To be a well-rounded healthy person, you must pay attention to all the different aspects of your life, whether it is fitness, food or sleep. All of them go hand-in-hand so you cannot neglect one or the other.

Many people often neglect their sleep in order to finish other important work. Losing sleep can be detrimental for your health, and if you are unable to sleep, you may be causing other issues for your health. When you are facing these issues, it is easy to get medication, but there are many side effects to them. There are many foods that can help you feel better and aid in your sleep. Although eating before you sleep is discouraged by healthcare professionals. These foods boost the serotonin in your body and help you fall asleep.

Role of Serotonin and Tryptophan

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps control your sleep. When you don't have enough serotonin, you might find it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep. This is called insomnia. You can't get serotonin directly from food, but you can eat foods that have tryptophan. Tryptophan is a special building block that your body uses to make serotonin. It also helps make melatonin, another chemical that helps you sleep. So, eating foods with tryptophan can help your body make the sleep chemicals it needs. These chemicals help your brain and body know it's time to rest.

Foods That Boost Serotonin In Your Body

Banana & Almond Butter

This snack combines carbs, protein, and healthy fats for steady energy and sleep hormones. Almond butter stabilizes blood sugar, preventing waking up at odd hours, while bananas and almond butter relax muscles with magnesium and potassium, promoting calm and restful sleep.

Greek Yogurt with Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds

Yogurt improves sleep quality and supports gut health, which influences sleep. Tart cherries provide melatonin, and pumpkin seeds offer tryptophan and magnesium, working together to induce sleep and maintain it throughout the night.

Eggs

Eggs, especially yolks, boost tryptophan for serotonin production, aiding sleep. They are nutrient-packed with tyrosine, choline, biotin, and omega-3s, and their versatility makes them a convenient, healthy bedtime snack.

Cheese

Cheese is a tryptophan source, promoting relaxation and sleep. Mac and cheese combines cheese, eggs, and milk for a tasty sleep-friendly snack. Cheese also provides calcium, benefiting both sleep and bone health.

Edamame

Edamame offers tryptophan and isoflavones, improving sleep, especially for women. It's versatile, eaten plain or seasoned, and adding it to a snack mix enhances gut health, contributing to improved sleep quality.

Popcorn & Cashews

This high-fiber snack improves sleep; cashews provide tryptophan, and popcorn fights inflammation. The mix of carbs, fiber, healthy fats, and protein creates a well-rounded snack that supports both health and restful sleep.

Chia Pudding

Chia pudding's fiber supports gut health, aiding sleep. Chia seeds' magnesium and calcium help convert tryptophan to serotonin. Milk enhances calcium, further assisting sleep. Adding fruit and nuts boosts carbs and tryptophan for an even better sleep-promoting snack.

Salmon

Salmon provides tryptophan and omega-3s, aiding sleep and heart health. A frittata combines salmon, eggs, and milk for a nutrient-rich sleep snack. Salmon also balances cholesterol and lowers blood pressure, contributing to overall well-being and better sleep.

The West Bengal government’s recent move to substitute eggs with soybean, paneer, and other vegetarian sources in Kolkata’s midday meal scheme has been met with mixed responses. Amid concern for protein deficiency in children, we took a deeper look into the eggs vs soybean debate.

Eggs Vs Soya: Which Is Better?

After the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) took over midday meal duties in Kolkata, it switched to an all-vegetarian diet that entailed removing eggs. The move sparked a debate about the efficacy of vegetarian sources of protein, especially plant-based ones like soybean.

Experts believe that it's not a matter of one food vs the other but understanding the distinct nutritional benefits of each.

HealthandMe spoke to Dr. Aaryin Memon, Clinical Nutritionist, Bhailal General Amin Hospital, Vadodara, about the impact of relying on soybean for protein instead of eggs.

Dr Memon says that protein is one of the key nutrients during childhood and plays a role in the growth, development of muscles, immunity, and brain function. She says that eggs and soybeans are both good sources of protein, but they have different nutritional profiles and impact on the body.

As we have always been told that eggs are the gold standard when it comes to protein for the following reasons:

• Eggs contain all nine essential amino acids in highly available forms.

• Eggs are packed with vitamin B12 and vitamin D.

• Eggs also contain choline, selenium, and healthy fats.

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Additionally, eggs are important for growing children as they contribute significantly in all-round development.

The expert says, “They contain a great amount of choline, which is essential for brain development, memory, and learning.”

When it comes to vegetarian sources of protein that match the nutritional value of eggs, soybeans are one of the top on the list. It is an excellent source of protein, dietary fibre, iron, calcium, magnesium, and beneficial plant compounds including isoflavones.

Soya can also help satisfy children's nutritional requirements and is a recommended vegetarian source of protein, according to nutritionists. It is also inexpensive, readily available, and appropriate for egg-free children's diets due to dietary, religious, or cultural preferences.

But the nutritionist points out that there are differences in their nutritional profiles.

Dr Memon says, “Soybean is a good source of protein, but plant protein is less bioavailable than animal protein. Certain nutrients like vitamin B12 are not found in plant-based protein sources. Additionally, the iron found in soya does not get absorbed in the body as well as iron from animals.”

