

One woman told me the worst aspect of the dark evenings is that she can’t stop snacking.

She isn’t alone. Loads of folk munch their way through nights in front of the TV, in a bid to cheer themselves up.    

The thing is that snacking is quite a modern phenomenon, isn’t it? Think back to when we were children, did people regularly chomp through crisps, chocolates and other sweets after their evening meal?

No. I remember that the only concession to hunger pangs was a cup of cocoa at bedtime and maybe, if we were lucky, a biscuit too.

How habits have changed. And how our bodies have too.

At the end of the 1950s, the average man weighed 65kg and the average woman 55kg.

Now, the figures are 83.6kg for males and 70.2kg for females. Shall we just let that sink in?

To come back to our seasonal behaviour, what might stop us snacking?

Well, if you’re snuggled up on the sofa with someone you love, and you exchange some cuddles and kisses, the chances are that you’re not snacking.

Perhaps more passion and less indulgence in food could be a way forward!

I know this doesn’t help people living alone. But all of us could look for activities we can do while watching television which will keep our hands busy so that they’re less likely to wander into a bag of crisps or toffees.

Knitting. Sewing. Tapestry … there are plenty of options.  

Next, do remember that often when we think we’re peckish, we’re actually thirsty, so try drinking a long glass of water before you dive into the chocolate box.

Sweet tastes are extremely seductive, especially on dark evenings, which is probably why every supermarket I’ve been into recently now has packs of mini sugar doughnuts near the checkouts.

I’ve noticed quite a lot of shoppers succumbing to those.

To be fair, if we were just to have one mini doughnut in the evening, that’s only around 55 calories, which could be classed as a fairly harmless treat. But will we stop at one?

Alternatively, we could eat a juicy satsuma. This not only has slightly fewer calories than a mini doughnut but is better for us as it contains loads of vitamin C and fibre, and also calcium, and the B vitamins, thiamine and folate.  

Many people in the winter love a medium to large glass of full-bodied red wine. Who can blame them?

And if you make one glass last and stick to just 175 ml, you’ll only be imbibing around 140 calories. However, you will double that if you accompany it with a small bag of crisps.

And if you do it every night, you’ll consume an extra 2,000 calories a week.

The trouble is that it is oh so easy to snack without thinking of the consequences. So here are some ideas that might help.

Swap crisps for savoury nuts. A handful or so will be about the same calories as crisps but will deliver good protein and provide energy and good fats.

A glass of warm milk before bed is cheering.  But how about trying almond or oat milk for a change? These are lower in calories than dairy milk and, being plant based, contain no cholesterol or saturated fat at all.

A clear soup or a vegetable cube turned into a drink with hot water can be very heartening on a cold night and is really low in calories. So too is a banana at around 90 calories.

Greek yoghurt is another satisfying but healthy snack because it contains almost double the amount of protein than normal yoghurt and a small bowl (100 grammes) will provide just 100 calories.

Often people think they are having a healthy treat if they tuck into some carrot and celery sticks - and they are, because these contain practically no calories at all.

But we tend to dip them in something, and that’s where we need to be careful as some dips are seriously calorific while others are quite modest.

A tub of taramasalata, for example, can contain a whopping 1,000 calories.

So, shall we make the effort this year to be more sensible in our snacking habits?

Probably the best tip of all that can help us achieve that goal is to ensure that our reading glasses are up to the job of deciphering tiny print on food labels.

A bit of research on what is in our snacks could make our choices less damaging. How about giving it a go?