{"id":2671,"date":"2021-07-06T13:00:32","date_gmt":"2021-07-06T13:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wakefit.co\/blog\/?p=2671"},"modified":"2021-07-09T20:41:52","modified_gmt":"2021-07-09T20:41:52","slug":"conversation-with-nikita-suresh-on-good-food-for-good-sleep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wakefit.co\/blog\/conversation-with-nikita-suresh-on-good-food-for-good-sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"SleepTalk with Wakefit: In Conversation with Nutritionist and Fit India Ambassador Nikita Suresh"},"content":{"rendered":"

The best sleep habits need to take into account a number of factors, from good diet to proper exercise. To help you develop good sleep habits, we invited nutritionist and Fit India ambassador Nikita Suresh for a chat on food, sleep and all things wholesome.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

In the post, Nikita answers questions, which will help you develop the ultimate sleep habits. From finding out about the ideal sleeping hours to the ingredients of healthy sleeping, Nikita has covered everything.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Building good sleep habits such as developing a good sleeping ritual or having the right snack before bed etc. a lot of beans were spilled in this interview. So get your notebook ready, and dive in!<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Nikita<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This month, Nutritionist Dr. Nikita Suresh, Ph.D, a wellness coach and Fit India Ambassador, who is on a mission to educate and motivate people to adopt a healthy lifestyle with proper food and sleep habits, shares some nuggets of wisdom with Wakefit. <\/span><\/p>\n

Nikita\u2019s journey as a nutritionist<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

Talking about choosing to be a health coach, Nikita reveals that it started off with a desire to improve her own health and sleep habits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPrior to 2010, I had been overweight by more than 10kgs. I then began to work out regularly with the primary aim of losing weight. During this journey, I decided to become a Zumba fitness instructor to inspire others to start exercising,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At this point, Nikita was studying nutrition in Mount Carmel College.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe knowledge gained in this field helped me understand that the primary aim of exercising and consuming a proper diet should be to develop good health and not merely for weight loss\u201d, Nikita adds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With this newly acquired perspective around healthy sleeping and good living, Nikita decided to become a nutritionist and help others improve their lives too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Healthy sleeping means happy living\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

Talking to us about her personal philosophy of subscribing to a holistic lifestyle, Nikita shares her equation for good living as: <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Healthy<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Since good sleep habits is a big part of this equation, we asked Nikita her thoughts on the relationship between sleep and food.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Talking about the strong connection between healthy sleep habits and good food, Nikita says that if one were to put it simply, lack of sleep results in a higher risk of binge-eating and making unhealthy food choices.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStudies have shown that <\/span>chronic lack of sleep increases the risk of obesity<\/span><\/a><\/span> and higher waist circumference,\u201d she cites. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It is a vicious cycle because poor food choices, coupled with irregular food times contribute to poor sleeping hours, Nikita adds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Suggested read: <\/b>Sleep Intern Vijay Thanki\u2019s Transformation Happened Through Good Sleep Habits<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Why snacking before bedtime is counted among bad sleep habits<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

Many people love snacking before bed. Nikita, however, labels this as one of the bad sleeping habits that needs to go to the dumpster.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nikita recommends refraining from food at least 2 to 3 hours before your ideal sleeping hours.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are really hungry or stressed, she suggests brewing a cup of chamomile tea for yourself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An alternative, she says, is a glass of milk with turmeric.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can include magnesium rich foods such as bananas, tender coconut water and almonds as these are foods for good sleep, Nikita advises.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Having said that, Nikita reiterates that it is best not to consume food a couple of hours before your ideal sleeping hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

Foods to avoid for healthy sleeping<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Foods that you must avoid before bed which do the opposite of what sleep inducing foods do include,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n