Turkey

Food · Protein · Food, Typed Supps

The sleepiness reputation is really about how much you ate, not the turkey.

Stage by stage

Intake (Dense protein structure): Chewing and stomach acid begin breaking down its dense muscle protein.
Stomach (Protein digestion begins): Protein-digesting enzymes start cleaving the protein into smaller chains.
Small intestine (Amino acids absorbed): Amino acids, including tryptophan, are absorbed alongside B vitamins.
Muscle & brain (Protein synthesis & serotonin): Absorbed amino acids support muscle repair; tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin, though its sleepy reputation is mostly about the size of the meal.

Timing

Any meal; protein needs are best met by spreading intake across the day.

Time to effect

Hours: Amino acids are absorbed and available for muscle repair within a few hours.

Allergens

None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Keto, Low-FODMAP, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Halal, Kosher.

Satiety

171 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — high. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.

Environmental footprint

9.9 kg CO2e and 660 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Poultry meat" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.

Cost band

Mid — roughly £7 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Complete protein
Niacin (B3)
Tryptophan
Selenium

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 121.9
Protein: 18.4g
Carbohydrate: 0g
of which sugars: 0g
Fat: 5.3g
of which saturated: 1.8g
Fibre: 0g
Sodium: 260mg

Food vs. supplement

Turkey’s tryptophan content is similar to chicken’s — the post-Thanksgiving drowsiness is more reliably explained by eating a large, carb-heavy meal than by turkey’s tryptophan specifically outcompeting other proteins.

Kitchen tip

Dark meat has more iron and zinc than the breast - it is not the nutritional downgrade its lower-fat reputation suggests.

Common myth

“Turkey makes you sleepy because of its tryptophan.” In reality: Chicken and other meats contain similar tryptophan levels — the drowsiness is more about the size of the meal and accompanying carbohydrates.