You’re in for a treat. Our sleep expert Dave Gibson’s mouthwatering, slumber-inducing concoction is a mix of natural yoghurt, walnuts and tasty fruits that are packed with a generous dollop of antioxidants and the sleep hormone melatonin. Yum.
If you’re not keen on the fruits listed, mix them up. As long as you’ve got a healthy mix of the sleep-promoting ingredients in there (don’t worry, we’ll tell you what’s what), you’ll be waking up feeling brighter than ever in no time.
Top tip from Dave: While eating certain foods for sleep is key, timing is as important as what you gobble up. Try leaving a couple of hours between eating and going to bed so all the yummy nutrients can get to work.
fruit salad
ingredients (and their brilliant-for-sleep benefits)
Serves 1
- 1 banana (bursting with muscle-loving minerals and vitamin B6 for a ‘relaxation effect’)
- 1 kiwi (full of antioxidants and vitamin C, which are thought to settle fidgety sleepers)
- ⅓ watermelon (contains lycopene, an antioxidant known for aiding sleep)
- ⅓ pineapple (can increase levels of melatonin)
- a handful of walnuts and almonds (high in magnesium, essential fatty acids and melatonin, all essential for sleep)
- a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds (a sleep superfood, packed with tryptophan and zinc which boost our sleepy hormones)
- a few dollops of natural yoghurt (high in calcium which supports quality shut-eye; a probiotic yoghurt is a healthy gut boost and is also great for our zzz's)
- ½ teaspoon honey (contains glucose which reduces the level of Orexin, a neurotransmitter that can keep us awake)
method
- Pick your fruit combination then add nuts, seeds yoghurt and honey to taste. You’re now good to go - enjoy.