Did you know that each Thanksgiving, Americans eat roughly forty-six million turkeys? However, this lean meat isn’t just for everyone’s favorite food holiday.
The nutrition benefits that come with eating turkey meat are pretty well documented. But did you know that incorporating turkey regularly into your diet can also have mental health benefits?
In this article, we’ll be looking at some of the positive changes that eating turkey meat can have on your mental wellness. Let’s get started!
Turkey Meat Can Make You Calmer
Do you know that sleepy feeling you feel after Thanksgiving dinner? It’s not just because you’re stuffed. It’s due to the turkey.
Specifically, it’s the tryptophan that’s found in the meat. This substance relaxes you. So, if you’re feeling stressed out, consider eating some turkey. It can make you calmer.
Turkey Meat May Help With Depression
We mentioned that the protein tryptophan, which is found in turkey, can make you calmer. However, did you know that it can also improve your mood?
This is thanks to the fact that the body uses tryptophan to help with serotonin production. And anyone who knows anything about mental health knows that serotonin is a feel-good chemical.
We’re not saying that turkey will cure your depression. But, many cases of depression are caused by a chemical imbalance of serotonin.
So, it stands to reason that boosting your serotonin levels can be beneficial for treating certain mental health conditions like depression.
Turkey Meat Can Prevent Cognitive Decline
Many people know that turkey is a great source of lean protein. But that’s far from the only health benefit that comes with it. Did you know that it also contains the following vitamins:
- Vitamin B
- Zinc
- Phosphorus
- Selenium
- Choline
When all of these nutrients work together, they’ve been known to slow the onset of mental decline. Not only that, but they can also combat cancer and lower the risk of heart disease.
Make Sure You Invest In Quality Turkey Meat
It’s important to note that not all turkey meats are created equally. Many of the turkey lunch meats and turkey bacon that you’ll find in the grocery store are processed.
That typically means that they have added artificial ingredients and higher sodium levels, both of which take away some of the health benefits.
So, consider purchasing your turkey meat from a more natural company, like the ones found at gamzesmokehouse.com.au.
They use free-range birds that are free of any chemicals. So, you can take advantage of the mental benefits that come with them.
Appreciate Learning More About Turkey? Keep Reading
We hope this article helped you learn the connection between turkey meat and mental wellness. Turkey isn’t going to be a cure for depression.
But, it’s interesting to see the correlation between the foods we eat and our mental health. So, consider adding turkey meat to your grocery list this week.
Did you enjoy this article? If the answer is yes, then keep looking around our website to find more you’re sure to love.
