I've been elected by the National Turkey Union of America to dispel the myth that turkeys are the only one to blame for sleepiness when you eat your thanksgiving meal.
They also asked me to shoot down the myth that they are so stupid that they drown in the rain by looking up at it.
Done and done.
Let's start with the science.
While it's true that turkeys contain tryptophan, which scientists say acts as a natural sleep aid and a good mood, it's also true that you'd have to eat about twenty servings of turkey to get the knockout effect!
Allow me to explain.
A few slices aren't going to knock you out. You would have to eat 20 servings of turkey which would provide about 410 milligrams of tryptophan to equal one dose of tryptophan pill form.
Adults who take tryptophan supplements take doses of 5 grams before bed to help improve sleep. By comparison, two servings of turkey contain 410 milligrams tryptophan which is considered an important daily nutrient dose.
Therefore, as the turkey's told me, there are other culprits that slip tryptophan into that Thanksgiving meal.
They are (in no particular order) milk, cheese, beef, chicken, nuts and soybeans.
Throw in the fact that it gets dark earlier at this time of the year and your body naturally gears up its melatonin (the sleep hormone) and you get the picture.
Couple that with booze which is a common feature in most holiday feasts, and you're ready for a short winter nap.
I'm honored to have been selected as this year's National Turkey Union's representative.
There's a rumor going around that the National Pig's Association is going to ask me to discourage people from eating ham this Christmas. Their president suggests eating turkey this Christmas.
As it stands, if you fall asleep during the football games don't blame it all on the turkey!
No comments:
Post a Comment