Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I think it's time to finally disprove the whole turkey-tryptophan myth. For some ridiculous reason turkey has developed the rep of being extremely high in tryptophan, which is thought to be the reason why most of America gets so sleepy after a huge Thanksgiving meal. Tryptophan, one of the 20 essential amino acids, is responsible for the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin, a substance that regulates appetite, sleep patterns, and mood. In some ways the myth is true...turkey does have tryptophan, about 350mg per 200 calorie serving. The reason why this whole notion is a myth is because the tryptophan content in turkey is basically identical to that of other types of meat and poultry, including pork, chicken, beef, salmon, and lamb. I don't see people falling asleep on the couch every time they eat chicken or a hamburger. And really if you think about it, most people don't eat a lot of turkey on Thanksgiving...we mange out on the sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and all of those other calorically dense foods. We get tired and sleepy because we eat so much in one sitting, and as a result our body has to spend the majority of it's energy burning off those calories, carbs, fats, and sugars. So, from now on, whenever Thanksgiving rolls around stop hating on all of the Turkeys...it's not their fault we're falling asleep.
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