Sweet Dreams: Fruits and Vegetables for Better Sleep

How did you sleep last night? Sleep is essential to health and happiness! Without enough of it, our mood, memory, and cognitive function suffers.

If you spend time tossing and turning, adding certain fruits and vegetables to your diet could improve your sleep quality.

Here are seven fruits and vegetables that may help you get a better night's rest!

Cherries

A perfect summer snack, cherries are one of the highest sources of naturally-occurring melatonin, the sleep hormone.

The tart variety has been shown to increase melatonin levels.

When cherries are out of season, stop by Wholesome Bites to pick up tart cherry juice!

Bananas

Well known for being a great source of potassium, bananas are also a good source of magnesium, vitamin B6, and tryptophan, which is converted by the body to melatonin!

Pineapples

Like Bananas, pineapples have also been shown to increase melatonin levels. In fact, in a comparison study, pineapples increased melatonin markers more than bananas.

Kale

This cruciferous leafy green is filled with calcium which helps the brain produce melatonin. Calcium uses tryptophan (found in bananas) to make melatonin in the brain.

Kale is just one member of the leafy green family that are fantastic for health!

Wholesome Bites carries organic Kale from Eden Valley Farms.

Tomatoes

Once you fall asleep, you'll want to stay asleep! Tomatoes could help with that. They are rich in lycopene, which is a phytonutrient that can help you remain asleep.

Lycopene is absorbed better if it is first warmed in fat, so making a hot tomato soup with olive oil or simply simmering tomatoes in oil can allow you to reap the benefits.

If you have yet to try the delicious tomatoes from Eden Valley Farm, you are missing out! Get some while they are available in store!

Carrots

There are so many ways to eat carrots! Raw, cooked, or juiced, carrots may help you fall asleep easier.

They are full of alpha-carotene, Vitamin A, and carotenoid, which has been suggested to improve sleep.

Have you ever tried a purple carrot? Try one of the organic rainbow carrot bunches at Wholesome Bites!

Oranges

While carrots contain Vitamin A, oranges are a good source of Vitamin B. This vitamin can help improve circadian rhythm, serotonin synthesis, and the brain's sleep-promoting neurotransmitter, GABA.

Studies suggest that oranges can increase melatonin levels within the body by nearly 47 percent!

Come into Wholesome Bites to get delicious organic produce at your next visit! Be sure to ask our friendly associates about other products that may help you sleep. We're always happy to see you!