Every year, I promise myself I'm not going to eat myself into a food coma: I'll eat responsibly, front-load my belly with salad, and go light on the turkey and gravy. Instead, I wake up three hours after Thanksgiving dinner, sprawled out like Robinson Crusoe on the living room floor under a pile of my nephews' toys. My shirt is covered in light brown stains, and greasy handprints smear my jeans. What is it about Thanksgiving that sends me'and millions of other Americans'into digestive oblivion' Are we all blissed out on turkey, or is there another reason Thanksgiving is the holiday for sloth' You've probably heard that turkey meat is dripping with a sleep-inducing chemical called tryptophan. And while it's true the stuff plays a part in sending your brain into slumber, saying it does so single-handedly is like saying Neil Armstrong jumped to the moon all by himself. For one thing, turkey isn't particularly laden with tryptophan. Ounce for ounce, a roast chicken, grilled steak, or...
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