Turkey might contain tryptophan, but what experts say may surprise you.
"Many people regularly get twice the recommended tryptophan amount without even trying through beef, poultry, fish, eggs, soy, yogurt, cheese, milk, and vegetables," Cohen said."It’s difficult to not get the recommended dietary allowance of tryptophan – it doesn't just come from turkey."
Nutrition data published by the USDA’s FoodData Central database reports that a 100-gram serving of cooked turkey contains 252 milligrams of tryptophan. Rather than blaming the seasonal poultry staple for Thanksgiving sleepiness, experts say people are likely experiencing exhaustion caused by a variety of stressors that come from celebrating the holiday."When you eat a very large meal, such as turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, your gastrointestinal tract has to work harder to digest all this food.
Blake added,"Let’s not also forget all of the extra work that goes into creating Thanksgiving. The amount of time and effort needed to shop, prepare, and clean up the food served would give anyone cause to cuddle up on the couch for a post-dinner nap."Rather than blaming turkey for Thanksgiving sleepiness, experts say people are likely experiencing exhaustion caused by a variety of stressors that come from celebrating the holiday.