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Live Lean Nation, if you’re not sleeping well, your fat loss results, your muscle building gains, and ultimately your journey to Live Lean is destined to fail. On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m sharing 4 foods to help you sleep better (and get more gains)!
We all know sleep is important for so many reasons. But when it comes to building muscle and burning fat, lets be real, sleep is one of the most overlooked aspects of Living Lean.
If you’re NOT getting good quality sleep, you are slowing your gains in the gym and in the kitchen to a crawl. There are so many factors leading to poor sleep habits, but for this episode, I want help you supercharge your journey to live lean by focusing you on eating these…
Sesame seeds are high in the essential amino acid tryptophan which is a precursor to the neurotransmitter involved in sleep, serotonin. If you’ve never used sesame seeds before, click here to watch my Chicken Tahini Salad recipe video.
Speaking of tryptophan, it’s funny that most people associate it with turkey, cause we’re always tired after that big Thanksgiving Meal. And yes, even though turkey does provide a good source tryptophan, it provides just about the same amount as other protein sources like chicken, pork, and beef. What really makes you sleepy after Thanksgiving is the overconsumption of calories and sugary carbohydrates.
Now before moving on to Food #2, I want to address the debate that even though protein foods like meat are high in tryptophan, the protein can stop the tryptophan from entering your brain. Thus really not helping your sleep. But if you combine a dinner of meat along with a healthy carb option, the insulin released from consuming the carb, will help the tryptophan reach your brain, thus providing better sleep. But this doesn’t mean I want you scarfing down a pop tart… I want you have food #2 as your carb in the evening with your protein packed dinner…it’s…
The juice from Tart Cherries has been shown to help naturally produce more melatonin in the body. Melatonin is the key hormone that induces sleep. So try drinking one cup of tart cherry juice at dinner time and you’ll be chilling with your boy Bah-Bah in just a few hours.
Eating a banana a day provides a great source of magnesium which is a natural muscle relaxer. I always blend a banana in my post-workout shake. Other foods high in magnesium include nuts, seeds, and leafy greens like spinach. Getting sufficient magnesium in your diet throughout the day is key to a deep sleep.
This form of caffeine-free tea is a great late night soothing drink to have before bed time. It acts as a natural mild tranquilizer to help you go night night faster and enjoy a deep sleep. I also find a warm cup of tea stops the night-time cravings as well.
So there you have it Live Lean Nation…
In the comment section below, let me know how many of these foods you currently eat.
Also, I just created a new FREE downloadable Start Guide called the “5 Essentials To Living Lean”. The Starter Guide includes workouts, recipes, and eating guide, and more. Click here to go download that for FREE and kickstart your journey to Living Lean.
Click here to check out my Eat Clean Live Lean Cookbook for over 200 quick, healthy, easy, affordable, and delicious meals that are high in protein, low in fattening carbs, and higher in these super fats. You can also get access to an 8 week meal plan, with recipes, and grocery lists to supercharge your results faster.
It’s amazing the tasty snacks and meals you can come up with, using ALL READ HEALTHY INGREDIENTS!
I pity those “dieters” ruining their sustainable chances of Living Lean by eating boring foods.
CLICK HERE TO GET OVER 200 QUICK, HEALTHY, EASY, AFFORDABLE, & DELICIOUS RECIPES
– How many of these 4 foods to help you sleep do you regularly consume?
– Do you think you sleep well?
Be sure to share your answers in the comment section below and share this post with your friends via the social media icons on the side or below.
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Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.
Very interesting, good job and thanks for sharing such a good blog.
King regards,
Boswell Valenzuela
These are all good things to know and I have all 4 in my home right now.
Thanks for the help Brad.
If i get more than 8 hours of sleep a day…. ill have a headache or a
“sleeping hangover” I normally get 6 hours of sleep a day and feel like its
not enough, but when i do get more i feel like crap… idk what to do =(
There is one more food for easy to sleep.1 cup of warm milk with 1 spoon of
honey.Try it)
I’d say my sleep is varies from 6-8. I don’t eat any of those foods except
I usually have 1 banana after I workout. Gonna go and get some chamomile
tea to try tonight! Thanks for the vid!
Sleep for me is like 4/10. I have been diagnosed with schizophrenia and I
am taking medication. It takes me about a hour or longer to get to sleep. (
I also can’t sleep with any sort of noise.) I usually wake up past noon
when I go to bed most times at 11 pm. Thank you for making this video.
Good excuse to go back to eating bananas again The only problem is they go
bad quickly.
Hi Thanks) B*jamin Aye0=D!)
i eat a huge meal before bed and stay shredded year round! helps me pass
out too!
Guys im 13 and want to start building muscle but im never motivated enough
to continue the routines I start I eat alot of junk food at night as well
so I couldn’t sleep properly this video helped me out alot
Thanks again Brad! You rock! Keep changin lives my man!
Brad, i only have time to make my food at night! Can you make a video about
storing meals at the refrigerator for the week? And commenting how long
each ingredient lasts?
i want to know how long broccoli, sweet potatos, brown rice lasts.
When i reheat my chicken, it goes too dry, and it’s very hard to eat.. how
to deal with it?
I sleep like a baby! But I will start drinking tea at night
I only eat 1 type of food amongst those four, which is banana and quality of my sleep is 7. I need to improve and get myself that herbal tea.
You can just take some ZMA’s they put me rite to sleep
i love sesame seeds! i had no idea they help you sleep though lol
my sleep is 5…… I eat banana and sesame seed
Awesome. Needed this info. I can`t rest at all lately….Thanks !
I have the worst time sleeping!!!
My sleep is 10. Since I started eating healthy and exercising regularly,
going for a walk daily
your videos are dope! thanks for the info in all of them
Kind of looks like you have bed head brother. 🙂 thanks for the great
advice and all you do.
I would say my sleep is 9, and I fo use only two of those 😉
This is some great tips! I have had a bad stream of bad sleeping which was
getting me very depressed because my diet is on point and i been working
out alot but i know sleep is the time gains are being made. I am going to
try these foods out thanks brother!
I have a banana a day with post workout aswell! I think the quality of ny
sleep is good but it’s actually falling asleep that’s the problem will
definitely be trying the chamomile tea I find a cup of tea helps with the
cravings aswell,usually struggle between my last meal and bed!
I would have said 10 two weeks ago but now I’m at 2 or 3. Even the gym
doesn’t help me sleep better and evacuate stress level.
first
4 Foods to Help You Sleep
How many of these foods do you eat regularly? And how would you rate your
quality of sleep on a scale of 1-10 (10 being AWESOME)?