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Tryptophan Isn’t What Puts You Under on Thanksgiving. It’s the Carbs
Turkey takes the blame for you ending up as a crumpled mess on the couch, but the real culprits are elsewhere on your plate.
Freeze-dried tofu has about double the amount of tryptophan as turkey, and I doubt you’ll hear your cousin from southern California complain about how sleepy he is after gorging on faux-meat. Any food with a modest amount of tryptophan followed by about 30 grams of carbs (a medium plate of spaghetti) will distract the rest of your amino acids long enough to induce that foggy-brain feeling. Also known as the “rest and digest” response, the sense of calm triggered by a big meal is biologically very similar to the drowsiness you feel after sex or a good cry.
Or read this on Wired