5 foods that help me sleep better, and at a low cost!

Yesterday was a somewhat sleepless night for me. Maybe I was too excited that the next day is a Sunday! Now, I feel groggy ><

I guess we all have our sleepless nights so what do you do to overcome that? I noticed that if I take certain food/beverage before going to bed, it does help in sleeping more soundly. Of course, there's lots of scientific reason behind how these food help us sleep better but I shan't go deep into the details cos what works, works.

And you may be happy to know that it doesn't cost a lot to get your good night's sleep!

Chamomile tea
Worry not as this herbal tea contains no caffeine and instead, is a natural relaxant. Believe it or not, I once had this during a dinner gathering with some friends and halfway through, I felt like dozing off.

That said, not all chamomile teas are made equal. For myself, I enjoy brands like Twinings which is available at leading supermarkets in Singapore, and Gryphon. For the record, I really like Gryphon's wide range of exciting flavours, especially Hanami (but don't drink this at night 'cos there's caffeine!). Way to go, Gryphon!

Brew chamomile tea bag for about 3 minutes. I usually pour less than half a cup of water to the tea bag so that I don't wake up in the middle of the night to use the toilet. I avoid adding sugar or honey as the extra calories is not necessary at night.

The next time you find yourself staring at the moon while in bed, give this amazing tea a try.

Taste: 4.5/5
Effectiveness: 4.5/5
Value for moolah: 5/5

Salmon
Salmon is high in DHA which is said to promote melatonin levels, a key ingredient for good sleep regulation. There's also a chockful of magnesium pretty much a natural muscle relaxant. What's more, this fish tastes especially good with teriyaki sauce. Yums. What's even better is, though it's a relatively 'fatty fish' some researchers believe, the omega-3 fats together with other components in it can actually promote weight loss. I eat lots of Salmon and I don't find myself putting on weight so I guess there's some truth to it.

Salmon is easily available at supermarkets and these days, many hawker centres and food courts serve it too.

Taste: 4/5
Effectiveness: 4/5
Value for moolah: 4/5

Blueberries
There researches that show that high levels of antioxidants, a kind of substance in our bodies, can help one to sleep better. Blueberries contain lots of antioxidants, as evident from its deep blue colour. These small and cute blue spheres are touted one of the most powerful foods of nature so don't hesitate to pop a few more into your mouth.

They are available at markets and supermarkets and prices vary. Prices can be pretty steep at certain places, at about $4-$6 per 125g. However, at wet markets, it can be as low as $3 for the same amount. On another note, I noticed that they get cheaper in the early part of the year.

Taste: 3.4/5
Effectiveness: 4/5
Value for moolah: 3/5

Oatmeal 
I know that oatmeal is a turn off for many people but I truly truly enjoy it and truth be told, I can eat it raw and dry. But you may want to throw in some raisins or dried apricots to healthily sweeten it, add some hot water and down it to warm your tummy. According to research, oats have melatonin and complex carbohydrates, both of which gets tryptophan going to regulate sleep. But take care not to add too much dried fruits to it as they can be high in sugar, which gets you high and excited, hence defeating the purpose of eating oats. Haha!

If not raw plain oats, I will usually buy Lowan's Apricot & Almod or Tropical Fruit muesli which is convenient and value-for-money, at about $4 for a 500g pack.

Taste: 4/5
Effectiveness: 3/5
Value for moolah: 4.5/5

Milk
I always enjoy milk, be it in the day, noon or at night. Based on my online research, there's no clear explanation for why milk can help promote sleep. While some think it's the tryptophan amino acid in milk, it could also be the melatonin in it. I usually add on some oatmeal to it as it makes this supper meal more gastronomically rewarding. Those keeping a watch on their weight can go for low-fat milk instead.

For myself, I enjoy meiji fresh milk as it doesn't have a funny taste or smell found in other brands which I shall not name.

Taste: 4/5
Effectiveness: 3.5/5

Value for moolah: 4.5/5

After all's said and eaten, of course, good sleep doesn't occur just through diet. Good life habits are crucial, like keeping active and healthy state of mind.

Though I feel tired now, nonetheless, it's time to enjoy my Sunday!

NB: I didn't eat the stuff above as I was too lazy to get out of bed!

Delicious Thai food on a budget

Satisfying your craving for Thai fare is not a tough affair in Singapore as Thai cuisine can be easily found everywhere. However, great Thai food is hard to come by, in my opinion, especially if you're talking about affordability. Hence, many people end up at popular chain joints like ThaiExpress or Siam Kitchen. Don't get me wrong; while they are tasty, I find them a tad steep and not so value-for-money.

Hence, I was really happy to find the Thai stall in Marina Square's food court, The Gallerie #04-101/102.

 It was a fortuitous discovery as I happened to crave for Thai Tom Yum soup and this was the first stall I passed by that serves it. I order a bowl of Tom Yum fish rice noodles ($5.50) and the pineapple fried rice set ($5.90), which came with a soup and mango (or was it papaya?) salad.

Often, rice noodles are too soft that they stick together and then clings to your teeth. Either that, they are undercooked and they get stuck between your teeth. Whichever it is, good rice noodles are rare here. I was really therefore very pleased with this stall's rice noodles as it was firm to the bite, what the Italians would call al dente. The fish was fresh and fragrant, and most importantly, the soup was rich without being too spicy..that means I could drink more without difficulty. If you're a chilli powerhouse, the server would happily add more chilli for you.

