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• Mystifying turkey: Origins and effects

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A Majestic Hand Turkey (Matt Harlan and Maria Surawksa, Buzz illustrators)

Today the symbol for Thanksgiving is turkey. Everywhere you go, there are turkey decorations, turkey posters, turkey centerpieces, turkey-shaped chocolate and I have even seen turkey-shaped butter. How did the turkey become the symbol for Thanksgiving? Did the pilgrims even eat turkey at the first Thanksgiving? No one really knows for certain, but according to the History News Network, turkey became the centerpiece of Thanksgiving because that is how the Victorians prepared their Thanksgiving Day feast.

Everyone has heard the myth that eating turkey makes you tired, but is it true? To a degree, but you won’t fall asleep with your face in your Thanksgiving dinner right after eating a slice of turkey or two. Turkey meat does contain an amino acid called L-tryptophan. This amino acid travels through the blood into the brain where it is converted to another amino acid serotonin. Serotonin is the chemical that calms you down and makes you tired. However, the L-tryptophan can only make you tired right away if it is taken by itself without any other amino acids. There are plenty of other amino acids in turkey, so the L-tryptophan in turkey will not make you tired immediately.