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"Let Food Be Thy Medicine"
Hippocrates
 
April 2013 
In This Issue
The Power of Sleep
Sleep-Promoting Recipes
About Jean Varney
Quick Links
  

Jean Varney
Jeannie Varney
 Nutrition Consultant
 HC, AADP
703.505.0505

 

Greetings!  
  
Do you often stay up late finishing work, returning emails, surfing the net, or watching TV?  Do you realize that burning the midnight oil can lead to an increased risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease?  The latest research suggests that too little sleep not only affects how much we eat, but what we eat, making it difficult to lose weight or keep weight off.  It can also lead to metabolic changes that increase our risk of chronic disease.  Making simple behavioral changes, establishing a sound bedtime routine, and consuming certain foods can all promote rejuvenating sleep that is essential for our health.  Below is an overview of what sleep deprivation does to our body and steps we can take to ensure plenty of zzzzs each night.  Implement as many of my suggestions as possible and see if you don't start to sleep better, eat healthier, feel more energetic, and find weight loss/management a little easier.
 
 Happy Spring!

   

 

  Jeannie

 

 

 

 

 

The Power of  Sleep

Don't underestimate the power of a good night's rest. Inadequate sleep can negatively impact your health - here's how:

 

It interferes with our hormones: Not getting enough sleep throws off the hormones in our bodies that influence our appetite. Specifically, it causes a rise in ghrelin levels,  which stimulates our appetite and lowers leptin levels which signals satiety. Consequently, we eat more. In a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in October of 2010, sleep-deprived participants experienced a 45% increase in hunger over those participants that were well rested. Researchers found that participants satisfied this hunger at night, consuming more food after dinner than during any one meal throughout the day.   Unfortunately, we become more insulin resistant in the late evening and early morning hours, when our bodies are meant to be asleep, causing these additional calories to be stored in our cells most often as fat.

 

It changes our food preferences: Studies also show that a lack of sleep causes us to crave high carbohydrate, high fat foods. The same foods that promote weight gain, high cholesterol levels and insulin resistance.

 

It alters our fat cells: After just 4 days of too little sleep, research shows our fat cells became more insulin resistant - a metabolic change associated with obesity and diabetes.

 

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To improve your sleep, health and weight loss/maintenance efforts, implement these healthy sleep tips:

 

Avoid spending time on your cell phones, computers, and iPads an hour before bedtime. These light-emitting screens can suppress the release of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin.

 

Establish a relaxing, consistent bedtime routine: Allow yourself an hour of time in dim light to unwind and relax before going to bed. Read, take a bath or simply get organized for the next day. Relaxation exercises can be beneficial too.

 

Establish a sleep schedule: Try to go to bed and get up each day at the same time. Weekends included.

 

Exercise during the day: Physically active people sleep better than those that are sedentary. It's best to get your exercise in during the morning or daytime hours. Exercising vigorously at night can interfere with falling asleep.

 

Expose yourself to light during the day.

 

Keep a pad of paper by your bedside: If you often wake up thinking of all the things you need to do the next day, quickly jot them down so you won't forget them. It will help you fall back asleep.

 

Avoid caffeine, chocolate and tobacco in the afternoon and evening.

 

Avoid Nightcaps: Alcohol in the evening can prevent you from a deep sleep and cause you to wake early.

 

Avoid large meals and drinks a couple hours before bed. 

 

Avoid late afternoon or early evening naps.

 

Use "white noise" devices like fans to drown out surrounding noise.

 

Keep your bedroom cool and dark.

 

Avoid regular use of sleeping pills.   Such medications as Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata and Ativan should not be taken on a regular basis. Instead, try the above steps to improve your quality of sleep. For those individuals that still struggle with falling or staying asleep, try melatonin - a supplement that doesn't have any serious side effects.

 

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Did you know that certain minerals could also promote sound sleep?  Try incorporating the following nutrient dense foods into your diet.  Not only may they help you rest, they may help you lose weight.

 

Magnesium:  Magnesium is a mineral that relaxes our nerves and muscles and promotes healthy circulation.  Consuming too little magnesium is associated with insomnia and restless leg syndrome.


Magnesium Rich-Foods:  Bananas, spinach, Swiss chard, cashews, almonds, pumpkin, sunflower, flax and chia seeds, beans, soybeans, halibut, tempeh, brown rice, millet, amaranth, quinoa, oatmeal, wheat and oat bran.


Potassium:  Potassium is another mineral that relaxes our muscles and nerves.  Emerging research suggests it may also help regulate delta sleep, the deepest phase of our sleep cycle.


Potassium-Rich Foods:  Bananas, oranges, sweet potatoes, low or no-fat yogurt  (not frozen, sorry!), all beans, black cod, salmon, avocados, dark leafy greens, romaine lettuce, winter squash, broccoli, artichokes, mushrooms, tomatoes, peanuts, almonds and sunflower seeds.


Calcium:  Calcium is a mineral that aids in the production of melatonin*, our sleep-promoting hormone.  Levels of melatonin are depressed during the daylight hours and gradually rise throughout the late afternoon and evening allowing us to be energetic early and sleepy as night falls.

 
Calcium-Rich Foods:  Yogurt, milk, cottage cheese, Swiss cheese, kale, spinach, turnip greens, white beans, canned salmon with bones, sardines, oranges, collards, broccoli, almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, fortified non-dairy milks, fortified tofu.


* Very few foods contain melatonin.  Olive oil, tart cherries, grapes and walnuts all contain some but much smaller amounts than found in a supplement.

 

Sleep on this ....

There isn't a miracle cure for getting a good night's sleep, but implementing a sound bedtime routine and healthy eating habits will surely help and give you the best chance for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight and a life free of chronic disease.

Sleep-Promoting Recipes

Bulgur, Spinach and Tomato Casserole

 

Grilled Halibut with Chimichurri

 

Pasta with Tomatoes Kale and Beans

 

Sea Bass/Halibut with Oranges, Olives and Basil

 

Black Bean and Quinoa Salad

About Jean Varney 
 
Jean Varney is the founder and president of Eat Right, Be Fit, Live Well LLC, a health and nutrition consulting firm committed to empowering men and women to improve their health through sustainable changes to their diet and lifestyle.  Based in the Washington DC metropolitan area, Jean coaches clients nationwide by phone and in person.  She focuses on helping individuals make smart choices about the foods they eat in order to maintain high energy levels, avoid unwanted weight gain and decrease their risk of heart disease, cancer, type II diabetes and other chronic illnesses.  Jean received her training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City.  To learn more about her practice, please visit her website at: www.EatRightBeFitLiveWell.com.