Dude...I'm so wasted on tryptophan! Ya' got any more?

Let’s put this tryptophan myth to rest right now!

First of all, it’s NOT a myth. Well, mostly.

Second of all, turkeys have tryptophan in them naturally.

Third of all, so do many other foods like chocolate, oats, bananas, mangoes, dates, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, red meat, eggs, fish, peanuts, and all poultry.

Fourth of all, tryptophan is not something injected into turkeys to give us a happy, sleepy, drug-induced feeling of well being after the Thanksgiving meal...(see Second of all).

Tryptophan is one of many amino acids the body needs to produce protein. We don’t make it ourselves internally. We need to acquire it in our diet. This essential element, in large doses, does affect our serotonin production and has been prescribed in the past as an anti-depressant. This practice was ended years ago because of its after-effects, namely muscle pain.

That overwhelming desire to stretch out on the couch (or any other convenient flat surface) after the meal stems from a combination of causes, not the least of which is alcohol. Hello! Ding ding ding! Let’s not forget the gorging of one’s self on a plethora of sweets, snacks, MSG-laden junk, and a shitload of all carbohydrates in existence in a relatively short amount of time. Of course we want to take a nap. It’s a wonder we can even wake up from this post-turkey-day debauchery!

There is a consensus among nutritional eggheads that pounding a couple slices of turkey (by itself) near bedtime may produce a slight sleepiness in most people. But so does warm milk, a Hershey bar, or a few Buffalo Wings. Don’t forsake the sleepy-time benefits of a nice hot toddy just before retiring. At least with booze, you won’t have to brush your teeth again.

So, if you still can’t seem to find the word tryptophan on the label of your Thanksgiving turkey, don’t worry. It’s in there! And it always will be.

Nighty night!