The pineapple fried rice didn't disappoint either. The rice was a tad overcooked but overall, it tasted as good as what a casual dining restaurant could serve. In the rice is chockful of seafood, egg, pineapple cubes and raisins, certainly delightful. Topping it off is a slice of omelet which didn't taste any special but the thoughtful addition (note that there's already lots of egg in the fried rice) was much appreciated. 

The next time you're craving for Thai food, you might want to swing by this affordable outlet.

I'll sure be back to try out other yummy-looking stuff on their menu, including the phad thai and tapioca cake!

 Address: Marina Square, The Gallerie food court #04-101/102.

Rating: Will be back!

The psychology of eating a tomato

If your skin is prone to outbreaks and dryness, you may want to consider eating tomato as a natural remedy. Sounds like a turn off (I think most people, including myself, don't like the taste of it)? Not to worry, it's a matter of mind over body; I'll share with you how I eat a RAW tomato in this post.

The tomato is one of the greatest gifts from nature and it's thanks to the chockful of antioxidants in them. If you just do a quick search on Google, you'll find tons of review raving about its goodness, and I am no exception. It is high in Vitamins C and A, both of which are known to be essential elements to good skin, and rich concentration of lycopene. Check out WHFoods for more information.

I used to have pretty bad and sensitive skin and whenever I take chocolates, biscuits or what Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctors/sinseh would term 'heaty' food, I'll have an outbreak and dry skin. That's really sad isn't it. Hence, for a period of time, I had to forgo eating my favourite snacks because my skin condition was getting worse.

I saw a dermatologist but the cream and medication prescribed weren't of much help. That's when I thought I should heal from within the body. A friend of mine recommended me to eat a tomato everyday. "OMG, are you serious?" was my first thought. While I love tomato sauce (ketchup), I don't think the tomato is one of the tastiest food around. But I've managed to overcome the psychological barrier of eating a raw tomato. Here's how:

Step 1: Bring the tomato close to your mouth. Smell it. (Honestly, an unpeeled tomato doesn't smell much so don't worry).

Step 2: Talk to the tomato. Tell it: "Thank you for giving me good skin." Kiss it. It's all about psychoing yourself to like it.

Step 3: Bite into the tomato. By this time, you'll get a whiff of nature and possibly a repulsive indescribable sour taste. Oh, and mind the juice!

Step 4: Your tongue may ask you to stop, but your mind gotta stay strong. Tell yourself: just swallow it! Forget the taste, I can do it!

Step 5: Keep thinking "this will give me good skin" and will yourself to take the next bite.

Step 6: A mouthful by a mouthful, finish the tomato.

It's really doable if you put your mind to it. Nowadays, I have pretty smooth skin and I still get to enjoy my chocolates and biscuits with no worries. Just one tomato a day for about 3 weeks and you should start seeing results. It's not so difficult; it's boils down to the habit of the mind. Nowadays, I eat tomato as a snack and though I still don't like the taste of it, I just eat it without thinking too much about it. Hail the tomato!

Before I end, let me share a riddle with you:

Chilli sauce and tomato sauce were running together. What did chilli sauce say to tomato sauce when tomato sauce was falling behind?

Ans: Catch up! (ketchup)

Cheers!

A sweet and fattening experiment

Just for experimentation purpose, I had a really sinful day and was on a sugar high all day, thanks to a high sugar and high fat diet, which I 'rewarded' myself to cos it's the weekend! Now I finally understand why high-sugar foods should be taken minimally.

Breakfast consisted of Lindt almond chocolate and Magnum ice-cream (my all-time favourite off-the-shelve ice cream), which I balanced out with a small cup of yogurt and oatmeal! I know that this is not exactly a balanced diet but I guess it'll do for the weekend. For morning tea break, I had a large piece of delectable Turkish chocolate cake and it kept me incredibly queasy for the rest of the morning. Nonetheless, it was well worth it. Close to noon, I popped a few pieces of savoury Lay's potato chips. Our bodies need sodium, don't they, I convinced myself.

The highlight for the day was chicken rice from the legendary Zhou Kee Hainanese Chicken & Roasted Rice at Ang Mo Kio Ave 10. Each grain was plump without being too oily and the chicken was succulent and juicy. Chilli is not needed as it's so good you can eat it on its own. Thereafter, I completed my meal with a piece of dark chocolate Tim Tam and Ribena. Yum.

While my taste buds were perked by the tasty treats, by late afternoon, my radar was on all-time low and I felt incredibly sleepy and lethargic. I couldn't think well and all I craved for was some sleep. But I didn't nap or whatsoever as I didn't want to waste a beautiful Saturday sleeping.

Hunger didn't strike till late in the evening and by then, I knew I should cut out the sugar so all I had was a lovely cup of milk and muesli. Lovely. By now, as I'm typing this, I sense my body moving back to status quo and I feel more energetic and alert. No wonder they say nature gives us the best things in life. Thank you, milk and muesli.

First toast!

Everyday brings a new life. Let's toast to life!