By Dr. Helen Mary Thomas D.C
We all know foods affect moods, relaxation and even sleep. It's hard to wrap our minds around the fact that a simple food like tart cherries would help put us to sleep. Yet,on a plane it would be real nice to fill our toddler's belly and get a drowsy happy little one.
Research has shown that plants have human neurotransmitters in them. But the questions is which ones and what do they do and how much should one take.
MIT did some of the original work on melatonin and phytonutrients as explained by Dr.Greger from nutritionfacts.org. He tells us that MIT bought a patent that allowed them to make supplements. Now the melatonin supplement industry is huge and largely unregulated making it difficult to know what you are buying.
Many big supplement companies are owned by big "Pharma" and that makes its purity and dosages suspect.
So for our children we turn to phytonutrients in food. As for tart cherries, sweet cherries work fifty times less and dry cherries don't have any melatonin in them.
The second most melatonin rich food is almonds. One ounce of almonds increases melatonin supply in the brain for a good night sleep.
Foods make small incremental increases of melatonin in the brain. And we only need small amounts of natural melatonin in the brain to relaxes us and put us to sleep.
Almonds also have many other wonderful effects like anti-carcinogenic effects.
The Ayurvedic recommendations for the plane is to take 10-20 almond remove skin by soaking for one hour. Grind almonds. Once you get into safe zone in airport for fluids buy a steamed milk put ground almonds and warm milk in thermos. Give half cup for 5 and up or more as desired. Or put in bottle for two or three years old. This drink is nourishing and relaxing.
There have been studies on happiness and fruits and vegetables.Basically the study say people who have vegetarian diets score higher on the scale in psychological test than meat eaters..
Daily, eating dried apples is at the top of list of richest in anti-oxidants fruit choice. This will enhance the little traveler's ability to adapt to stress.
This is a list of foods that have been identified by nutritional researchers to have high content of serotonin substances: plantains, pineapples, kiwis,plums and tomatoes for serotonin. For melatonin fenugreek and mustard seeds. Cottage cheese, beans, peanuts and potatoes supplies tryptophan.
Just click here and sign up for my Ten week Ayurveda Online Class. I will teach 40 minutes and then we will have live Questions and Answers. I always use evidenced- based research to support the food principles. I have been teaching and practicing Ayurveda for thirty years. Currently I teach at SRJC in Santa Rosa California.
See you at Class http://www.grnewsletters.com/archive/thomasgeneral/New-Online-Class-Ayurveda-Made-Easy-553020205.html?t=&u=yU3j