1. Turkey is particularly high in an amino acid known as tryptophan – a building block of the brain chemical serotonin. Since serotonin is an inducer of sleep, eating turkey will help to improve sleep quality (it might also explain why people want to have a post-christmas meal nap!) Tryptophan is also important for appetite control and moods. Turkey contains 340mg of tryptophan per 100g portion of meat and is therefore one of the highest sources in the food list.
2. Turkey is native to both Mexico and the United States but was introduced to the Europeans when Christopher Columbus returned from the New World. By the mid-late 1500’s the French, English and Italians were domesticating turkeys for commoners tables after the bird was originally only found at the table of royalty.
3. Turkey is a high source of good quality, lean protein providing 65% of your daily value in a 125g portion (30g protein per 100g portion). It is also a good source of selenium, niacin, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin b12. Almost all of the fat in turkey is found in the skin and the dark meat is higher in fat than the light meat. This makes the white breast meat an excellent source of low-fat, high protein food.
