Smoothie Recipes with Sleep-Enhancing Ingredients

Get a restful night’s sleep with these healthy smoothie recipes

 Did you sleep well last night? If not, look at what you ate in the hours leading up to bedtime and you might find your sleep thief. Science has finally caught up with what Mom used to say, “Eat, right and you’ll sleep right.”First the bad news – more than 50 million Americans skimp on their sleep needs. And when they sacrifice sleep, they’re also jeopardizing their immune system, their waistline, youthful good looks and the chance to live a long, healthy life. Next, the good news – a few simple tweaks to your diet may help to increase your odds of a successful slumber. Not to mention a healthier you with a chance to live longer.

If you struggle with a good night’s sleep and are considering sleeping pills, try tweaking your diet first. “In my practice, sleep medication is a bridge to treating the underlying cause of the sleep issue,” says Dr. La Puma M.D. and cofounder of ChefMD. “Try everything else before you consider medication and when you’ve exhausted your options, talk to a doctor.”

Think of your food as medicine

Researching foods that help and hinder sleep is a fairly new phenomena – but emerging news is reassuring. We really do sleep how we eat and the foods we eat before bedtime can either be a sleep promoter or sleep stealer.

Some foods are known sleep disruptors. Wine, steak and spicy anything are just a few foods that will NOT help you sleep better. Some foods promote better sleep though. Bananas contain the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan, which encourages relaxation. Other foods just make for a mess in your bed – Fondue is a Fon-don’t in our books.

But because science is just starting to recognize food as a sleep regulator, it’s not always crystal clear which side of the food/sleep equation you’re on. Coffee, for example, might be good for your overall health and improved brain functions – but after a certain time of day, it becomes a sleep saboteur. Read more about the coffee/sleep connection.

When we think of a smoothie, we might immediately see it as a breakfast choice – what a healthy way to start the day. But tweaking your smoothie recipe – adding kale, bananas or yogurt – transforms the almighty breakfast smoothie into a sweet dreams smoothie.

Ready for your recipe for better sleep and a healthier you? Keep reading for 3 smoothie recipes that our friends from Restonic recommend.

Sweet Dreams Smoothie Recipe: Cherry Banana Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1/2 fresh medium banana
• 1/2 cup pitted cherries
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon honey

Add-ins

• 1 tablespoon flax seeds
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1/2 tablespoon cacao powder

Showtime
Place the ingredients into your high speed blender and blend for around 30-45 seconds or until your desired consistency is reached. Recipe viaHealthySmoothieHQ.com.

Ingredients

• 1 banana, sliced
• 1⁄4 cup blueberries
• 1⁄4 cup raspberries
• 2 cups spinach
• 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 1 tbsp sunflower seeds

Showtime
Place ingredients into a blender, fill to the max water line, and blend until a smooth consistency is achieved. Recipe via MakeDrinks.org.

Ingredients

• 1 banana
• Handful of kale
• 1 kiwi fruit
• ½ avocado
• 1 and 2/3 cup milk
• 1 tbsp honey

Showtime
Place ingredients into a blender, fill to the max water line, and blend until a smooth consistency is achieved. Recipe via MensFitness.com.