Killing two birds with one stone ~ or ~ stop eating in the middle of the night!

It has been a major goal of mine for a very long time–and believe me, I’ve tried everything … or so I thought.

Since I’ve known Bill he’s been a “night stalker,” though not the kind that solves supernatural mysteries.  No.  He’s the kind that crawls out of bed in the night, turns on the television, and then rummages around looking for something to eat–ideally something crunchy (his nemesis), and I’m not talking celery or carrots!

Jokingly, he says this night apparition is not him at all and therefore he is not to be blamed.  He says it’s some other guy over which he has no control and he is not responsible for his actions.  That guy is really annoying.

After Bill’s heart event, he fortunately gave up the middle of the night crunchy snacks (which is synonymous with “highly processed” MOST of the time).  Usually he indulges in a banana (sometimes with nut butter) or a couple of clementines.  Yet sometimes I’ll see evidence of snacking on albeit healthy whole grain spelt crackers and nut butter, which makes me scowl a little in the morning, but he’ll say he had a bad night or a bad dream or just couldn’t sleep.

COMPROMISE

I would rather he didn’t eat in the night and could sleep through.  I worry about the calorie load,  or that this nocturnal eating might be affecting his sleep negatively.  True, he’s been doing this for decades–since even before I knew him, so maybe some people just don’t sleep through the night!  In fact I read recently that humans used to sleep in two shifts and they still do in some cultures.   I’ve finally come to terms with the idea this may not be a winnable tug of war and in fact I should stop tugging.  I’m a slow learner.

So I asked myself, “What can I give Bill that would satisfy his desire to snack, that would take long enough to consume to give him time to get sleepy again, and at the same time be low in calories?”  And then it hit me… GOLDEN MILK!  A win-win because it also contains healthy, anti-inflammatory spices that are good for the heart.

To get started I picked up a jar of Gaia Golden Milk.  It’s easy to prepare and delicious.  A little bit of an acquired taste if you’re not used to turmeric, but it doesn’t take long to really appreciate the flavor.  You just heat a mug of milk (I use unsweetened, organic almond milk) then stir in a teaspoon of the Gaia powder.  It wants to clump a little so you have to stir vigorously to get it to blend.  I then add pumpkin pie spice and just a little raw honey.  Of course you can also mix it up in a small saucepan.  A cup of almond milk, along with the Gaia Golden Milk and drizzle of raw honey is only about 70 calories.

I pour it into a pre-heated thermos before bed so he has steaming, delicious Golden Milk ready to sip whenever that night zombie guy moves him.  I’m a good wife. 🙂

Curcumin is what makes turmeric a functional food.

Golden Milk is a traditional Ayurvedic tonic and wellness ritual that has been enjoyed for centuries and can be sipped anytime of the day.  Gaia’s mix contains organic turmeric, black pepper, Ashwagandha, dates and other herbs.  It’s important to consume turmeric with black pepper (or black pepper extract) in order for your body to best absorb the healing and anti-inflammatory compounds of curcumin.  Curcumin is what makes turmeric a “functional food,” defined by the Mayo Clinic as “foods that have a potentially positive effect on health beyond basic nutrition.”

Like most natural anti-inflammatory herbs and spices, turmeric may slow blood clotting, so if you’re taking any anticoagulant or anti-platelet medications, please check with your doctor first before drinking Golden Milk.

As for my very own and much loved “Night Stalker”, he says he likes the Golden Milk and it seems to be helping with the middle of the night munchies most of the time.  I enjoy it too and sometimes have a steaming cup before bed–it seems to help me sleep.

If you’re interested in learning more, or want to make your own Golden Milk from scratch,  check out this article from Dr. Weil.  It includes a recipe as well as a link to a video on how to prepare it.