Soybeans’ comparatively weaker nutritional profile is the reason why vegetarians have to rely on a diverse range of high protein foods like pulses, dairy products, legumes, nuts and seeds, as well as foods rich in vitamin C to support iron absorption, like fruit and vegetables.

This brings us to the conclusion that school meal programmes should embrace an 'either-or' option and include eggs and well-planned vegetarian options where possible. This enables children to have the right kind of nutrition and takes into account differences in their diets.

Heartburn and bloating are common indicators of indigestion. According to the US National Institute of Health, more than one billion people worldwide suffer from heartburn and related acid reflux, while nearly 18 per cent of the global population suffers from chronic bloating weekly.

Spicy foods are commonly blamed for heartburn and bloating; however, Dr Saurabh Sethi, a Harvard-trained gastroenterologist, has debunked this myth by claiming five recurring habits that he has seen common amongst such patients in his vast years of experience.

Addressing these underlying issues may help improve symptoms before turning to additional medications, he said, in an Instagram Post.

• Not enough fiber in the diet

Topping the list is a problem that affects a large portion of adults: inadequate fiber intake.

Fiber plays a critical role in maintaining a healthy gut microbiome and supporting regular digestion.

”A fiber-depleted gut feeds the wrong microbes, leading to excess gas and bloating,” Dr. Sethi said. The daily fiber intake target for an adult should be between 25 and 38 grams, which most adults fail to meet.

• Chronic stress

The connection between mental health and digestive health is stronger than many people realize.

The gastroenterologist stated that the gut-brain axis, the communication network linking the digestive system and the brain, is real, and stress can alter gut motility, increase symptom perception, and worsen both bloating and reflux.

• Wrong use of Peppermint

Peppermint tea is a naturally caffeine-free herbal infusion made from leaves of the peppermint plant, widely enjoyed to soothe digestion and reduce bloating.

However, it can cause the opposite of treating bloating by relaxing the lower esophageal sphincter and worsen heartburn.

“You may be treating one symptom while triggering another,” said the specialist, who has performed over 1000 endoscopies.

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• Lying down after the meals

Another common habit among patients with chronic heartburn is lying down shortly after meals.

The doctor explained that gravity is the best antacid, and lying down within 2 to 3 hours of eating can cause heavy acid reflux. Dr. Sethi claims that he sees this pattern in chronic heartburn patients every week.

• Eating too fast

Many people rush through meals without realizing the impact it can have on digestion. One of the biggest contributors to bloating is swallowed air, which increases significantly when people eat too quickly.

"Your stomach isn't a trash compactor," said the gastroenterologist. He also talked about how fast eaters swallow significantly more air than slow eaters.

Dr Sethi said that for people struggling with chronic heartburn and bloating, the solution may not always involve eliminating spicy foods or adding another medication.

From the United States to India, the problem of food-borne diseases is constantly on the rise. The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that 402 US foodborne disease outbreaks were caused by marine toxins in fish and shellfish over the last 23 years, and the researchers also revealed that foodborne diseases caused 1,280 illnesses, 96 hospitalizations, and one death.

The research team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education parsed data from the CDC’s Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System (FDOSS) from 2011 to 2023. The data have been provided voluntarily by the local state and health authorities to FDOSS through the CDC’s National Outbreak Reporting System since 2009.

Improper storage of fish at uncontrolled temperatures can lead to the formation of histamine, a compound that may trigger allergic reactions in people. It can also promote the production of scombroid toxins by bacteria that contain the highly active enzyme histidine carboxylase. In addition, other marine toxins may originate from algae and accumulate in fish and shellfish through the food chain, occur naturally in certain fish species, or arise from as-yet unidentified sources.

The authors of the study said that marine toxins cause most of the noninfectious outbreaks reported to FDOSS each year. They also wrote, “Marine toxins that cause foodborne illness are tasteless, odorless, resistant to cooking or freezing, and can produce a complex variety of gastrointestinal, neurologic, and neuropsychologic symptoms.” Then added, “Among persons with severe illness resulting from ingestion of marine toxins, cardiovascular and respiratory manifestations can result in hospitalization and death.”

FSSAI Introduces Stricter Quality Checks For Seafood

The contamination through seafood has also compelled the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to bring forth a stricter quality check for them. Recently, India’s food regulator has introduced new safety standards across a wide range of foods, and one of them was seafood, such as prawns.

The draft regulations by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) cover heavy metals, toxins, antibiotic residues, and quality standards for both commonly used foods and emerging edible products, the Times of India reported. The new regulations are expected to come into force on December 1.

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Notably, the FSSAI's new safety standards will also apply to a wide range of foods, such as besan or gram flour, edible and cold-pressed seed oils.

In a separate draft notification, the FSSAI proposed quality and safety standards for lesser-used edible oils made from chilli, tomato, muskmelon, and okra seeds as demand rises for cold-pressed oils, seed-based snacks, and plant-based nutrition products.

The draft rules also cover edible seeds such as watermelon, cucumber, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, and flaxseed sold in raw, roasted, or salted forms, requiring them to be clean and free from insects, fungus, and visible contamination before sale.