Difficulty Sleeping? Eat These Foods Before Bed

Lack of sleep can ruin a lot of things: our mood, our patience, our focus and our sense of enjoyment in life. We've all had those sleepless nights. But taking sleeping pills is usually a problematic strategy, because they don't give you the same natural sleep that revitalizes you, and they can become quite addictive too. Better to eat something that will help you fall into a relaxing, renewing, deep sleep. 

 

Here are five recommended foods to put you to sleep: 

 

1. Frozen Bananas

Frozen bananas can be turned into a thick and tasty ice-cream. All you need is the right technique of consistent mixing. The idea is to blend the bananas for several minutes until they turn into a creamy delight. Add a handful of chopped peanuts for an extra tryptophan boost (a chemical that is known to relieve tension and put you to sleep) and you have a great combination. 

 

Not only will the potassium in the bananas help you fall asleep faster, it can also prevent you from waking up for no reason in the middle of the night.

2. Halibut

The halibut fish comes with two great sleeping aids: tryptophan and vitamin B6. It has a meaty, gentle texture and is recommended for sea food lovers. Other foods rich in tryptophan: chicken, beef, soy, yogurt, bananas, peanuts and eggs. 

 

3. Mango Shake

Mangos are packed with antioxidants, proteins, and vitamins. Being naturally sweet they can also help banish your sugar cravings. To make a mango shake cut up a fresh mango and put it in the blender. Add a scoop-full of ice, a small scoop of low-fat Greek yogurt and just a splash of milk or water. To make it a little sweeter, you can add a bit of honey. And if you don't like mangoes, the same can be done with strawberries and watermelons.

4. Dried Cherries

 

 

A handful of dried cherries won't just provide you with a dose of carbs and serotonin, it's also one of the better-known sources of melatonin - a sleep-inducing hormone (also essential in preventing jet-lag). If that's not enough for you, dried cherries are also packed with antioxidants.

5. Low-fat Popcorn

 

 

The carbs in popcorn will help your body better utilize tryptophan. This happens because the tryptophan is converted into serotonin, which is responsible for putting you to sleep and waking you up every day. Since a heavy meal about 2 hours before sleep can actually keep you awake at times, a low-calorie popcorn bowl is a recommended treat for late night snacks. If you want to add some flavor, we suggest some curry powder or garlic, instead of butter.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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Food & Drink Kids Food Safety Chocolate Before You Give Kids Dark Chocolate, Doctors Want You To Know A Few Things

Dark chocolate is low in sugar, full of antioxidants and has been shown to be good for your heart and brain. These health benefits are likely why one-third of adults say it’s their preferred chocolate, so you might think it’s a great treat for their kids, too.

But pediatricians and nutritionists say there are a few things to know before doling out dark chocolate to your little ones. 

“It would be recommended that the child not eat dark chocolate in excess and avoid providing it before bed,” Amy Reed, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told HuffPost.

The main reason is that dark chocolate contains caffeine, she explained.

While there’s no harm for most kids to eat some dark chocolate (and any other kind of chocolate), moderation is key, explained Anet Piridzhanyan, a clinical dietitian in the Center for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

All foods, including candy, have a place at the table,” she told HuffPost. But here’s what you should know about giving your kids dark chocolate.

How much caffeine is in dark chocolate — and is it too much for kids?

An ounce of dark chocolate with 60-69% cacao contains 24 mg of caffeine, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s about the same amount as a quarter cup of coffee, Beth Natt, system medical director of pediatrics at Atlantic Health System, told HuffPost.

“Small amounts are likely to be well tolerated,” she said. But larger amounts could bring side effects similar to what adults experience when they have too much caffeine: difficulty sleeping, anxiety, diarrhea, vomiting and elevated heart rate and blood pressure. 

As a stimulant, caffeine often has a bigger impact on growing bodies than on adults, added Piridzhanyan. The Food and Drug Administration recommends that adults limit their caffeine intake to 400 mg a day — but the agency doesn’t have recommendations for kids.

