Tired After Thanksgiving Dinner? It's Not the Turkey

You get tired after Thanksgiving dinner mainly because it's a huge, carb-heavy meal, often with drinks, on a day when you're already relaxed. Turkey plays a small part at most.

Think of it as a stack of things all pushing in the same direction:

• A very big meal. Most people eat far more than usual in one sitting.
• Lots of carbs at once. Stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, sweet potatoes, and pie.
• Alcohol. Wine, beer, or cocktails make most people drowsy.
• A slow day. No work, a warm house, the game on TV. Your body takes the hint.

Any one of these can make you a little sleepy. All four together? That's the classic Thanksgiving nap.

No, turkey on its own doesn't make you sleepy. It contains tryptophan, an amino acid your body uses to make serotonin and melatonin, but the amount isn't unusual.

According to Live Science, turkey isn't any more sleep-inducing than other foods. Chicken and other poultry have similar amounts of tryptophan, and cheddar cheese actually has more, gram for gram. Nobody blames a chicken sandwich for an afternoon nap.

Tryptophan also has to compete with other amino acids to reach your brain. On its own, in a normal meal, it doesn't win that race very often. Which brings us to the carbs.

Carbs can make you sleepier because they help more tryptophan reach your brain. When you eat a lot of carbohydrates, your body releases insulin, which pulls many other amino acids out of your bloodstream but mostly leaves tryptophan behind.

With less competition, more tryptophan gets into the brain, where it can become serotonin and then melatonin. So the turkey isn't the problem. It's the turkey plus three kinds of starch plus dessert.

A big, carb-heavy meal can also leave you feeling sluggish as your body works through it. That's a big part of why a lighter plate tends to feel better afterward.

Yes. Alcohol is a sedative, so even a glass or two of wine on top of a big meal can make the post-dinner slump much stronger. Experts point to it as one of the real contributors to Thanksgiving sleepiness.

A few simple swaps help:

• Alternate drinks with water. One glass of water between each drink.
• Drink with the meal, not before it. An empty stomach makes alcohol hit faster.
• Try a lighter option. A wine spritzer or a sparkling mocktail still feels festive.

The best way to avoid a food coma is to build a balanced plate, eat slowly, and move a little after the meal. You don't have to skip anything. Small changes add up.

• Start with protein and veggies. Turkey, green beans, and salad first. Then the sides.
• Pick your favorite carbs. Choose the two or three you really love instead of a scoop of everything.
• Slow down. Fullness signals take time to catch up. In a University of Rhode Island study, people who ate slowly ate fewer calories and felt more satisfied than when they ate fast.
• Take a 10 to 15 minute walk after dinner. Fresh air and movement are a great reset.
• Don't skip breakfast. Arriving starving makes it much easier to overdo it.

For more ideas, here's how to not overeat on Thanksgiving without skipping pie.

A lighter Thanksgiving dessert is one with a good amount of protein and less added sugar, so it doesn't pile more on an already huge meal. A smaller portion of something cold and creamy often hits the spot better than another heavy slice.

That's why we like protein ice cream for the end of the night. CRUSHS is a protein ice cream mix for the Ninja Creami: each pint has 23g of protein, 180 calories, and 0g added sugar. A scoop of vanilla on a small slice of pie, or a pint of Salted Caramel shared at the table, still feels like Thanksgiving without the extra sugar hit.

Want more options? Here are 7 high-protein Thanksgiving desserts everyone will eat.