Eat Right for Your Needs to Ensure Better Sleep

The fact is that most people eat more calories than they need while also consuming less nutrition than they need. This causes problems with nutrition and digestion, eventually leading to serious health problems like heart disease and diabetes. In addition, being unwell can lead to issues with getting restful sleep each night.

This article is the second in the Getting Better Sleep Series. Click here to read article one.

• Choose Based on Your Goals – Whatever diet you choose, select it based on your health goals, and then check up on yourself to find out if it’s working for you. If it is, keep going. If it’s not, try something new.

• Eat Mindfully – When you eat, pay attention to what you are eating. Enjoy it. Smell it. Feel the texture on your tongue. Being thoughtful about eating is important because you don’t want to rush it. Eating is one of the most pleasurable things a human can do. So why not take your time and do it without being distracted by other things. Even if you’re choosing to eat something off-plan right now, take the time to immerse yourself in the joy of it.

• Get Smaller Plates – Most people eat far too many calories today due to the large plates and servings you’re used to seeing at restaurants. Studies show that plates are 30 percent larger and so are our servings. If you’re unsure what a serving is, look at the package or look it up on the internet to find out. You may be shocked at how small servings sizes really are.

• Drink Enough Water – Water is very important, so make sure you drink enough water each day. Most people need at least 68 ounces a day, but some may need as much as 100 ounces depending on your weight, where you live, and how much physical activity you do. However, you should drink it throughout the day and not just at mealtimes.

• Eat As Close to Nature as Possible – There are so many processed items to eat these days, from ‘superfood powders’ to things you would never have considered before you saw them. Remember that the food industry is here to make money, and they don’t care if you’re healthy or not, but they sure will use “health” as the reason you should buy their product.

Whether you choose to be plant-based or meat-based, the important thing is to stick to your eating plan more often than not. Don’t think about the politics or marketing of it all. Instead, find an eating plan that you like and stick to it at least 80 percent of the time, and you’ll end up with most of the rewards.

The next article in this series is Get Moving if You Want to Rest Better Every Night.