Sadly, that's not going to happen. However, maybe you can rope those with whom you are dining on Thursday into participating. Depending on the vibe at your Thanksgiving table, you can either ask the diners to keep track of what kinds of foods they eat, or you can assign your guests particular consumption objectives.
Then, before dessert, have everyone do a quick assessment of his or her energy level. High-tryptophan food like turkey , high carbohydrate intake. Prediction: sleepy. High-tryptophan food, high carbohydrate intake, extra protein. Prediction: not sleepy. High-tryptophan food, low carbohydrate intake, extra protein. Prediction: energetic. Skip the high-tryptophan food, high carbohydrate intake, extra protein. Skip the high-tryptophan food, low carbohydrate intake, extra protein. Prediction: frighteningly energetic.
Of course, if you track participant input a bit more precisely, maybe we'll stumble upon some other factor that turns out to be important, like vitamin A or sage. I'll compile the responses and we'll see if we can make sense of the data.
The views expressed are those of the author s and are not necessarily those of Scientific American. Janet D. Her explorations of ethics, scientific knowledge-building, and how they are intertwined are informed by her misspent scientific youth as a physical chemist. Follow Janet D.
Stemwedel on Twitter. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. More importantly, tryptophan by itself doesn't really make you tired. Foods laden with this amino acid are also loaded with a bunch of other amino acids that block your brain from absorbing the tryptophan and turning it into the sleep-inducing serotonin.
A psychiatrist named John Fernstrom looked into this back in and found that, "The main determinant of brain tryptophan and serotonin concentrations does not appear to be And let's be real hereThanksgiving isn't really about the turkey. It's about the carbs. When you mix tryptophan with generous helpings of mashed potatoes, bread, and pie, it floods your body with sugars.
Suddenly, all those other amino acids that were blocking your brain from absorbing that tryptophan suddenly have a new job: helping your body break down all those sugars. This article explores the environmental and…. For optimal health, it's a good idea to choose the foods that contain the most nutrients. Here are the 11 most nutrient-dense foods on earth. Calcium has many benefits, but most people aren't getting enough of this mineral.
Here is a list of 15 foods that are rich in calcium, many of which…. Salt, also known as sodium chloride, is abundant in most people's diets. This article explores whether salt is healthy or unhealthy. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. What does the science say about tryptophan? So why am I sleepy during the holidays?
How to avoid holiday grogginess. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Natalie Butler, R. Medically reviewed by Amy Richter, RD. Can Pickle Juice Cure a Hangover?
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