Turkey is Not the Sleeping Culprit For Thanksgiving Overindulgence!
There is a rumor that has been attached to Thanksgiving for a long time. People blame the turkey for having l-trytophan which is an essential amino acid and pointing the finger at the turkey as the culprit for feeling sleepy after the large meal.
Some people call it a ‘food coma’. Other people just feel sleepy, lethargic, or subdued to the degree that they settle into their chairs and watch TV or even snooze.
Dr. Travis from TheDoctorsTV explained that the turkey is not to blame. Jillian added that many common foods like eggs and bananas contain trytophan as well and do not induce a ‘food coma’.
It’s the individual’s overindulgence in food in general that’s responsible. Dr. Travis calls it the ‘rest and digest’ response by the ANS, the autonomic nervous system.
TheDoctorsTV and Thanksgiving Food Comas
The body directs the majority of the blood flow and energy toward digestion. The body produces seratonin which is converted to melatonin. Your body has to choose between dealing with the massive amount of food you’ve just ingested or the ‘flight and fight response’. In this case, the ‘rest and digest response’ prevails and the body remains sluggish until that food is processed.
So the question remains…”what can you do about it?”
First of all, eat smaller portions. Give your body just a little food at any one time. Allow your body time to digest a smaller meal, then go back again for a second helping or leftovers.
The second thing to consider is your Food Combinations. When you combine sugar, carbs, protein, and fats; your body has a lot to deal with at one time. You are stressing your body’s digestive system and endocrine system to the max! Be kind to your body on this day of Thanksgiving.
If you think that you are going to miss out on some of the food that is on the table; then pile it on your plate, but reserve half of it for a second serving after two to four hours. No one is going to steal your plate of food, so this will give you peace of mind while helping your body out without demanding the impossible of it.
You know it’s OK to wait a few hours before you eat dessert or drink a lot of cocktails. Overindulgence doesn’t do a body good… You may be the only one who is awake enough to go back to the table for the second round. If everyone else is stupified and sound asleep on the couch or in their recliner; you’ll have the remains of the day to yourself.
One of the things that the doctors thought would help was to eat pineapple and papaya before the Feast. But if you do this too soon before beginning to eat turkey and side dishes, it can backfire on you. If you want to eat the fresh tropical fruit that contains enzymes that help to digest protein, then give it more time before you begin to eat your major Thanksgiving Dinner. Some fresh pineapple and papaya juice that you sip might work almost as well, but it takes time for the body to extract the enzymes from the fruit to benefit you. Be smart about it…
Thanksgiving Dinner doesn’t have to be a meal of discomfort that you feel that you have to recover from with a long autumn nap. No, it behooves you to follow the advice above and make this bountiful harvest food fest a satisfying experience.
