Everyone associates Thanksgiving with turkey.
We also associate eating turkey with being sleepy.
Why is that? Everyone believes its the tryptophan and they'd be half right.
Tryptophan is a chemical that makes people drowsy.
It works by being transformed into seratonin and ultimately melatonin, the chemical our brain produces naturally that makes us go to sleep.
Tryptophan aids in melatonin production and does result in us being sleepy.
BUT, other similar foods (such as chicken) contain almost the exact same amount of tryptophan.
So why then, do we feel sleepy? The answer is from the overload of carbs.
Thanksgiving dinner does not only include turkey but tons of other delicious foods.
Yams, potatoes, stuffing and whatever other foods your family serves is chock full of carbohydrates, These carbs make the body produce insulin which allows for the tryptophan ingested through the turkey much easier to reach the brain and kick in its effects.
There are tons of other foods that has more tryptophan in them than turkey.
Here are some of the highest counts of tryptophan per 100g serving: egg white, dried spirulina, cod, soybeans, Parmesan cheese, caribou, sesame seed, cheddar cheese, sunflower seed, pork chop, turkey, chicken, beef, salmon, lamb chop, perch, wheat flour, milk.
As you can tell, tryptophan seems to be found in foods that are high in protein.
So, if you want to know if a food you are eating contains tryptophan, ask yourself if it has a high protein content.
If yes, then eat some carbs and you are ready to fall asleep.