Post-turkey dinner tiredness comes from tryptophan (an amino acid) in turkey.
a) True
b) False
The answer is: b. False. This is an urban legend. According to Jonny Bowden, author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, (Fair Winds Press, 2007), four ounces of turkey has less than half a gram of tryptophan.
So, why do we get so sleepy? The answer to this conundrum is a simple one: It's because we eat too much food at Thanksgiving dinner.
Bowden explains that when you overeat, blood rushes from your head down to your digestive tract to do some hard work as it processes your food. The lack of blood in your head makes you feel tired.
[Source: The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth, (Fair Winds Press, 2007)].
Do you know the answer to our next food fact?
Cranberries, a tasty Thanksgiving treat, help to prevent what:
a) urinary tract infections
b) dental plaque
c) certain cancers
d) all of the above
Click for the answer
|
|
more ask the expert
