You don’t always need to make a full meal in order to help combat your insomnia. You can always make yourself a little snack to have in the evening. Bananas are an excellent source of tryptophan, which is an amino acid; most famously known to be in turkey. When your body; specifically the liver, absorbs tryptophan it converts it to niacin, or B-3 and 5-HTP. This in turn helps produce serotonin and melatonin, two components needed for a full rest at night. A side affect of not enough tryptophan is depression, irritability and insomnia.
Try this recipe for Banana Bran Muffins for a late evening snack!
Makes: 1 dozen muffins
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
? 1 large egg
? 1 large egg white
? 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
? 1 cup unprocessed wheat bran
? 1/4 cup canola oil
? 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
? 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
? 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
? 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
? 1/2 teaspoon salt
? 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
? 2 tablespoons chopped pecans, or
walnuts
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.
Whisk egg, egg white and brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Add buttermilk, banana, bran, oil and vanilla and whisk until blended. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredients; add wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups and sprinkle with nuts. Bake until tops spring back when touched lightly, 15 to 20 minutes. Loosen edges and turn muffins out onto a wire rack to cool.
NUTRITION
Per muffin: 197 calories; 7 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono); 18 mg cholesterol; 33 g carbohydrates; 4 g protein; 3g fiber; 251 mg sodium; 188 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (17% daily value).
Carbohydrate Servings: 2
2 other carbohydrate, 1 fat