068 Moe Schlachter - Balancing Sleep, Nutrition & Mental Health

Understanding the Human Condition

Moe Schlachter is a registered nutritionist and dietician who obtained his Masters of Nutrition degree at Texas Woman’s University. He is a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES formerly known as CDE). Moe has been recognized by the Texas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as Young Dietician of the Year in 2015 and with the Dietician in Media Award in 2020.

Today, he joins the show to discuss the connection between sleep and nutrition and recommendations for balancing the two in order to achieve sound mental health.

Key Takeaways

01:25 – Moe Schlachter joins the show to discuss the relationship between nutrition and sleep

03:20 – Sleep disturbance, melatonin, and tryptophan

08:11 – Why it’s difficult to pinpoint or zero in on one food or nutrient to improve sleep

09:31 – Sleep and nutrition in adolescence

10:51 – Separating food from sleep and a healthy cutoff time for caffeine

13:30 – Foods to avoid and foods that help with inflammation issues

14:44 – How to recognize disordered eating

16:22 – Advice for new parents looking to improve their sleep

17:35 – Sleep debt and catching up on sleep

18:39 – Recommendations for balancing sleep, nutrition and mental health

21:19 – Dr. Flowers thanks Moe for joining today’s show to share his expertise and let’s listeners know where they can connect with him

Tweetable Quotes

“About seventy million people in this country have some kind of sleep deficiency. And the cost is really really big. It can contribute to heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, stroke. It affects mood, productivity, and safety. So, sleep is super important.” (02:57) (Moe Schlachter)

“Valerian is another nutrient that is an extract from a root that can help us fall asleep and increase our sleep quality. Ashwagandha is a supplement that can help us improve sleep as well. Foods like cherries and kiwis have different chemicals that help us boost production of melatonin and can help us fall asleep too.” (07:29) (Moe Schlachter)

“When it comes to nutrition science, it’s sometimes difficult to isolate specific nutrients or foods just because we, as a being, rely on so many different nutrients to support life function. So, if we’re trying to zero in on sleep and isolate those nutrients, we can’t really control other nutrients we need for other life functions. So, it can be tricky to try to zero in on one food because there isn’t really the science of just focusing on one thing.” (08:21) (Moe Schlachter)

“I would say you should cut off caffeine by about 1pm or so if you’re finding that caffeine is keeping you up. But, if you’re ok with it and it isn’t interrupting your sleep then caffeine shouldn’t be a detractor for you.” (13:15) (Moe Schlachter)

“When there’s disordered eating, there’s also disordered sleep. It’s a cycle. Starvation makes it harder to sleep. There’s more anxiety. There’s less restfulness. There’s less relaxation. And that promotes even more anxiety which makes it harder and harder to eat. It’s a cycle that devolves.” (15:21) (Moe Schlachter)

“You cannot correct for a long pattern of chronic sleep deficiency, whether it’s caused by a condition or caused by not setting the right regiment or rules for yourself. It’s something that, over time, the effects can accumulate.” (18:05) (Moe Schlachter)

Resources Mentioned

JFlowers Health Institute – https://jflowershealth.com/

JFlowers Health Institute Contact – [phone]

Subscribe on your favorite player: https://understanding-the-human-condition.captivate.fm/listen

Moe’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/moe-schlachter/

Moe’s Email – [e-mail]

Houston Family Nutrition – https://houstonfamilynutrition.com/

**The views and opinions expressed by our guests are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect those of J. Flowers Health Institute. Any content provided by our co-host(s) or guests are of their opinion and are not intended to reflect the philosophy and policies of J. Flowers Health Institute itself. Nor is it intended to malign any recovery method, religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything.

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