If you have been struggling with your quality of sleep, you may need to look at what you eat in the evening. This includes what foods are included in your dinner or dessert. Some foods wake you up, but others help to relax you and get you ready for a restful evening.
1. Nuts
Nuts are a great food to enjoy as an evening snack or with your last meal of the day. Many nuts can help promote better sleep thanks to the minerals they contain, including zinc and magnesium. Nuts also contain a natural form of melatonin, which you probably know helps you to get to sleep faster. The best nuts to consume before bed? Our functional medicine Los Angeles expert recommend almonds, pistachios, cashews, and walnuts.
2. Turkey
This probably won’t be too surprising, since everyone loves a good nap after their big Thanksgiving dinner. One of the main reasons turkey helps make you sleepy is because of tryptophan, which is a type of amino acid that occurs naturally in this lean protein. Tryptophan helps to produce more melatonin in the body, which is going to help you sleep if you eat it during your last meal of the day.
3. Kiwi
If you are looking for fruits to help you sleep, our functional medicine Burbank specialists recognize that kiwi is one of the best ones to try. Not only is kiwi loaded with important vitamins and minerals for overall health, like vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, and folate. For sleep, it is the melatonin and antioxidants in kiwi that can help give you restful sleep. Since kiwi is a healthy, vitamin-rich fruit, it is definitely worth a try.
4. Rice
Rice is one of the best carbs our energy medicine experts at Functional Medicine Los Angeles recommend to enjoy with dinner if you want to get sleepy. As a simple carbohydrate, white rice can help reduce your energy levels and promote restfulness shortly after you consume it. You can combine rice with foods that contain tryptophan, like rice, and you are well on your way to better sleep.
5. Other Carbs
Don’t forget this also goes for many other carbs you can add to your diet. From potatoes and rice to pasta and bread, carbs in the evening are a great option if you have trouble sleeping. If you are trying to watch your carbs, our functional medicine Studio City experts recommend eating high-protein and low-carb earlier in the day, then save the majority of these types of carbs for your evening meal.