When the hours are late and the brain is fried from cramming or sloshing with alcohol, food and nutrition common sense is thrown out the window.

However, eating food past normal mealtimes does not have to connote weight gain. Balancing a healthy diet that includes the occasional Del Taco is possible when coupled with an awareness of sensible nutrition concepts.

"It's a problem that has to be viewed in the context of total calorie intake," said Scott Going, a University of Arizona associate professor of nutritional sciences. "It doesn't matter when or how often you eat as long as the amount of calories consumed is balanced with the amount expended."

Another justification for eating late is the myth that eating after drinking helps decrease the level of intoxication, as well as mollify the next morning's hangover.

"Food consumed before drinking blocks the effects of alcohol to some degree, but there is no effect for food consumed after," Going said.

Campus Health dietitian Gale Begeman, R.D., offered tips on choosing post-party junk food wisely. The basic idea is to avoid fats, the highest caloric food, which is also the most easily transferred by the body to storage areas (butt, thighs, stomach).

When eating out, Begeman recommends grilled food, like a sandwich, in lieu of fried food and heavy dressings. When eating Mexican food, choose chicken or beans instead of beef, and go easy on cheese and sour cream. Practice portion control with pizza, and either blot cheese grease with a napkin or pull part of the glob off.

"Eat slow. Stop when full. Think about it - that's the hard part," Begeman advised.

But between the fifth margarita and a quesadilla, her proposal can become daunting.