Wednesday, November 17, 2010

THE TURKEY TRYPTOPHAN MYTH, AND WHY SOME OF US GET DROWSEY AFTER BIG MEALS

Status: Scientific controversy

Thanksgiving is approaching, which means the "turkey makes you tired because it has high levels of tryptophan" urban legend shall once again be heard at tables throughout America.

Baylor College of Medicine dietitian Rebecca Reeves debunks this legend in an interview with the Houston Chronicle: in reality, you'd need to eat an entire 40-pound turkey to get enough tryptophan to make a difference.

But her explanation of why people actually get tired after Thanksgiving dinner raises more questions such as, why do people take a nap on the couch?

Remembering my mother heading straight to the couch to lie down after a big dinner, I thought was very rude. Our guests were still there watching her nap. Now I realize her sensitive body crashed from sweets and carbs.   In my previous blog of 9/12/10, I wrote about "WHY MY SON'S BODY CRASHED AFTER ROSH HASHANAH DINNER".  He had the same food sensitivity as my mother. However, he did not go to sleep on the couch.  He just got tired suffering from headaches.

When people increase their carbohydrates, it increases their blood sugar, causing the production of sleep-promoting melatonin in the brain. Perhaps this could lead to sleepiness for some people.

Just think about it. Sweet potatoes with marshmallows, stuffing, cranberry sauce, noodle pudding and whatever else people enjoy eating at a Thanksgiving table.  And let's not forget the wonderful desserts.

So what the heck.  Let's all enjoy our scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner and worry about crashing later.  There is nothing like celebrating with family and friends enjoying one another during this happy feast.

If you have an interesting Thanksgiving day, please share with us on my website.  http://www.pushthewheel.com/

I WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY AND HEALTHY THANKSGIVING

1 comment:

George said...

As the Obamacare bill is supposed to be about health care the is other bill is supposed to be about protecting the public and the food they eat it's really about power over the people. It is surpose to protect.It's not about the protection it's about power and the sooner we realize this the sooner we get back or won't lose our freedom.