Yea Turkey!

Smoked turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, turkey, stuffing, turkey, yams, turkey, and pumpkin pie. Oh, ya, in case I forgot to mention it, turkey. Then a great tryptophan induce nap. A great way to spend Thanksgiving!

Wait a minute. “Tryptophan induced nap”?

Yes, the amino acid L-tryptophan is part of the serotonin cycle and does support a feeling of relaxation and sleep. The problem is a serving of turkey has less than 400 mg of tryptophan. Turkey really is only about 1.1% tryptophan. In comparison, a serving of milk or sesame seeds is twice as potent. Most supplemental tryptophan starts at 500 mg per cap. It plays a supporting role - I forgot the rolls! - in your traditional Thanksgiving Day nap, but it is not the star.

Most of us will consume at least 1 to 2 days worth of calories in that one meal. Happily in my case! Since up to 80% of the calories we consume goes into the digestive process, it makes sense that we have to shut down other systems to deal with the load of food we just consumed. To blame the drowsiness on tryptophan is like saying the electric space heater tripped the circuit breaker in our home, and the rest of the things running are innocent.

So, what do we do?

Well, you could eat less. (Ya, I laughed at that when I wrote it) You could run out and by a digestive enzyme supplement to support the process in the stomach. I like Digest Gold by Enzymedica. You could even try a teaspoon or two of apple cider vinegar to improve the acid level in you stomach. This usually helps break down the food better.

Me, I plan watching football till I fall asleep. After all, it is a tradition.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Saying Goodbye to the Sun

Along with the Daylight Savings time shift, we here in the northern part of the country also have a noticeable decline in sunlight to enjoy. Add to the astronomically shorter days the gloom of the weather and you almost want to send the sun a going away party. Seems like we had one or two sunny days from the beginning of November to June last winter and spring. Even on the nice day we get each month, it is cold enough that we bundle up and cover as much skin as possible. Not the best way to catch some rays, dude.

The lack of sunshine means a drop in the vitamin D produced by our bodies for the next few months. Vitamin D has been in the news recently as more and more studies have found links between it and various cancers, H1N1 (swine flu),  and some forms of depression.  There more peer reviewed studies released everyday. Its support of the immune system could be why sickness is more common in the winter.

Unless you have a polar bear somewhere in your family history, snow-tanning is not a likely option for you in your efforts to maintain your body's Vitamin D levels during the winter. Some people try using tanning beds, but that leads to other cancer issues. You could always drink more milk, of course each serving has only got about 150 iu, which is about 25% of your needs to prevent rickets.

So, just how much Vitamin D should you try to get in your day? Well 10 minutes of direct summer sun in summer attire will generate about 10,000 iu. That would be, umm, about 67 servings of milk, per day, every day. A family of 4 would need two happy cows and a milking machine for its needs.

While some I know would love a couple of new pets, I suggest trying supplements. Vitamin D3 in supplemental form is very cheap and easy to take. I use a liquid version and just take a few drops a day. Being a fat soluble supplement you can take your weeks supply in one serving and be just fine. I have had people come to me with prescriptions for 50,000 and 100,000 iu doses. I personally shoot for about 5,000 to 7,000 a day to maintain good health.

Rays, cows, or pills your choice for your sun loss needs.

EDIT 11-8-11:

At the risk of offending Dr. House, you can add Lupus to list of illnesses are impacted by vitamin D.