Your Body Can’t Make Tryptophan
Reminders that Make A Difference

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Remember that Thanksgiving Turkey dinner and a sleepy mode after that? Several things take place before we feel tired and sleepy. Tryptophan is one of them.

Being an essential amino acid – meaning our body cannot produce it on its own – tryptophan is an important part of our biological functioning, including organ formation, electric signal transportation, and being part of the protein block formation. Without Tryptophan, life would be impossible.

Fun Fact for You: Tryptophan abbreviation is a capital “T” in italics – T.

After absorbing tryptophan from the food, the body converts it to serotonin as a final product (there are many steps in-between to that conversion!) Serotonin is a hormone that transmits signals between nerve cells, causes blood vessels to narrow, changes our mood. Disruption in serotonin production can cause many other uninvited side-effects. But we can feed our bodies the foods that provide ample tryptophan amounts to our bodies.

Luckily, we have a great variety of food sources offering us tryptophan as part of the nutritional profile. Both vegans and carnivores can pick and choose what source to go after!

Turkey breast
Soy
Wheat
Pumpkin
Potato
Walnuts
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Mushroom
Leafy greens
Tomatos

Though turkey meat contains the most of the tryptophan per serving, other options are as important! Let’s break them down, one-by-one, to emphasize what is so unique to each food source that carries that precious tryptophan.

Things to keep in mind.

Eating foods high in tryptophan isn’t going to help mood or sleep. To get the most of tryptophan from food, you need to:

• Eat tryptophan foods with some carbohydrates
• Consume tryptophan with foods rich in iron, vitamin C, vitamin B6, magnesium, as they co-participate in chemistry of the body
• Reduce cytokines levels which degrade tryptophan by eating more foods rich in antioxidants and fiber, and avoiding saturated and trans fats

What is a Cytokin?

Any of a number of substances, such as interferon, interleukin, and growth factors, that are secreted by certain cells of the immune system and have an effect on other cells.

“Cytokines are pro-inflammatory proteins involved in the immune response.   They are released when we are sick, and also in response to certain foods, like saturated fats and trans fats.   There are some proven ways to reduce cytokine levels, including getting more Omega 3, eating antioxidant-rich foods, reducing saturated fat intake, and getting more fiber.”

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The post Your Body Calls for Essential Amino Acid Tryptophan #AMCoffee appeared first on AM Coffee for Daily Chats & Conversations.