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Is your dinner feeding your insomnia?

Gondwanaland

Senior Member
Messages
5,092
In the past few days I did an involuntary experiment regarding my dinner and am posting my superficial conclusions here.

I had increased the amount of leafy greens and steamed vegetables on my dinner plate a couple of weeks ago and noticed that it correlated with poorer sleep.

What I am actually doing now is resctricting high salicylate foods from my dinner plate and sleeping the whole night again. Salicylates are hard on the gut, liver and kidneys to be metabolized and excreted. They are plant hormones and phenolic compounds which raise uric acid in order to be excreted.

Perhaps this info can help someone else out there. Just a little food for thought ;)
 
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Crux

Senior Member
Messages
1,441
Location
USA
Do you have a good chart or list of high salicylate foods? I've seen some, but nothing really consummate.

If anything can cause insomnia, I'll check it.

Thanks!
 

Mij

Messages
2,353
I eat my main meal at breakfast, smaller lunch and less towards 6pm. I don't eat after 6pm. The not eating after 6pm rule does make for better sleep. I don't think eating greens makes any difference for me though.
 

WoolPippi

Senior Member
Messages
556
Location
Netherlands
I think that eating my main meal at mid-day instead of in the evening, is helping with all osrts of things including sleep. I fast from 5 pm till 8am.
I do the same, just like Mij. :balloons::balloons:
If I eat after 5 PM I'll wake up around 3 AM for sure, with a busy tummy. If I eat leafy greens it's even more busy down there, more pain.

I have a diet fairly high in full saturated fat, I'm never hungry. Straight flat blood sugar levels. And better sleep.
 

Crux

Senior Member
Messages
1,441
Location
USA
I don't think I can do without avocados, carrots, and almonds.:depressed:

I do intermittent fasting, but only for about 14 hrs. from dinner to breakfast. Sometimes blood glucose felt low in the past, but I've increased protein, and that seems to have stabilized it.
 

drob31

Senior Member
Messages
1,487
Say we start with a template like paleo autoimmune, then remove oxalates and salicylates from it.

What does that leave? parsley? lol
 

WoolPippi

Senior Member
Messages
556
Location
Netherlands
My advice is don't eat them everyday. Perhaps every other day in rotation? Avoid to fill up your salicylate bucket, so you will not need to restrict the foods you love :heart:

It seems I've naturally gravitated towards a diet without them.... Makes me wonder :)

Wiki says this about food sources:
Unripe fruits and vegetables are natural sources of salicylic acid, particularly blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupes, dates, grapes, kiwi fruits, guavas, apricots, green pepper, olives, tomatoes, radish and chicory; also mushrooms.[citation needed] Some herbs and spices contain quite high amounts, while meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products all have little to no salicylates.[21] Of the legumes, seeds, nuts, and cereals, only almonds, water chestnuts and peanuts have significant amounts.[22]
 

L'engle

moogle
Messages
3,196
Location
Canada
I don't feel great with a lot of fruits and vegetables. I do better getting nutrients from grains, seeds, legumes etc.
 

Gondwanaland

Senior Member
Messages
5,092
I need my carbs! Gluten-free* that is ;)
I don't exclude hi sals foods, but try not to have them all in hte same day as I did when I was trying to follow AIP.
Potatoes I eat let's say 1x or 2x weekly, but the other nightshades are also out of my plate.
I am getting dairy (no milk) b/c I need lysine and want to avoid too much supplementation with Lysine-HCl (acidosis).

EDIT-- *and soy-free as well
 

rosie26

Senior Member
Messages
2,446
Location
NZ
I need something to eat before I go to bed, I sleep better. A milky drink and a piece of toast or a weetbix with milk a little sugar.

I notice when I make a salad meal with grated carrot, tomato, capsicum, few sprouted beans, peas and lentils, little grated cheese, sliced beetroot, boiled egg, rocket or mesculn and some cold meat, I feel a boost of energy or something. My body just loves it and I find about a hour or so later my appetite is increased - which is a good thing for me. I don't think vegetables are a problem for me regarding sleep but I usually have dinner a lot earlier in the evening, so it is not close to bedtime.
 

Gondwanaland

Senior Member
Messages
5,092
How about lectin sensitivity as well? It seems like salicylates and lectins are in the same foods, no?
I react differently to them. Since upping my T3 I am no longer sensitive to lectins it seems :angel:

Salicylates OTOH induce metabolic acidosis because I have some defect in the uric acid metabolism (my father had gout once, so it runs in the family)
 

drob31

Senior Member
Messages
1,487
I react differently to them. Since upping my T3 I am no longer sensitive to lectins it seems :angel:

Salicylates OTOH induce metabolic acidosis because I have some defect in the uric acid metabolism (my father had gout once, so it runs in the family)

T3 seems to literally be healing you.

Did you say you had hashimoto's or are seronegative?