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Associated Press

Anyone who has ever suffered in bed after eating three slices of pizza could surmise there is some relationship between food and sleep quality.
For Marie-Pierre St-Onge, the director of Columbia University’s Center of Excellence for Sleep and Circadian Research in the US state of New York, years of studying the relationship confirmed it.
Data from large-scale population studies shows that eating a lot of saturated fat and simple carbohydrates made it harder to get deep, restorative sleep, she says.
The inverse is also true. People who don’t get enough sleep, for example, are more likely to be obese.

“It’s a cycle of having poor sleep leading to poor dietary choices, and lower dietary quality that further propels poor sleep,” St-Onge says.
If bad food could keep you awake, she wondered, can good food help you sleep? St-Onge discovered that the answer is yes.
Her research led to a new cookbook, Eat Better, Sleep Better, co-written with Kat Craddock, editor-in-chief of the food magazine Saveur.
The book’s recipes reflect St-Onge’s findings that people with high-fibre diets report better sleep, and the dishes rely heavily on what she calls sleep-supporting ingredients.
It’s making sure you have a healthy diet across the day to have the nutrients at the ready
Marie-Pierre St-Onge, co-author of Eat Better, Sleep Better
Nuts, seeds and whole grains such as barley, buckwheat and kasha contain melatonin, a compound the body also produces naturally to regulate the circadian rhythm.
Research suggests the anti-inflammatory properties of ginger and turmeric improve sleep quality, as do the phytochemicals in brightly coloured fruit and vegetables like squash, cherries, bananas and beefsteak tomatoes, St-Onge says.
Besides the properties of particular ingredients, the combination of certain foods is key to encouraging your body to produce the hormones it needs to fall and stay sleep, she says.

Tryptophan, for example, is an essential amino acid only found in food – including sunflower seeds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and soybeans – but it requires nutrients such as magnesium, zinc and B vitamins to be converted into melatonin and the “feel-good” hormone serotonin.
St-Onge notes that people should not expect to fall dead asleep after loading up on certain ingredients at dinner. Food has to be processed, with chemical reactions transforming nutrients over time before they are absorbed.
“It’s making sure you have a healthy diet across the day to have the nutrients at the ready,” she says.

Recipes were developed for every meal of the day, plus snacks and desserts, the authors say. The two then arranged them into a 28-day meal plan designed to improve your sleep.
Craddock says developing the recipes came naturally because the research stressed using a variety of foods she likes to cook with anyway. The challenge was making sure the recipes fell within the nutritional requirements.
“My instincts are to go hard on bacon and butter and cheese and double cream, and she pared a lot of that back,” Craddock says.
Instead of bacon, Craddock says, she could achieve similar flavours with a little olive oil and smoked paprika.
“It was a bit of a dance back and forth between my more restaurant approach to making foods delicious and her nutritional goals.”
A Creole gumbo recipe, for instance, is inspired more by a vegetarian version often served during Lent than the heavier traditional one. The andouille often used – a pork product high in saturated fat – is swapped out for healthier chicken sausage. Adding more than a pound of mixed greens makes it more like a vegetable stew, and brown rice adds a complex carbohydrate.

With numerous charts and scientific research, the book is a practical guide to improving your diet in general. But Craddock says it also introduces people to international ingredients and dishes so they might think beyond what they eat every day.
“If you dig a little deeper and look a little further, there are healthful and flavourful and exciting ingredients from many cultures that are right in our own backyard,” she says.
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Wellness

Which foods help you sleep? Cookbook is out to break cycle of poor diet, poor-quality rest

Eatin gnuts, seeds and whole grains helps promote sleep. Photo: Shutterstock

A Columbia University researcher’s findings on the link between food and sleep are reflected in cookbook Eat Better, Sleep Better. Photo: Shutterstock

Marie-Pierre St-Onge, the director of Columbia University’s Center of Excellence for Sleep and Circadian Research, has long studied the relationship between food and sleep quality. Photo: Columbia University

Kat Craddock, editor-in-chief of the food magazine Saveur, co-wrote the cookbook with St-Onge. Photo: www.katcraddock.com

