Since diabetes runs in my family I decided to start a diet geared towards preventing diabetes after my last visit to the doctor who said that my blood sugar numbers were high. (Oh crap!) After our appointment, he instructed me to make an appointment with a dietitian to help me with my food plan (not fun.) After sitting with her for an hour, she informed me that it will be important to cut out as many carbohydrates, and focus onĀ  low-glycemic diet.

The goal to a diabetic diet is to keep the blood sugar levels even without having low and high spikes. The right meal plan will help to improve blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol numbers and also help keep your weight on track.

This means cutting out as many carbohydrates as possible, including rice, bread and pasta. I love all of those foods. Being of Asian descent, we are born with a DNA for eating rice, a lot of rice. In most Asian countries, rice is eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Since April I have learned to substitute rice for quinoa and millet, and I now consume a lot of protein. In fact, I try to eat salmon at lease once a day. I hope I don’t sick from mercury poisoning… that is another story.

In addition to fish, I eat a lot of nuts, especially almonds, throughout the day as a snack. Almonds are so good for you, but I learned they make me sleepy. One day, they made me so sleepy, that I become incoherent and I was falling asleep while talking to a reflexology client during a session. This is not good!

I decided to do a little research on almonds to see why they made me tired, and discovered 4 other foods that can induce sleep (this is a partial list.) Check out the list.

Tryptophan, an essential amino acid found in some foods, produces serotonin, which promotes healthy sleep patterns. Consuming foods that contain tryptophan along with carbohydrate-high-foods will likely make you sleepy.

  1. Turkey. It is common to see family members sprawled out on the couch or napping in a leather chair after a big Thanksgiving meal. Turkey contains tryptophan, and is usually consumed with carbohydrate-high-foods including stuffing, potato salad and candied yams. Eating these foods together will result in drowsiness.
  2. Warm Milk. Remember being a child and having your mother bring you a cup of warm milk on nights when you couldnā€™t sleep? Milk contains both carbohydrates and natural sleep agents. Drinking a warm cup can make you sleepy.
  3. Oatmeal. A large bowl of oatmeal may be a healthy breakfast, but it can also make you feel sleepy. In addition to tryptophan and carbohydrates, oats also contain melatonin. Melatonin helps to regulate sleeping patterns.
  4. Almonds. If you are having trouble falling asleep, a handful of almonds may be your solution. Almonds are a rich source of sleeping-inducing tryptophan. Magnesium, a nutrient proven to induce sleepiness, is also found in almonds.
  5. Potatoes. French fries, hash browns, baked potatoes and mashed potatoes can all make you feel sleepy after eating them. Packed with high-starch carbohydrates and tryptophan, potatoes can induce sleeping. Next time you are deciding what to have for lunch, you may want to skip that extra large fries unless you want to fall asleep at work. ***The potato creates an insulin response which has an effect on the movement of the amino acid tryptophan from your blood into your brain.*** The potato itself does not have tryptophan in it

Tips:

  • Keep a food diary to help you determine which foods make you feel sleepy,
  • Prevent daytime drowsiness by saving the foods with high levels of tryptophan for dinner instead of eating them for breakfast.

Watch how many almonds you consume.

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About the writer – Helen Chin Lui is a certified Reflexologist and a certified Energy Medicine Practitioner. She is the owner and founder of the Healing PlaceĀ  Helen specializes helping people of all ages to find relief from chronic digestive disorders, chronic pain and balances hormones naturally.

For Helen’s free report ā€œProven Alternative Ways to Heal Common Chronic Digestive Problems: What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know Can Keep You From Healingā€ click here.

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