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests kids avoid caffeine, Natalie Rine, director of the Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, told HuffPost. The Canadian Paediatric Society agrees with that recommendation, but since caffeine is found in many foods and beverages, Health Canada has published healthy daily caffeine limits by age:

• Kids 4-6 years: less than 45 mg (the equivalent of about 2 ounces of dark chocolate)

• Kids 7-9 years: less than 62.5 mg

• Kids 10-12 years: less than 85 mg

• Kids 13 and older: less than 2.5 mg per kilogram of body weight

• Adults: less than 400 mg

“If a child is eating dark chocolate in excess, then they could be consuming excess amounts of caffeine,” Reed said. Most likely, they’re not getting all their caffeine from dark chocolate, though, Natt added.

Sodas, energy drinks and other types of candy and sweets also contain caffeine. New guidelines from a coalition of health organizations, including AAP and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, recommended that young people ages 5 to 18 avoid beverages with caffeine and other stimulants.

Does Dark Chocolate Contain Heavy Metals?

In 2023, Consumer Reports released a report stating that some dark chocolate products may contain harmful levels of the heavy metals lead and cadmium. 

However, a 2024 study published in Food Research International found that consuming an ounce of dark chocolate daily posed no adverse risks for adults and only a minor cadmium concern for kids. It also found that chocolates from West Africa and Asia had the lowest amounts of these metals.

The takeaway is that dark chocolate in moderation poses little risk to children, Rine said. Parents can also check the country of origin, too, if they’re concerned, Reed added.

Another thing to note is that the Food Research International study suggested that dark chocolate also contains copper, iron, manganese, magnesium and zinc, which are nutrients that can “restrict the bioavailability” of cadmium and lead — meaning it limits how much can be absorbed by the body.

What type of chocolate should you give your kids?

Dark chocolate typically contains less sugar than milk chocolate. But it might not always be palatable to kids since it’s not as sweet and creamy, Piridzhanyan said. The dark chocolate that they might find tastier may have added sugar.

“Deciding what is safe to feed your child can be overwhelming for parents,” she said.

Check nutrition labels and be mindful about the amount of sugar and number of calories in any chocolate that you choose for your kids, Rine said. Also, dark chocolate with a lower percentage of cacao would likely contain less caffeine and be safer for younger children.

Dark chocolate typically has more antioxidants than milk chocolate and contains iron, Piridzhanyan said. But milk chocolate usually contains calcium, added Reed.

“When eaten in moderation, there is likely not a huge difference between dark and milk chocolate,” Natt said. “Neither should be a substantial part of a child’s diet.”

What’s important is balance, Piridzhanyan said. “Chocolate can be a food they enjoy, just as any other food or candy, if provided in moderation, along with plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains, as part of a healthy lifestyle.”

 

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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6 early warning signs of thyroid that women often miss

Common warning signs of a thyroid disorder to never ignore

Experiencing extreme fatigue, hair loss, menstrual irregularities of late? Or have you been feeling shaky, anxious, sweaty and hungrier?

While these are some common symptoms which could be experienced by people across ages, chances are that the symptoms become a lot more evident if your thyroid gland is acting up. The thyroid gland is an important hormone regulator, but it can be incredibly possible for it to flare-up, especially in women. For a condition that's as common as 1 in 8 women worldwide, it's also reported that as many as 60% of women who do have thyroid problems are blatantly unaware about the symptoms.

What role does the thyroid play?

Just like other organs of the body, controlling and regulating proper thyroid function is quite crucial. The thyroid organ, a butterfly-shaped organ which rests in front of our neck is an organ responsible for production of important hormones, from triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), which regulate vital functions such as weight loss, metabolism, energy to maintaining your skin, hair health as well or even affect your body temperature. The thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is yet another important hormone which further instructs the thyroid to produce more of T3 and T4 levels. Thus, any flare-up or concerning elevation or lowering down of these important hormones can lead to an overactive or underactive function, and lead to a thyroid disorder.

