Turkey make people sleepy - Essay Example

According to my personal experience to this matter; eating a lot of turkey makes me tired and consequently, I resort to taking a nap. Mary Ann’s theory questions if the thanks giving feast sleepiness and tiredness aspect could explain this lethargy. The friend of mine - Martin, who is visiting my town for summer holidays, and who had earlier admitted to this myth had even warned us that “if you serve a lot of turkey in any party or dinner, you are definitely going to fall asleep in front of your companions”.

Everyone else thinks that my reason on this matter is misplaced as it is logical that eating a lot of any meal can make one sluggish and tired, but to some extent, I think that one can be surer of getting tired after eating turkey than with other meals – even after moderate consumption of turkey. In a more professional context on this matter, the story has been reasoned out by the fact that turkey contains tryptophan and amino acid contents that tend to make people tired and sleepy. However, this has also contributed to a controversy as other animals’ products and meat contains some level of these substances as well.

“This is based on a little right information, but just misapplies and misunderstood”, this is what Fiona Martinez – a professor of molecular nutrition from Minnesota University had to say. Turkey traditionally has been regarded as the main meal in the thanksgiving ceremonies. Funnily, it has been observed that after these ceremonies, people tend to get tired and sleepy. This fact has made a lot of people to actually conclude that the contents of turkey are the primary reason that leads to these conditions.

Therefore, many people believe in the myth that eating turkey makes people sleepy. However, in the holiday or festive seasons where a lot of people take turkey, these seasons have also been characterize by the intake of other food substances such as lots of dessert and drinks that contain alcohol are equally usually consumed during these seasons. This has also raised more hypotheses as far as this myth is concerned. A lot of individuals have claimed that it is the dessert and the alcoholic drinks taken after consuming turkey that leads to this feeling of laziness and tiredness.

Otherwise, a majority of people still believe in the myth that turkey contains a natural sedative that induces sleepiness. Part II The myth around turkey has been investigated by various scholars and researchers and they have come out with different conclusions as regards to the matter. Turkey in real sense does not make people sleepy. What scientists have concluded to be the cause of this myth is the L-tryptophan which is an essential amino acid (Hirshkowitz, Max & Patricia Pg 105). Being an essential amino acid, it means that a human body cannot produce or synthesize it.

Therefore, the diet we take must supply our bodies with the essential amino acid. Amino acids are the blocks that build proteins. One of the foods rich in tryptophan is turkey. Besides, tryptophan is also found in other animal products especially poultry. When it enters the body, it is utilized in making a vitamin B which is called niacin and is essential for ensuring smooth digestion as well as in the synthesis of serotonin. Serotonin on the other side is a brain hormone or chemical which plays a major role in the regulation