Real World Nutrition Podcast Episode 7: Five Real World Nutrition Thanksgiving Tips

There isn't enough tryptophan in turkey for it to affect us.

A couple of years ago, a friend told my husband and me about his nightly ritual of eating a "big turkey sandwich" and a glass of milk before he went to bed – claiming it helped him sleep. He repeatedly emphasized the big turkey sandwich. I finally asked him why he kept repeating that. He said it was because the tryptophan in the turkey helped him get to sleep.

I had to break the news to him: it wasn't the turkey that helped him get to sleep so much as it was the "big" sandwich, no matter what kind he made. A large amount of food was probably doing it to him and NOT the turkey.

He didn't believe me: it was in a Seinfeld episode (The Merv Griffin Show, season 9). Jerry Seinfeld, the comedian (and the show's writers), have GOT to know more than me about this topic.

Here are the facts:

Turkey contains tryptophan.
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid (one of the building blocks of protein).
Tryptophan, the dietary supplement (specifically L-tryptophan), is marketed as a sleep aid.
Chicken and ground beef contain about the same amount of tryptophan as turkey. Sunflower seeds and soybeans contain more, as does milk.
To affect our brain and make us sleepy, tryptophan must be consumed on an empty stomach with no protein present to affect our brain, which tells us we are sleepy.

So does turkey make us sleepy? No.

There isn't enough tryptophan in turkey to affect us, it has protein, and generally, we aren't eating it on an empty stomach. If the tryptophan in turkey made us sleepy, then the chicken dinner and the dinner with beef would have the same effect. So it just doesn't add up.

Why do you feel the need for a nap after Thanksgiving? If you ate a lot of food and had many carbohydrates (potatoes, rolls, stuffing, and the pie) along with any alcohol, you have found your answer! Even if you don't consume alcohol, you are likely to get sleepy if you have more carbohydrates.

So, even if you nap after dinner, don't blame the turkey or the tryptophan!