| It is a whole body solution. That is what it takes to find your way back to sleep. I do a lot of reading and research into all things that help with sleep to point out or tell you about some things to incorporate into your life that may work to promote sleep. Especially if there’s been some science or study behind it. The trouble with studies is that they didn’t study you but it does show that something might be working to help with sleep. I want to tell you about goji berries. Have you ever tried one? In Asia they are known as wolfberries, originating in northern China and very familiar in Chinese medicine where they’re known as “eye brightening”. They are very distinct, bright reddish colour. In fact, when I first encountered them in China, I thought they were fake because the colour looked unnatural to me. Too bad, my loss. The taste, I find is mild and perhaps a balance between sweet and sour. On occasion I have found fresh goji berries in the market as goji berry farms are being established in Canada. But usually I get the dried ones as they’re easy to find. I soak them first before putting them into my yogurt or oatmeal bowl. I prefer them soft but even dried would be fine. You can add them to trail mixes, or in salads or soups and I bet they would be interesting in a egg dish like a quiche. Or you can add them to baked goods – anywhere you add dried fruit. In my e-cookbook Nourished Sleep, I have a recipe for protein bread. After publishing the e-book, I discovered that it was an easy recipe to add goji berries. So for those of you who have purchased this book, go ahead and just add in about 1/4 cup. How about goji berries and sleep? Well there was a study that examined the effects of consuming goji berry juice (I have never seen this in the stores but a google search shows it is readily available). They studied healthy adults drinking this juice for 14 days. And there was a placebo group to compare. The goji juice group reported improvement in quality of sleep and ease of awakening as well as energy level, focus, mental acuity, calmness and feeling of health, contentment and happiness. WOW! Sounds like a magic elixir to me. But please note that they studied healthy adults. Not menopausal women. Not stressed out or anxious people. Or someone who has not been sleeping for a very long time. So it seems to me that without the healthy part, goji berry juice can do only so much. Still it is a healthy food to add. For example, it is a good source of Vitamin A and C, iron and fiber. This means they’re considered an antioxidant food that helps to neutralize free radicals that create cellular damage and inflammation in the body. Now there is another reason I wanted to write about goji berries. I was reading a recent study about these berries in regards to vision loss, in particular with aged related macular degeneration. The study had a group of people eat a handful of goji berries 5 days a week for 90 days. The other group was given commercial supplementation for the same period. The goji berry eating group showed an increase in the density of protective pigmentation in their eyes. Goji berries are high in lutein and zeaxanthin which is often what you find in vision supplements. According to the researcher, zeaxanthin in goji berries is highly bioavailable meaning the body absorbs it more easily making it available for use. This sounds very interesting and may possibly reduce the risk of eye disease related to macular degeneration. And perhaps I am more sensitive to this since a friend’s mother has macular degeneration and it affects the quality of her life. She is unable to recognize people’s faces, can’t see her food to eat, can’t properly see the television or make a telephone call without the number being programmed in. So if you haven’t had a eye exam in a while, maybe you might want to have one. Macular degeneration usually has no symptoms. And while you’re waiting for the appointment, eat some goji berries. |
