Turkey Pardon: That's one lucky bird.
But what’s the science behind the sleepiness? A common misconception is that tryptophan (an amino acid found in high levels in turkey) causes Thanksgiving drowsiness. In reality, it’s a combination of a meal loaded with carbohydrates that are challenging for the body to break down – inducing insulin production and a cascade of events which ultimately triggers the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates sleep – and the resultant diversion of blood flow to the stomach and away from the brain to handle the digestion process. The same physiological characteristics drive why one would not want to go for a run or swim just after eating – your muscles and stomach fight over a fixed volume of blood circulating through your system…and ultimately one of them would have to give. Other factors leading to Thanksgiving drowsiness may be alcohol consumption and relaxation over extended vacation. The clearest resource I found on the subject was written for 4-year-olds, while this one is slightly more comprehensive and very good as well.
While I typically eat carb-rich sandwiches for dinner ($5 foot longs, baby!), I also try to knock out a salad each day for lunch to avoid the midday drowsies. It typically leaves me needing a mid-afternoon granola bar for a little energy boost, but nothing that puts me out of commission. Wow – interesting stuff, right? But honestly, I think knowing what’s going on in your body is a helpful way to determine what to put into it. And a better understanding of the healthiness of adequate blood flow to the brain may be helpful in driving people away from eating high volumes of carb-rich or otherwise unhealthy foods that make them lethargic.
The food sciences are an interesting space. On one end are major industrial players like Monsanto (genetically modified crops), ADM/ Cargill (crop processing and food chemicals), and General Mills/Coke/McDonalds (all sorts of tasty stuff to eat made from the rather complex and unnatural origins described above). These players excel at producing massive amounts of Calorie-rich, inexpensive food. On the other hand, players like Cascadian Farms (organic grains and vegetables), Petaluma Poultry (sustainably raised chicken) and Whole Foods (organic grocers) are growing massively: the US organic foods market is now estimated to be >$20B, up from less than $5B in 1999. These players are benefiting from a growing focus on personal health and environmental sustainability. If you’re interested in the subject, I recommend checking Omnivore’s Dilemma (featured below), a fantastic book by Michael Pollan as he follows both of these food supply chains (and others) from crop to dinner plate. I also recommend understanding the impact certain foods have on your body to as great of an extent as you can. Food can have an amazing impact on our health, attitude and mood; it’s a healthy (and interesting) physiological science to be on top off.
So hopefully your “Bird of Courage” (Franklin, of course) taught you a little something this year, in addition to bringing your family together, and ideally, being delicious.
PS: On the topics of Thanksgiving and organic vs. non-organic dining, here’s a great comparison (of taste at least) of your run-of-the-mill turkey vs. the free-range variety.