When the hormonal levels fluctuate abruptly, a range of symptoms could appear, which can be very profound in women and affect other vital functions as well. What should also be remembered is that thyroid is such an impactful organ, which can impact every other organ in the body, and it can be increasingly difficult to tell symptoms apart, especially when you are unaware. Thus, women should be diligently looking for warning signs and symptoms, and take the right care. Some of the symptoms may also require further testing for TSH, T3 and T4 levels and know if what you may be suffering from is hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) or hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid). Having said that, we list some common symptoms to be particularly careful of:

Unexplained weight loss or gain

Thyroid levels have a huge impact on your overall metabolism and keep your weight in check as well. While there are a lot of reasons for weight loss or gain, if you have been recording abrupt or unexplained changes in your weight, chances are that you may first need to get your thyroid checked. While low levels of thyroid hormones could lead to weight gain, an overactive thyroid could land in an overdrive and make you lose weight unexpectedly. Weight loss related to hypothyroidism is one of the most common changes observed in women.

Darkening of skin folds around the neck

A common early symptom of a thyroid disorder which could be seemingly missed out is darkening of the skin around your neck. Particularly, research has found that the darkening of skin folds around the neck is usually because of hormonal flare-ups, and more common when the thyroid is acting up. This is one sign which women and men are often asked to be on the lookout for, and get tested if needed.

Apart from that, the thyroid organ is responsible for maintaining good skin and hair health. A disruption of T3 and T4 levels could also pose issues such as dry skin, itchy scalp, oily skin, or cause brittleness in the nails.

Fatigue and weakness

Losing out on energy, or feeling tired are often taken to be signs of ageing and everyday stress. While it may happen so, irregular and chronic fatigue and feelings of exhaustion could be resultant of an underlying thyroid issue. Since our thyroid gland significantly impacts metabolic function, an underactive thyroid could lead to a metabolic slow down, and further make you tired and lethargic on the regular. Similarly, for those who have an overactive gland, the metabolic function could potentially flare-up and cause energy loss. Fatigue and weakness associated with thyroid could also cause heart palpitations, muscle weakness and tremors.

Difficulty sleeping well

Here's another sign to suspect an underlying thyroid issue- sleeping difficulties. A thyroid dysfunction could terribly impact your sleep and make you toss and turn in the bed. What it could also possibly lead to is daytime sleepiness as well. While an overactive, high-functional thyroid could impact your mood, nervous system, tiredness and muscle weakness, the constant feelings could make it difficult for a person to get a good night's sleep. Other associated symptoms could be night sweats and frequent urination, which could disrupt sleep.

Underactive thyroid has also been associated with poor quality sleep, delayed or prolonged sleep onset and an overall shorter sleep duration. 

Anxiety, nervousness and brain fog

Any symptoms of weakening or worsening mental health should never be taken lightly. While a lot of health conditions are relatively linked to mood fluctuations and stress, women suffering from thyroid are said to be at a higher risk of experiencing anxiety issues, nervousness, tremors, irritability, intense mood swings as well as brain fog, a symptom which has drawn more attention since COVID-19. Further symptoms of hypothyroidism could include memory loss, decreased concentration levels and render energy loss in performing day-to-day activities and routines. What can also happen if thyroid diagnosis or treatment is delayed is more anxiety issues.

Menstrual irregularities and changes

In women, any sort of menstrual changes or irregularities are primarily taken to be the warning sign of PCOS or infertility issues. However, that cannot be the case all the time. A disruption of the thyroid levels, too, can cause a lot of periodic changes and impact regular menstrual flow, since the thyroid directly controls your reproductive system. While too low or high levels of thyroid hormones can make periods light, heavy or scanty, in older women (over the age of 35), it could also make periods cease for a long time, or bring menopause early. Hence, any changes should be attended to at the earliest.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement