Did you know that the foods you eat can have a serious impact on your sleep?
Here’s an example. Remember the Atkins diet which was very popular a few years back? The reason it was popular was because it worked well. Many people lost weight on the Atkins diet which urged it’s followers to eat plenty of meat and other protein foods as well as foods high in fat like fried eggs and sausages. On the banned list were bread, pasta and other carbohydrates.
What’s all this got to do with sleep? It turned out that some people on the Atkins diet found they were having trouble sleeping at night even if they’d never previously had sleep problems. This is because their carbohydrates were so restricted, they developed a condition called “Serotonin Deficiency Syndrome”
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter formed by the body from eating foods containing the amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan is found mainly in carbohydrate rich foods like rice, pasta and bread. If your diet is too low in carbohydrates you will probably be low in serotonin.
Serotonin is converted into melatonin via the pineal gland. Melatonin is the sleep hormone that controls our circadian rhythm. Without melatonin our sleep-wake cycle is disrupted.
So that’s why it’s best to have a high protein breakfast and lunch and have plenty of carbohydrates like pasta, rice and potatoes for dinner.
Foods for insomnia that contain serotonin include dairy products such as cottage cheese, cheese and milk, soy products, seafood, poultry, whole grains, beans, rice, hummus, lentils, hazelnuts, peanuts, eggs, sesame and sunflower seeds.
Foods that keep us awake contain tyramine. Tyramine is an amino acid that causes the release of a brain stimulant called norepinephrine, that can keep us wired all night long. Tyramine foods include ham, bacon, sausages, cheese, aubergines, tomatoes, red wine, peppers, smoked meats, fish and, (unfortunately), chocolate.
How about what we drink? Most of us know not to drink coffee, tea or cola in the evenings, but what about the supposedly healthy energy drinks? You know, like the ones that give you wings?
Energy drinks can cause widespread insomnia, especially among teenagers who use them to stay awake longer and study better. Manufacturers of these so called “healthy” drinks purposely target our young folk with their advertising.
These energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine and taurine. Taurine is an amino acid that causes an alert state. Combined together these substances can cause high blood pressure, elevated heart rate and dehydration. They’re also easy to become addicted to.
These drinks become especially dangerous if alcohol is added. This is because you’re combining the energy drink which contains stimulants and alcohol which is a depressant.
We simply don’t need these drinks to feel energetic. All your getting are empty calories combined with a chemical cocktail which could lead to sleepless nights even if you consume them in the morning. All we really need for energy is water, the right foods and enough sleep.
Eating the right foods for insomnia and avoiding energy drinks can radically improve your sleep. Worth a try!
What You Eat And Drink Can Keep You Awake!
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Meal Time – a Family Affair for Many Generations
Meal Time – A Family Affair for Many Generations
In the past, it was traditional that at all three mealtimes, breakfast, lunch and dinner, the family would all gather round the dinner table to eat. Someone – usually one of the children – would set the table, Mom or Grandma (or both!) would prepare a healthy, delicious meal which would be laid out on the table. Dishes would be passed around the table, a prayer would be said, and clean-up would take place before any children could play.
While that probably reminds you of your own childhood, how often does it take place in your own home? Having a family mealtime can afford you with a lot more benefits than you might think. Sure it takes longer, and sure, everyone has to bend their ever-so-busy schedules to it, but just imagine some of the wonderful benefits of a family mealtime!
A family mealtime can enable you to be able to teach your children how to cook – properly! Many children today simply can’t cook anything out of a microwave, and don’t know how to follow a basic recipe. Using family mealtimes as instructional times can be a wonderful opportunity for you to teach your children how to cook good, healthy meals. Showing your children and grandchildren the basics, such as how to time cooking many dishes at once, food preparation and substitutions, the mathematics involved in cutting a recipe in half or doubling it, and many other cooking lessons can be invaluable later in life. Passing on of family recipes from one generation to another generation.
