How to Eat for Better Sleep

When you’re tossing and turning at night, dreaming about the possibility of real sleep, probably the last thing to cross your mind is what you could eat to help bring deep slumber that much closer. However, studies continually suggest that not only does a regularly healthy diet help promote better biochemical balance – hence, better rest and relaxation, but certain foods are even responsible for helping beat insomnia.

Nourish your regenerative time with the following tasty suggestions and catch up on your valuable Zzz’s.

1. Sleepy-time Snacks

While eating close to bedtime is not optimal, if you’re hungry in the evening, a small snack can be calming. For restful sleep, the best snacks contain both carbohydrate and the amino acid tryptophan, a natural sleep inducer. According to the Sleep Disorders Center at the Cleveland Clinic, foods rich in tryptophan include: dairy products, soy milk, legumes – such as chickpeas and lentils, and nuts and seeds. Because carbohydrates make tryptophan more available to the brain, this explains why carbs can make you drowsy. Natural peanut butter with whole grain crackers, low-fat cheese with apple slices, or a small bowl of whole grain cereal with soy milk are some examples to utilize these options.

2. Caffeine-free Afternoons

Caffeine is a mild stimulant that increases central nervous system activity for hours, so avoiding all sources of caffeine six to eight hours before bed is recommended. This can make a world of difference if you constantly battle insomnia.

While coffee is loaded with 100- 150 milligrams of caffeine, chocolate (12 – 25 mg) and energy drinks (60 – 140 mg) are other sugary, caffeinated substances to also avoid.

Instead, relax and indulge in caffeine-free herbal teas, warm almond milk with raw honey and cinnamon, or your favorite fruit juice with club soda to inspire refreshment but stimulate better sleep.

3. Hormone Producers

Melatonin is the hormone secreted by the body that regulates sleep patterns, therefore if you’re having an difficult time getting rest, there are natural ways to obtain more of this hormone. Researchers have reported that tart cherries, grapes, and walnuts are rich food sources of melatonin.

If that still doesn’t do the trick, consult with your Naturopathic physician about possibly consuming a natural melatonin supplement that best suits you.

4. Mellowing Minerals

According to studies, even a marginal magnesium deficiency can excite the brain, preventing relaxation at night. Good sources of anxiety fighting magnesium include: leafy green vegetables, wheat germ, oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, black beans, and almonds.

By adopting a healthier, un-processed diet, it is estimated you will naturally experience better sleep. However there are plenty of fresh, delicious foods you can also include that will help boost your health while assisting you in obtaining nourishing rest.

By: Amanda Froelich, True Activist, Guest

Sources:

Diet, Exercise, and Sleep

Sleep Disorders Center, Cleveland Clinic

Magnesium, Insomnia

Source: trueactivist

Avoid these 10 things to help prevent breast cancer

Top 10 causes of breast cancer revealed

1. Hormones in meats and milk: Most cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, and farm-raised fish are given artificial hormones to make them either bigger, meatier, or produce unnatural amounts of milk or eggs at an unnatural frequency. (HTTP://WWW.PUREFOOD.ORG/RBGH/RACH598.HTML) This causes infections, depression, cancer, and other diseases in the very animals you are putting in your mouth regularly. Get your protein from Superfoods like spirulina and chlorella and reverse the damage.

Image: rawforbeauty.com

2. Mammograms, dental x-rays and airport TSA screening machines: Did the x-ray technician forget to tell you to pull that deflector flap over your chest before running out of the room to escape the deadly cancer rays? Why are you getting an exam that CAUSES cancer in order to check for cancer anyway? Did the dentist and dental hygienist reassure you their new digital x-ray is so safe that you can get them every other visit, just before they dove out of the room to escape the cancer breeding rays? Do you dare walk through that unregulated, unmeasured amount of cancer causing x-rays at the airport, or have you even been told you can opt out and get a harmless pat-down? (HTTP://WWW.NATURALNEWS.COM/027641_MAMMOGRAMS_BREAST_CANCER.HTML)

3. Aluminum in antiperspirants and deodorants: Did you know that most breast cancer tumors originate in the upper quadrant of the breast closest to the armpit, where you apply that aluminum and all those “smell-fresh” chemicals that block in sweat and poisons your body is trying to eliminate? Look for aluminum-free, organic deodorant. Stop using antiperspirants and reverse the damage. (HTTP://WWW.GLOBALHEALINGCENTER.COM)

4. Toxic makeup/cosmetics: The skin is the largest organ. You are most likely applying petroleum and coal tar right on top of your largest organ, which absorbs it all and sends it rushing through your bloodstream, infecting other organs that are trying so hard to filter out toxins from food and water. Your dermatologist also lives in a three story house and owns a few sports cars and won’t be telling you much about parabens and phthalates. Start buying organic cosmetics and reverse the damage you’ve done. (HTTP://WWW.ORGANICAUTHORITY.COM)

5. GMO Soy and Corn: Most soy in America is genetically modified (GMO), processed, and causes extreme health detriment. Do you drink soy milk? Switch to almond or rice milk right away. Why? Soybeans contain haemagglutinin, a clot promoting substance that causes red blood cells to clump together. Plus, soy consumption increases estrogen. Add that to the artificial hormones from meat and rBGH milk and you can stop wondering how breast tumors originate. Remove soy and corn-based processed foods from your diet and reverse the damage.

6. Artificial sweeteners: Aspartame would have never been legal if Ronald Reagan didn’t fire the head of the FDA and put Donald Rumsfeld’s right hand man in place to approve it. The pharmaceutical industry has made a fortune off this cancer causing fake sugar criminal. Nearly every chewing gum, breath mint, liquid medicine, and diet food contain either Aspartame, Sucralose, or Sorbitol, which are all artificial and breed cancer cells. The Splenda, NutraSweet and Equal “craze” is just the front end of chemotherapy treatment. Use sugar in the raw and exercise, and you can reverse the damage. (HTTP://TOPDOCUMENTARYFILMS.COM/SWEET-MISERY-A-POISONED-WORLD/)

7. Fluoridated water: No, it’s not the naturally occurring mineral in nature that’s running through your pipes. No, it doesn’t prevent tooth decay, it promotes it. No, it doesn’t clean the water, it pollutes it with a toxic chemical that leaches minerals from your body and breaks down the immune system. Fluoridated water fuels breast cancer. Drink spring water and reverse the damage. (HTTP://WWW.BREASTCANCERCHOICES.ORG/WATER.HTML)

8. Pharmaceuticals: Big pharma wants you sick and dying so you can’t collect social security or use Medicare or Medicaid. Visit your Naturopathic doctor and get some advice on nutrition as prevention and the cure for breast cancer. (HTTP://WWW.NATUROPATHIC.ORG/)

9. Food coloring agents and preservatives: Nearly every artificial food coloring and dye is a chemical cooked up in a laboratory. Food preservatives like sodium benzoate, BHT and BHA strangulate your cells and breed cancer cells. Use colorful organic fruits and vegetables to brighten up your plate and make it beautiful. (HTTP://WWW.NATURALNEWS.COM/033726_SODIUM_BENZOATE_CANCER.HTML)

10. Soaps, shampoos, toothpaste and lotions (including sun tan and sun block): Again, what you apply to your skin, scalp, teeth and gums does penetrate and enter your blood stream. Perfumes, dyes, artificial sweeteners, animal by-products, and just about any ingredient you cannot pronounce is probably a chemical that causes cancer. (HTTP://WWW.SKINNYSKINNY.COM/ABOUT-EZP-1.HTML)
Learn more:

Source: NATURALNEWS.COM & rawforbeauty.com

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