Sleep-inducing smoothie

  • 5min
  • 1
  • 307 kcal
  • Easy
  • Vegan
  • Lactose free , Dairy free

Per 200 ml contains

307 kcal 1284 kj
15%
20.5 g
29%
4.3 g
21%
14.2 g
15%
0.3 g
5%

of an adult's recommended intake.
Typical energy values per 100ml: 624kj/154kcal

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Authored by Peer reviewed by Gemma Grange
Originally published

Packed full of colour and flavour, this delicious fruit smoothie is an ideal snack to give your body a boost of essential vitamins and minerals as the cold winter nights draw close!

During darker months when the clocks turn back, for some of us, these changes can disturb our usual sleep pattern or in fact make an already disturbed sleeping pattern worse. Give our 'all the greens' smoothie a go - packed full of flavour and specifically chosen ingredients to promote a better night's sleep!

Ingredients

  • Kiwi fruits
    2
  • Avocado, destoned and peeled
    ½
  • Apple juice
    60ml
  • Spinach, frozen
    20g
  • Juice of half a lime
  • Ginger, peeled and grated
    1cm cube
  • Ice cubes
Show all

Cooking Method

  1. Place all ingredients into a smoothie maker/blender.
  2. Blitz for 15-30 seconds.
  3. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Nutritional Information

Typical Valuesper 100mlper 200ml serving
Energy
154 kcal
624 kj
307 kcal
1284 kj
Fat
of which saturates
10.3 g
2.1 g
20.5 g
4.3 g
Carbohydrate
of which sugars
16.2 g
7.1 g
32.4 g
14.2 g
Fibre5.2 g
10.4 g
Protein2 g
4.1 g
Salt0.1 g
0.3 g

This recipe is naturally lactose-free and so, for those with a lactose intolerance, it is a great alternative to milky drinks commonly recommended to help you sleep better at night.

Also, consuming this smoothie as part of your before-bed ritual is sure to boost your vitamin and fibre intake for the day. It also counts as one portion of the national '5-a-day' fruit and vegetable recommendations. Due to the natural sugars released in the blending process, no more than a 150 ml glass of smoothie or fruit juice is recommended per day. 

Pair this smoothie with one of our tempting before-bed biscuits for the perfect bedtime snack!

Ingredients

The 'sleep-promoting' kiwi fruit is high in serotonin, and folate (deficiency of folate has been linked to insomnia) and is packed full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants which all play a role in improving sleep quality. 

There is also evidence that the more saturated fat and sugar you drink, the poorer the quality of your sleep and the more likely it is to be disrupted. The average creamy hot chocolate drink is high in both saturated fat and added sugar.

And while milk may contain the amino acid tryptophan, which is supposed to help with sleep, a glass of milk or cocoa contains only one tenth of the 1 gram needed to have a significant impact on sleep. What's more, even if you drank a gallon of hot chocolate to get your gram of tryptophan (not recommended, by the way - you'd be up all night in the bathroom!), the amino acid doesn't seem to have an impact if you have severe insomnia, or if your sleep pattern is normal.

This smoothie, by contrast, gets its creaminess from avocado, which is low in saturated fat. While the kiwi provides some sweetness, it's less than you'd get from several teaspoons of hot chocolate powder. And as an added bonus, it contains fibre, which has also been linked with better sleep.

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