Anyone who has experienced tossing and turning in bed after indulging in a hefty pizza meal might suspect a link between food choices and sleep quality. For Marie-Pierre St-Onge, a seasoned researcher and director of Columbia University’s Center of Excellence for Sleep and Circadian Research, extensive studies have validated this assumption.
St-Onge points out that data from significant population research indicates a clear relationship: consuming a diet high in saturated fats and simple carbohydrates can impede achieving deep, restorative sleep. Conversely, individuals suffering from sleep deprivation were more prone to obesity. According to St-Onge, “It’s a cycle of having poor sleep leading to poor dietary choices, and lower dietary quality that further propels poor sleep.”
Curious whether nutritious food could improve sleep, St-Onge explored the connection in her research, culminating in a co-authored cookbook titled “Eat Better, Sleep Better” with Kat Craddock, editor-in-chief of the food magazine Saveur.
St-Onge is confident that better food can enhance sleep quality. Her cookbook’s recipes are grounded in her research, demonstrating that individuals with fiber-rich diets report improved sleep, and the recipes emphasize sleep-supporting ingredients.
Ingredients such as nuts, seeds, and whole grains like barley, buckwheat, and kasha are rich in melatonin, which the body produces to regulate sleep cycles. Anti-inflammatory ingredients like ginger and turmeric, alongside phytochemicals in vibrant produce such as squash, cherries, bananas, and beefsteak tomatoes, have all been shown to enhance sleep quality.
Beyond individual ingredient properties, St-Onge explains that the synergy of certain foods is crucial for encouraging hormone production essential for sleep. For instance, tryptophan, an amino acid sourced from food, needs magnesium, zinc, and B vitamins to transform into melatonin and serotonin efficiently.
St-Onge cautions against expecting immediate sleep improvements by consuming particular ingredients at dinner. The digestive system requires time to process foods and convert nutrients, necessitating a healthy overall diet throughout the day for optimal nutrient readiness.
The cookbook, offering recipes for every meal including snacks and desserts, is structured into a 28-day meal plan aimed at improving sleep. Craddock, who crafted the recipes, found inspiration in the diverse range of ingredients she enjoys cooking with, though aligning them with nutritional standards posed challenges.
“My instincts are to go hard on bacon and butter and cheese and heavy cream, and she pared a lot of that back,” Craddock reveals. She discovered alternatives, achieving distinct flavors with olive oil and smoked paprika instead of bacon. “It was a bit of a dance back and forth between my more restaurant approach to making foods delicious and her nutritional goals.”
An example is a Creole gumbo inspired by a lighter, vegetarian variant often eaten during Lent, replacing traditional pork andouille sausage with leaner chicken sausage and incorporating an abundance of mixed greens to create a healthier vegetable stew accompanied by brown rice as a complex carbohydrate.
Packed with charts and research, the book is more than a nutrition guide—it’s an invitation to explore international culinary treasures beyond everyday selections. “If you dig a little deeper and look a little further, there are healthful and flavorful and exciting ingredients from many cultures that are right in our own backyard,” says Craddock.
