Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Insomnia - Food


Jer. 8:15 We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!


With yesterday’s post, we learned insomnia is a disease not just a simple brush-away illness. I’m referring to the people who have had trouble with sleeping for years upon years and never tried to find the culprit.

Today is the day we discuss some culprits that can keep you awake at night, most importantly – food!

Did you know certain food will inhibit your sleep? The time of day or night that you indulge in food can be a real problem when you’re an insomniac. Knowing the smart healthy foods to eat can help your sleep pattern while the wrong foods are going to do a number on your getting a good nights rest.

The right/healthy foods, no matter how tough it is to stomach, are going to enable you to sleep better at night. Whole grain breads and pasta, fruits and vegetables are all going to aid you in a better nights sleep.

I notice many insomniacs overindulge in unhealthy eating habits such as greasy foods, sweets, sugar and caffeine. They say they want to sleep better but do nothing to change or help in their sleeping behavior or even try to change their eating habits.

Like I said yesterday, I sleep a good seven to eight hours a night, peaceful, restful sleep. Am I a health nut? By no means! I eat two to three meals a day and a light snack well before bedtime, never right before and I never ever wake in the middle of the night seeking out a snack because I’m hungry.

I don’t eat greasy foods, I rarely cook in oils and I even more rarely eat out at a fast food restaurant or ANY restaurant for that matter. They are not concerned with your health when selling you that tasty, mouth-watering meal; they’re concerned with a sale and it tasting so good you return over and over again to their establishment.

I eat chocolate maybe twice a year and if I have pie it is either pumpkin or some sort of fruit pie like apple or peach. I sometimes snack on cookies but no more than three. I have never been one to eat more than my stomach can handle and have never been a glutton for things that just aren’t good for my health. My son says I eat like a bird. But I'm only concerned for my health NOW before it becomes a problem like the health issues that haunt my family members.

My mother developed Type 2 Diabetes because of her love of Whitman’s Chocolate, my father developed heart disease because of all the greasy foods my mother cooked and the over abundance of salt in their food. While I love seasonings, salt is hardly ever used in my house. I just never acquired a taste for it after being fed it for 17 years; salt was never a staple in my home cooked meals. You want it, you add it, that’s my motto! I love adding seasonings to my food to make it more appealing; pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder/salt, oregano, etc., etc. I also love to add garlic, onions mushrooms, green pepper, you name it.

There is an old saying you are what you eat. I believe this for some odd reason. If you eat unhealthy foods you are going to be unhealthy and have all the illnesses that unhealthy eating will bring about, including insomnia, heart disease, heart failure, diabetes and so many other illnesses that unhealthy eating will cause to surface, usually after it is too late to turn back the clock.

But the good news is, you CAN turn back the clock! You CAN begin to eat healthy and watch your weight change, watch the positive healthy change take place in your body. Your health will change, your sleep or lack thereof will change and you’ll feel better and hopefully live a longer more productive life because of these changes. The choice is up to YOU!

Jer. 33:6 Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.




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