Comfort Foods Help You to Relax
Are you an anxious person? Do you have trouble falling asleep at night because you have so many anxious thoughts or worries running through your head? You may not know it yet, but certain kinds of foods can help you relax and become drowsy just as certain beverages can leave you feeling jittery and nervous.
Sugar and Starch
When people think about eating sugar, many people think it will leave them with a high energy level. In fact, many parents will not let their kids eat sugar before bedtime because they are afraid it will wake their children up and make them hyper. So, you may be surprised to learn sugar does not lead to high energy; rather, it leads to low energy!
Several research studies have found sugar to lead to drowsiness and/or feelings of relaxation. For instance, Dr. Bonnie Spring, a psychologist at the Chicago Medical School conducted a study that supports this. In her study, she had some participants eat sorbet with a lot of carbohydrates in it, while she had others eat turkey strips with a lot of protein in them.
Two hours after the participants had eaten the turkey strips or the sorbet, they took standardized tests on mood and alertness. Dr. Spring found women who ate the sorbet were drowsy and the men who ate the sorbet felt relaxed whereas participants who ate the turkey did not have the same feelings.
Starch also leads to feelings of relaxation and/or drowsiness. Some scientists believe carbohydrates, like sugar and starches cause chemical changes in the brain that allow an amino acid known as tryptophan to flow into the brain, which is then converted into serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain, which leads to feelings of relaxation and drowsiness.
What Sugars and Starches to Eat to Calm Down
If you are trying to calm your nerves, Judith Wurtman, located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggests eating sugar rather than starch because sugar leads to sedation and relaxation faster, and that protein can counter the calming effects of carbs. She also asserts that low-calorie carbohydrates work faster than high-fat ones do. Likewise, she says liquids work faster at calming you than foods.
Here are some of the foods and beverages she suggests for relaxation and sedation:
· 9 ounces of non-diet, caffeine-free soda
· Herbal tea with two teaspoons of sugar in it
· 2 ounces of gumdrops
· Hot chocolate made with water instead of with milk
· Two cups of Cheerios cereal without milk on it
Onions
Red and yellow onions may also make you drowsy. Research with mice showed red and yellow onions made mice sleepy. Red and yellow onions have a lot of quercetin in them, which acts as an antioxidant, mild sedative, and anti-inflammatory.
The next time you feel anxious or cannot get to sleep, try eating one of the foods or drinking one of the beverages I have discussed in this post. Then, come back to this post and let me know how it worked for you!
Source:
Food – Your Miracle Medicine: How Food Can Prevent And Cure Over 100 Symptoms And Problems by Jean Carper
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