This is one of those articles that you cannot resist saving in your PC after reading  them online. Like most of the "evening people", me, as well as my husband love having bedtime snacks before finally going to bed. We usually watch movies or if not, our favorite TV series in our bedroom so snacks are really a big hit for us.

Read the next article … so yummy licking good for everyone!   — Karlyn 

Bedtime Snacks that Help You Sleep

One of the best natural sedatives is tryptophan, an amino acid component of many plant and animal proteins.

Tryptophan
is one of the ingredients necessary for the body to make serotonin, the
neurotransmitter best known for creating feelings of calm, and for
making you sleepy.

However,
the trick is to combine foods that have some tryptophan with ample
carbohydrate. That’s because in order for insomnia-busting tryptophan
to work, it has to make its way to the brain.

Unfortunately,
all amino acids compete for transport to the brain. When you add carbs,
they cause the release of insulin, which takes the competing amino
acids and incorporates them into muscle…but leaves tryptophan alone, so
it can make its way to the brain, be converted to serotonin, and cause
sleepiness.  

Serotonin-producing bedtime snacks should be no more than 200 calories and should be eaten at least 30 minutes prior to bed.

Here are a few great ideas: 

Bedtime Snacks for Adults

–6-8 oz container of non-fat, flavored yogurt topped with 2 tablespoons low-fat granola cereal
–Sliced apple with 1-2 teaspoons natural peanut butter
–3 cups low-fat popcorn – sprinkled with optional 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese  

Bedtime Snacks for Teens

–One cup healthy cereal with skim milk
–Low-fat granola bar
–Scoop of vanilla or strawberry low-fat ice cream

Bedtime Snacks for Children

–1/2 cup low-fat vanilla pudding
–1/2 banana with 1-2 teaspoons peanut butter
–One cup skim milk with a bunch of grapes (or other fruit)

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Article Source:  Yahoo Website
Article Owner:  Joy Bauer

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One Cardinal Rule I always follow when Reposting Articles:
Always give credit to the original creator so we don’t have to face copyright infringement cases. 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 at 1:54 am and is filed under Food and Drink. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.