The cover of St-Onge and Craddock’s book. Photo: Amazon

Nuts, seeds and whole grains such as barley, buckwheat and kasha contain melatonin, a compound the body also produces naturally to regulate the circadian rhythm. Photo: Shutterstock

Dealing with insomnia? Common-sense tips to help you fall asleep and get enough rest

Sleep restriction requires going to bed late, or later than usual, and getting up early. You might begin with just five-and-a-half-hours in bed and work up to six until you’ve found the optimum sleep amount for you. 
Photo: Shutterstock

The cover of Van de Laar’s book. Photo: Amazon

Hong Kong-based infant and adult sleep coach Gemma Fisk says that the US-based National Sleep Foundation recommends adults aim for seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Photo: Ayelen Alcover Photography & Film

A Hadzabe man rests in a cave during hot midday hours. The Hadzabe tribe in northern Tanzania are, on average, awake for a couple of hours during the night, and don’t report a sleeping problem. Photo: Shutterstock 

If you find yourself awake in bed, give yourself time to drop back off. If you still can’t sleep, get up and do something relaxing: watch a favourite series or read a book. Photo: Shutterstock

Dutch sleep therapist Dr Merijn van de Laar offers understanding and advice to help people sleep better. Photo: gutkind-verlag.de

Trouble sleeping? A plant-based diet could help with insomnia, experts say. Here’s what to eat to get the rest you need

Having a banana may help you have a better night’s sleep, as this fruit is packed with magnesium.
Photo: Shutterstock

Eating fruit, vegetables and plant-based foods, from leafy greens to bananas, has been linked to a better night’s sleep. Experts explain how they help with insomnia. Photo: Shutterstock 

A Hong Kong survey found that nearly half of people over 15 experienced sleep problems. Photo: Shutterstock

A recent study of people in China suggested links between eating more fruit and other healthy foods, and better sleep. Photo: Shutterstock

Stephanie McBurnett, a dietitian and nutrition educator with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in the United States. Photo: PCRM

Cavan Chan, a Hong Kong-based sleep and functional medicine health coach.

Hong Kong-based culinary health coach Michele Wisla. Photo: Michele Wisla 

Dark tart cherries or tart cherry juice are excellent sources of melatonin, which can help us sleep better. Photo: Shutterstock

Consider eating more mushrooms for a better night’s rest – they contain melatonin, tryptophan and folate, substances known to promote good-quality sleep. Photo: Shutterstock 

How to wake up happy and stay that way? Exercise, the right breakfast, prep for the day

Your mood upon waking can determine how you feel the whole day, research shows. A Hong Kong-based counsellor offers his tips for getting out of the right side of the bed. Photo: Shutterstock

A sunrise-simulating alarm clock that uses light in place of sound is kinder than the shrill scream of a conventional one, and you will awaken more gently and naturally. Photo: Shutterstock

Nutrition, exercise and light exposure affect morning mood, as does bad sleep, says Michael Beckham, a clinical counsellor at Central Minds HK. Photo: Michael Beckham

Practising mindfulness and getting exposure to early morning sunlight are two ways to help nurture a positive mood in the morning that lasts throughout the day. Photo: Shutterstock

Stretch and breathe deeply on waking to boost your circulation and release tension accumulated while you slept. Photo: Shutterstock

Bruce Springsteen, 75, follows the Omad diet, but could you live on one meal a day?

Bruce Springsteen, 75, at an October 2024 rally for Democratic Party presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the US state of Georgia. Springsteen credits his fitness to following the Omad (one meal a day) diet. Photo: Reuters

Bruce Springsteen onstage in Las Vegas, looking very healthy at 75 years old. Photo: Getty Images

Eating “one meal a day is not a good idea”, says Brigham and Women’s Hospital obesity specialist Dr Caroline Apovian. Photo: Boston University

The Omad diet may not be suitable for some people, in which case the Mediterranean diet could be a better option. Photo: Shutterstock

Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

Food & Drink

Eat better to sleep better is the mantra of a researcher who studied which foods promote and hinder rest. Her findings led to a cookbook


Eat better to sleep better is the mantra of a researcher who studied which foods promote and hinder rest. Her findings led to a cookbook.


Food and Drinks

Healthy eating

Books and literature