SLEEP

[Lilac]

I had ordinary chicken breast, so not a gelatinous cut. But it was organic.

Potato chips, homemade, sound appealing. Good vehicle for a lot of salt. Thanks!

Fresh pork and processed ham are now a complete no-go for me. A year ago, I had food poisoning from one thin slice of ham two days in a row. It was bad. A year later, a ham and cheese sandwich sounded so appealing. A small portion two days in a row and I was very low energy and gloomy. I mean, never, never, never again. I have now reassessed the food poisoning as food poisoning + allergic reaction, on top of having had a flu a few weeks before that. If you’re recovering from an illness, I would say be even more cautious with foods you have a sensitivity to.

[J.R.K]

Ham tends to be considered a highly processed food depending on the type of processing procedure. Can you elaborate on whether it was a dry cured ham or whether it contained phosphates, and added water and possibly starches?

Like yourself I do not consume pork as part of my regular diet, only periodically. Since following a Peat inspired diet I try to stick to ruminant based meat proteins. Even chicken is a rarity for my menu choices. But I live in a household that is more mainstream in their food choices.

But your experiments on impact of food choices on sleep is interesting and I thank you for sharing your results.
Do you think that the gelatinous aspect of your food choices might possibly play a role in your  sleep? Simply based upon the anti inflammatory amino acid profiles seen in gelatin, coupled with getting the adequate protein and fat for satiety and to mitigate hypoglycaemia from the overnight fast? @Lilac

[Lilac]

I suspect we are on the same wavelength in our thinking about processed ham and pork. I now think if it is brand (or type) dependent. My first strikingly bad experience was with a ham steak (one of those thick slices of ready-to-eat ham, often found by the bacon). Ate it two days in a row, with cabbage yet (bad choice), and was in a gray gloom on the second day. Last year, food poisoning from sliced deli ham. Contamination + allergenic food + weakened immune system from previous flu = very bad reaction. Then recently, a drop in energy and mood with a little deli ham two or three days in a row. So highly processed American style ham in all those cases. I also seem to remember a bad experience with pork chops. I don’t generally see organic pork in the supermarket, so I’m sure what I ate was ordinary pork.

I can’t say I have ever noticed a problem with ordinary American bacon. (I usually buy something labeled all-natural, humanely raised–which is perhaps a step better than the cheapest brands.) I haven’t noticed a problem with imported Italian pork products, like prosciutto. I plan to avoid these things too for a while.

I limit chicken to about once a month now, and it really needs to be organic. I like it for the change of pace.

One time I had beef soup in late evening and had a really good night’s sleep. I have never been able to reproduce that, though. I’ve also tried a teaspoon of gelatin dissolved in hot chocolate but never noticed a significant improvement.

I suspect a bowl of ice cream would be magic, but I cannot go down that road. I would be in a gray gloom about being fat!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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