But Americans will eat 45 million turkeys this Thanksgiving - that's some 675 million pounds of high quality protein.
And pound for pound, in fact, turkey has less fat and more protein than beef or chicken.
Contrary to popular myth, the tryptophan in turkey will NOT make you sleepy.
For one thing, turkey doesn't contain an unusually high amount of tryptophan. Chicken and beef contain about the same; soybeans, cheese and pork have more.
Second, a good share of the tryptophan you eat never makes it through the brain's protective barrier (a sort of neurological red velvet rope, no one gets in without being on the list. And while tryptophan does have an invite, it is easily crowded out by the throngs of competing amino acids waiting in line after a protein meal.)
Likely it's the consumption of lots of fat, lots of carbohydrates (hello insulin!) and lots of extra calories that makes you sleepy. Scientific American has a good explanation here.
[A note on tryptophan: It's an important amino acid and a prescursor to serotonin. While research does suggest that tryptophan levels in the brain can affect serotonin production and circulation, it is important to emphasize tryptophan levels correlating with serotonin were measured in the brain. Levels outside of the brain can be substantially different. Breaking down the protein you eat, and getting enough tryptophan successfully across the brain's barrier in order to increase brain tissue levels of the amino acid - that's probably not happening during a typical meal, although it can be done. More on this amino acid in future posts...]
But getting back to turkey...
Check out the country's only turkey museum, brought to you by the National Wild Turkey Federation (who knew?)
Be thankful for turkey, and enjoy a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!
