Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
Just to bust the Thanksgiving myth and maybe help some of you with your next trivia game, no the tryptophan in turkey does not make you sleepy. Purified tryptophan is a mild sleep-inducing agent, but it does not function well as part of a meal. Eating foods containing it may cause blood levels of the amino acid to rise, but not enough will get to the brain to make you sleepy. Tryptophan needs to be taken on an empty stomach and without any other amino acids or protein to make you sleepy. The fact is that soybeans even have a higher concentration of tryptophan than turkey does. Plain old overeating alone can make you sleepy. It takes lots of energy to digest a large meal. When your stomach is full, blood is directed away from your other organs, including your nervous system, to your digestive system. This will make you feel tired, especially if the meal was high in fats and carbohydrates. There are other reasons you will get tired after a Thanksgiving meal, but I will leave you to research that yourself.
I hope you all enjoy your meals. When your laying down to take your nap or snoozing at half-time, take a moment to think about what you are thankful for, even if it is just that you have a full stomach. Happy Thanksgiving!!