If you're going to toast, avoid anything spicy or meaty, which can keep you up late at night. Your toast should be topped with light dairy, vegetables, or fruit toppings.
And turkey has tryptophan, an amino acid that helps to make you sleepy. If you're not into turkey, try peanut or almond butter on whole wheat toast. Nut butter has healthy fats that raise your levels of serotonin, a feel-good mood chemical that helps you relax.
Like toast, milk releases serotonin, another great body relaxer. And like milk, bananas are high in calcium, which promotes sleep. So all in all, bananas on toast alongside a warm glass of milk should set you up nicely for a great night's sleep.
Whole wheat toast and whole grain crackers contain complex carbohydrates (think: fiber), which slow the rise of blood sugar. Pair with peanut butter, which is filled with protein and healthy fat, and you'll stay full until the morning.
There it sits, that bare slice of bread, waiting for you to spread something on it to make it even more appealing and nutritious. What's the healthiest pick? You could opt for a drizzle of olive oil, mashed avocado, hummus or even low-fat cottage cheese.
Eating certain fruits before bed may also help you sleep better. One study found that consumption of pineapple, oranges, and bananas. View Source increased melatonin production about two hours later. Kiwis have also been shown to have some sleep-inducing properties.
Toast can help you fall asleep faster by hydroxylated tryptophan in your brain (this causes melatonin to be produced faster). If you consume protein with carbs, you will suppress your appetite and keep you full all night. Toast your turkey sandwich or make your own (if you're vegan).
“If you are hungry, you should eat something, regardless of the time of day,” says Aimee Takamura, registered dietitian and director of wellness and sustainability at Restaurant Associates. “The act of eating late at night does not affect metabolism or lead to many of the adverse effects you may have heard of.
This is because honey contains tryptophan which is a hormone that helps relax and send sleep signals to the body. Because tryptophan is an essential amino acid but cannot be produced naturally in the body, supplementing through honey before bed brings many benefits to the body.
Carbs eaten an hour or two before bed can help trigger the release of serotonin, melatonin, and other brain neurotransmitters that promote sleep, says Maxine Smith, a registered dietician at Cleveland Clinic. She mentions 100-percent whole-grain crackers or bread and stovetop popcorn as healthy pre-bed carb choices.
When you pair peanut butter with whole-grain toast you're getting a healthy dose of fiber and protein as well, which also help fuel your morning and keep you full.
Margarine and reduced-fat spreads are made up of oils that have been hardened but are still spreadable. They're made with vegetable oils such as sunflower, canola and olive oils, so they're much higher in beneficial mono-and polyunsaturated fats than butter.
