Cheap, easy to find, and a favourite fruit of many, you can’t go wrong with eating pears. They’re not just tasty too.
Eating a pear as part or your vegan or vegetarian diet can help you sleep and give you a number of health benefits as well.
We explain how, right here!
Disclaimer: You must always consult your doctor before including a new supplement or food into your daily routine as only your doctor can explain any pros or cons that are specific to you. Some supplements & foods may interfere with medications and/or cause allergic reactions.
The Health Rundown: What Pears Could Offer You!
This remarkable fruit is an anti-inflammatory, and is loaded with antioxidants. Both are crucial to keeping your health in check, and can even reverse damage done to your body.
The anti-inflammatory nature of pears has been studied before, and is important to note as many major diseases like heart disease, arthritis, diabetes and Alzheimer’s are often linked to chronic inflammation.
Therefore incorporating anti-inflammatory foods into your diet – like pear or walnuts – is a no-brainer.
Pear is also a great source of antioxidants. That’s important as antioxidants appear to have a direct effect on sleep quality, as they support the immune system and help promote restfulness at night.
Antioxidant foods also help protect your body and can even reverse damage that has been done by oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress comes about when there’s an imbalance between free radical molecules (which can cause harm) and antioxidants – that imbalance then causes illness and tissue damage.
The result can be the development of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease and many others. Therefore eating antioxidant foods – like pear or grapes – should be a priority.
The science has been backed up too. Consumption of pears has been linked to a reduction in risk of diabetes and stroke.
Pears have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities. Because of that, studies have shown eating pear to have a positive effect on health, potentially reduce risk of disease, and boost the immune system.
Eating A Pear Before Bed: The Surprising Sleep Aid
Although eaten around the globe for generations, it’s only recently that we’re discovering that eating a pear before bed may actually benefit sleep.
That’s because pears are a great source of tryptophan – an essential amino acid that we don’t produce naturally, and which we must obtain through diet.
Supplementing with this amino acid appears to decrease the time it takes to fall asleep as tryptophan helps your body produce an important sleep hormone called melatonin.
Melatonin regulates the sleep-wake cycle, and is so important to our sleep health that often individuals who are struggling to sleep – or have been diagnosed with insomnia – are prescribed melatonin. Therefore eating pears before bed could be a great way to top up your natural melatonin levels at the right time and help you sleep.
Tryptophan also helps your body produce serotonin – a hormone that helps with our mood, well-being and happiness. Serotonin has a role to play in inducing sleep, and is needed in order for the body to produce that all-important sleep hormone – melatonin!
It doesn’t end there either. Pears are rich in folate – also known as Vitamin B9 – which tends to be low in individuals that suffer from insomnia and sleep disorders. So topping up folate levels by eating pears could help sleep quality.
Pears are also low in sugar content and calories compared to other fruits, making them a perfect evening snack!
Eating a pear before bed could help sleep quality and onset due to the presence of tryptophan – which helps produce the sleep hormone melatonin – as well as folate. All of which have been shown to have a positive effect on sleep.
Pears: Incorporating Them Into Your Diet
Pears can be found in shops and supermarkets around the world. They are delicious and can be eaten in their natural form, and so are easy to incorporate into your diet.
There are many different ways to incorporate pears into your diet too. You can use them as a topping for yoghurt, as part of a fruit salad, or in a smoothie with kiwi, chia seeds, and strawberries!
For sleep benefits, eating a pear alongside a sleep superfood like pineapple in the evening will suffice.
Are There Any Potential Side Effects?
If you don’t have a pear allergy then moderate consumption of pears shouldn’t cause any side effects. However eating pears in excess could lead to side effects like bloating, gas, diarrhoea, and vomiting.
As always, we recommend consulting with your doctor if undertaking a diet change, or if you have concerns about how a specific food may interact with any preexisting conditions or medicines.