Question:
What foods do you recommend to promote a restful night's sleep?
Answer:
It turns out that the timing of foods can have a big impact on sleep. "Chrono-Nutrition" is a field of study that looks to coordinate food intake with our body's rhythm.
Last Meal of the Day
Focus on healthy fats and starches. These foods keep your little one satiated and not activated. Fats and complex carbs are calming, whereas proteins can be stimulating. Think of root veggies (sweet potato, turnip, beet, parsnip) and a good dose of healthy oil (coconut oil, pumpkin seed oil, ghee). Protein heavy meals are best for daytime (first meal).
Other foods that are great for promoting sleep are fermented dairy, sour cherries, and kiwi.
Generally, it's important to ensure your little one is eating a variety of foods, and some ferments, as well as taking vitamin D and cod liver oil for it's DHA and EPA.
Sleep for Mom
Again, we recommend lots of healthy fats and starches for your last meal.
Magnesium helps to calm the nervous system, so ensuring adequate intake is helpful for sleep. Natural Calm is a mom's best friend and we also recommend a bio-available form of magnesium, called Magnesium Bis-Glycinate. North Americans are often magnesium deficient, so adding in 400-500 mg a day is a wise idea. Its the calming mineral!
As moms, our adrenals are in for a rough ride. Vitamin C, magnesium and rest are a mother's best friend. Calming teas, herbs, and epsom salts baths are also good ideas. You can add a pure essential oil of lavender to the bath, or diffused in the room to help with restfulness. Make sure you are eating a balanced diet (lots of healthy fats and slow carbs) and avoiding sugar and caffeine. Rest when baby rests!
More on Sleep
Rosalee Lahaie Hera of Baby Sleep Love is an amazing resource for everything sleep! She is a certified sleep consultant who works with families to get more sleep through evidence based methods. Rosalee offers personalized sleep support as well as online group coaching courses.
Use the code SFBABIES when checking out and Rosalee offers Warrior Mamas a 15% discount!!
You can also check out our interview with Rosalee for more information on how she can help you and your family optimize their sleep!
