Sleep-inducing smoothie

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.