By Milton Bertrand

As we approach Thanksgiving, we can already hear the soporific effect of eating turkey.

“Turkey doesn't make you sleepy; however on Thanksgiving Day we have a tendency to eat very large quantities of turkey, stuffing, pie, sweet potatoes, and more; in return we become very sleepy," says Milton Bertrand, STEM proponent and Founder of Geazle.com STEM Web-based Network. “While turkey does contain tryptophan, but so do many other food products like yogurt, eggs, fish, cheese and other meats."

In fact, soybean contains more tryptophan than turkey. Turkey does not contain more tryptophan than chicken or beef.  Tryptophan is an essential amino acid; others include histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, and valine. Naturally, the system does not synthesize these amino acids. Therefore, they must come from the food we eat. 

The sleepiness effect we feel is more likely associated with the hustle and bustle that comes with the holiday, travel, and other factors like alcohol and fatigue.

My advice to you is to eat your regular meals like breakfast and lunch. Do not save your appetite; if you do, you will eat more than you should. In so doing, more likely you will experience the soporific effect of your dinner that many of you complain about.

• Focus on eating your favorite once-a-year holiday foods and pass on other everyday dishes.
• Be mindful of quality not quantity. In so doing, think of portion size.
• Think fiber. Vegetables and fruits are loaded with minerals, vitamins and of course fiber.

So now, do not blame your sleepiness on turkey.  Happy Thanksgiving!