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KATIE COURIC: It's a Thanksgiving tradition
that's been around almost as long as the pilgrims.
No, not the football games, the pumpkin pie, or the Macy's
parade.
-Coming up next, the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes.
Welcome to Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade into Herald Square.
KATIE COURIC: Nice hat, by the way.
I'm talking about that inevitable nap
you take after you pig out.
So why is it that after the Thanksgiving feast, many of us
are in need of a serious siesta?
Well, if you believe Jerry Seinfeld--
-What is that stuff in Turkey that makes you sleepy?
-Tryptophan.
JERRY SEINFELD: I think.
KATIE COURIC: But what exactly is tryptophan?
It's an amino acid found in seeds, cheeses, eggs, tofu,
and red and white meats, turkey included,
that helps the body produce important proteins
and vitamins.
It also produces serotonin, which
is converted into melatonin, the hormone that
regulates your sleep cycle and can cause drowsiness.
But did you know there's actually
more tryptophan in a few slices of Swiss
than in a serving of turkey?
But you don't hit the hay every time
you have a cheese sandwich, do you?
That's because it's really the carb-tryptophan combo
that sends us into a sleepy stupor that last Thursday
every November.
The average American inhales about 4,500 calories
during the Thanksgiving gorge.
That's twice the recommended daily number.
All those carbs cause insulin to be created in the body, which
removes other amino acids that normally
keep tryptophan in check.
So now it makes a beeline for the brain, where it gets busy
making you feel tired.
Meanwhile, your nervous system kicks in,
telling your body to slow down so it
can digest the massive amount of food you just ate.
That's probably why your favorite place after the dining
room table is the nearest couch.
But with the stress of the holiday, all that cooking,
all those relatives, and a few glasses of wine,
let's face it-- you're already pooped before the turkey
timer even pops.
So now that we've pardoned Tom Turkey,
at least partially, this Thanksgiving,
when you're in a food coma wondering why you can't move,
at least you can say-- and now I get it.