Are you finding bedtimes tricky, or dealing with an exhausted toddler during the day because they’re not sleeping well at night? There are various avenues to pursue if your charges aren’t sleeping well, but a diet rich in certain vitamins and minerals, eaten at the right times, can help.
Bananas: Bursting with naturally relaxing magnesium, bananas also contain melatonin and serotonin which are natural compounds which promote sleep:
- Add chopped banana to plain yogurt for a healthy pudding
- Bake banana muffins if you have a bunch of over-ripe bananas in the kitchen
- Whizz up a banana into a smoothie with milk and a drizzle of honey
Dairy: Milk and other dairy products contain an amino acid called tryptophan, which makes us feel sleepy after eating a large meal. Whether it’s a glass of milk at tea-time, a bedtime bottle or a milky pudding, it’ll all help encourage a good night’s sleep. And it needn’t be milk: a warming bowl of macaroni cheese is just as good.
Whole Grains: Complex and carby foods produce insulin which helps aid sleep, so make that macaroni cheese from wholegrain pasta, or check out the list below for other simple and yummy ways to get wholegrain into children’s diets:
- Popcorn (but make it yourself)
- Whole grain cereals for breakfast
- Add oats to a smoothie
- Bake a batch of oaty energy bars or flapjacks for daytime snacking
- Explore making simple risottos with bulgur wheat and pearl barley – so delicious
Poultry: There’s an actual scientific reason why turkey makes us sleepy at Christmas. Chicken and turkey contain the same amino acid as dairy products, so throw some shredded chicken into your bulgur wheat risotto, or make turkey escalopes for tea. Beans also have tryptophan in them, so add a side of baked beans or butter beans.
Rice: Being a high GI (glycaemic index) food, rice gives a quick energy boost followed by a slump. If this coincides with bedtime, you’re winning! Look up a simple satay chicken recipe online (you can make the sauce from peanut butter, soy sauce and honey) and serve mixed with white rice for a delicious teatime meal that should have them yawning by the time bathtime is finished.
Fish: The body needs vitamin B6 in order to make the sleep hormones melatonin and serotonin. Certain fish – such as tuna and salmon – are full of this vitamin, so cook up a tuna pasta bake to help the lunchtime nap along, or serve flaked salmon fillets with rice and steamed vegetables for tea (spinach and kale both have sleep-boosting properties).
Other sleep-friendly foods are honey, walnuts, hummus, lettuce, almonds, sweet potato, lettuce, and cherries. What recipes could you throw together from these ingredients and the others we’ve mentioned? We’d love to know what you’re cooking up for your charges, so head over to our Facebook page and share your ideas!