Foods that help you sleep

We all know that staying active (aka exercising) and eating right are major components in maintaining good health. Getting enough restful sleep is just about as important, too. Here's an interesting piece from an excellent food blog called The Daily Meal (http://www.thedailymeal.com/). According to the article "9 Foods to Help You Sleep," the brain needs two things to produce enough serotonin to send you happily to la-la land. They are the amino acid tryptophan, and some sort of carbohydrates. The nutritionist writing the article suggests that a snack that consists of some of these foods about an hour before bed is great for getting your shut-eye.

1. Oatmeal with Milk or Walnuts

A good snack to have before bedtime because it combines carbohydrates with protein.

2. Yogurt

A great food because it’s about half carbohydrates and half protein.

3. Hummus

Eat this with some pita for a perfect mix of both protein (from the chickpeas) and carbohydrates.

4. Warm Milk

Has tryptophan, and there's also the soothing aspect of sipping a warm beverage.

5. Bananas

Contain tryptophan, melatonin, seratonin, and magnesium, which can act as a muscle relaxant. Try them with some peanut butter and toast.

6. Turkey

While it’s a well-known source of tryptophan, almost any type of poultry has similar amounts of it. Try eating half a turkey or chicken sandwich.

7. Potatoes

Contain both tryptophan and carbohydrates, so eating a few as a small snack before bed could help you sleep.

8. Almonds

Have both tryptophan and magnesium, so you could also try adding these to your oatmeal.

9. Tart Cherries

Contain melatonin, which helps regulate sleep. These are the sour ones used in pies, not so much the sweet Bing cherries that you can eat plain.

Read more: http://www.thedailymeal.com/foods-help-you-sleep-0#ixzz1JEOtJxHL

Amazing almonds

Healthy foodies should have a handful of nuts every day, without exception. They are filling, loaded with "good" mononunsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and taste great, too.

An Australian food blogger posted some useful info this week about why almonds might be the best nut of them all. Here are excerpts from her site, www.foodwatch.com.au.

What's so special about almonds?

• Almonds are rich in monounsaturated fats which are good fats to have in your diet. Almonds boast an impressive 66 per cent of their total fat as monounsaturated fat (pretty high - remember olive oil comes in at 75) along with 23 per cent polyunsaturated and only 7 per cent saturated.
• They load you up with antioxidant vitamin E and an amino acid called arginine, both of which work to keep blood vessels clear of fatty plaques that could otherwise cause blockages. All good news for your heart.
• Almonds are also a surprisingly good source of calcium. A handful has 70mg calcium, as much as in 1/3 cup of ricotta cheese.
• They’re packed with other essential nutrients including B vitamins, minerals (think magnesium, zinc and potassium) and protein.

How to best enjoy almonds: Eat them whole because the skin is an excellent source of antioxidants known as flavonoids (like those found in tea) and fibre. They’re high in fat – about half their weight is fat, like most nuts.So it's best to make your own portion control packages. That ensures you won’t bolt down industrial-strength quantities in one sitting. On the plus side, they have virtually no carbohydrate and are high in fiber. Studies have shown that dieters tend to lose weight – not put it on – by snacking on almonds between meals.