Having a family meal also allows you to bring your family closer together as a family unit and to involve the entire family with an activity all at once. In today’s world, how often does your entire family get to sit down with one another at the same time? Use this fantastic time as a way to start conversations between members of your family. Discuss the high points and low points of each family member’s day. Learn how your children are doing in school and extra-curricular activities (if they are not home schooled). Most of all this provides an environment where your family can talk to each other and listen in an open forum. Grandparents offer discussion of history and family traditions.
This can also bring your family closer together in other ways. You can have each family member plan one meal for the week, or have your family plan meals together. Use this as a time to think about the nutritional value of each meal, to incorporate all of the food groups, and to also make sure that everyone has a chance to eat their favorite foods! The ideas are limitless, and it will encourage an atmosphere of sharing, kindness and caring.
Let each member of your family take part in mealtime, from setting the table to taking turns doing the dishes afterwards. It is all about family participation and sharing. Include every member of your family and be sure to be absolutely firm about this aspect of your lives. Many times schedules and appointments can interfere with family dinners, but this is a very important part of your family life, and it should be treated as such by all members of the family.
Meal time isn’t simply the time for us to eat, it is a time for us to come together as a family unit and to strengthen our bonds together. Whether you can eat one meal together a day or three, it is important to set aside at least one meal a day as a “family meal”. Your family will thank you for it!
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Does Allah Eat and Drink?
A group of disbelievers went to the Prophet, Muhammad and said to him: ‘Describe to us your Lord. Tell us: what is He made of? And to which species does He belong? Is He made of gold, copper or silver? Does He eat and drink? Who did He inherit this world from? And to whom will He bequeath it? And What is the lineage of your Lord?”
And so Allah, gloried and exalted is He, revealed this short Surah; that is composed of four short verses
The Surah (112) says:
Say: He is Allah, the One!
Allah is the eternally Besought of all. He begetteth not nor was he begotten.
And there is none comparable unto Him,
He does not have anyone who resembles Him or is like Him
——————
Verse 112:1 says
Say to them, O Muhammad: He is Allah, the One, He has no son or partner.
Verse 112:2
Allah, is Al-Samad, in Arabic
Al-Samad is one of Allah names
The Arabic word Al-Samad has many meanings.
Al-Samad means the Self-Sufficient,
the eternally Besought of all!
It also means
the Master whose glory is at its peak and for Whom all created beings are in need;
He Who does not eat or drink;
He Who does not have an interior;
He is the Everlasting;
He is the Self-Sufficient,
the One Who is always sought at times of need,
The eternally Besought of all is Him,
Verse 112:3
He neither begot, for no likeness of Him can exist, nor was begotten, since createdness is precluded in His case.
And Al-Samad means:
He begetteth not nor was begotten?
This means that He did not inherit His dominion; for anyone who is begotten will certainly die and whoever dies will be inherited. Allah does not die nor is He inherited.
Verse 112:4
And there is none comparable unto Him
He does not have an opposite, peer, or equal or anyone who may resemble or begin to resemble Him;
And it is also said this means: He does not have any co-equal who would compete with Him about dominion and sovereignty’.
Nor is there anyone equal to Him’, neither match nor comparison.
This is Allah, your Creator!
——————
Surah 112 in different English translations
Verse 112:1
QARIB: say: ‘he is Allah, the one,
SHAKIR: say: he, Allah, is one
PICKTHAL: say: he is Allah, the one!
YUSUFALI: say: he is Allah, the one and only;
Verse 112:2
QARIB: the called upon.
SHAKIR: Allah is he on whom all depend
PICKTHAL: Allah, the eternally besought of all!
YUSUFALI: Allah, the eternal, absolute;
Verse 112:3
QARIB: who has not given birth, and has not been born,
SHAKIR: he begets not, nor is he begotten
PICKTHAL: he begetteth not nor was begotten.
YUSUFALI: he begetteth not, nor is he begotten;
Verse 112:4
QARIB: and there is none equal to him. ‘
SHAKIR: and none is like him
PICKTHAL: and there is none comparable unto him.
YUSUFALI: and there is none like unto him.
