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Have You Caught “The Itis”?

Posted July 10, 2008 at 01:30 PM by Donnell Peavy

Section: His Health, Physical Health, Lifestyle Health, His Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Diets

If you are at fan of the animated comedy “The Boondocks”, then you may be familiar with the term “the itis”. For those of you not familiar with the term, basically, “the itis” is the tired yet satisfied feeling that you get after eating certain foods. If you have ever had the sudden urge to take a nap shortly after eating a meal, then you have experienced “the itis”.

In more technical terms, what I have been referring to is partially caused by an amino acid known as tryptophan. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid – it cannot be produced by the body and therefore must be included in the diet. It can be found in chocolate, bananas and most meat and dairy products. Tryptophan is necessary for the production of serotonin, which is necessary for the production of melatonin – serotonin has a calming effect on the body and melatonin is a sleep inducer.

Tryptophan cannot work optimally, however, if the body is full of protein. (thereby dispelling the myth that turkey, which is rich in tryptophan, causes drowsiness.) What triggers “the itis” is carb consumption. Carbohydrates trigger the release of insulin, and as a result, amino acids (those competing with tryptophan and preventing you from getting sleepy) leave the bloodstream and enter the muscles. Once that happens, the bloodstream is saturated with tryptophan and you are become more than eager to take a nap.

There are other factors which contribute to “the itis” as well. Fats are one such contributor. Fats take energy to digest and slow down the digestive system. In order to compensate, the body increases blood flow to the digestive system by decreasing it elsewhere, resulting in decreased energy. Alcohol is a depressant; it slows the body down. This paired with the already over taxed digestive system and decreased energy makes you even more tired. And, if you have eaten a big meal – like consuming too much potato salad and barbeque on the fourth of July – Your body must work even harder still to digest everything. I think you see where I am going with this. Big meals, like those typically consumed on holidays or the big Sunday dinners that occur in some households are the culprit behind the intense urge to sleep known as “the itis”.

Research sources and for more information: [Wikipedia]

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Tags: donnell peavy, donnellpeavy, food and drowsiness, melatonin, serotonin, the boondocks, the boondocks and the itis, the itis, tryptophan

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