Below is a list of foods containing tryptophan. But before you head out to the supermarket you need to understand how the body uses tryptophan to make serotonin and melatonin to relax us, improve our mood and make us calmer. Read this about a high tryptophan diet for anxiety.
Tryptophan is one of many amino acids, but it is one of the less prevalent ones. Most other amino acids outnumber it and, in a straight numbers game, get absorbed more readily.
The best way to get more tryptophan to where it is needed (the brain) is to take it with as fewer other amino acids as possible. The problem is though that most food containing tryptophan is also high in other amino acids. So the overall amount of tryptophan you get might not increase as substantially as you would expect.
There is one thing you can do to get round this. The other amino acids are flushed out of your system quickly by insulin, which leaves the tryptophan with a clear path to get through to the brain. To increase insulin production, eat tryptophan containing food with a good carbohydrate, something like juice is good – sugary but not too unhealthy.
Many people do this automatically when they comfort eat. Binging on carbohydrates allows the tryptophan to flow increasing serotonin production and producing a sense of well-being. They key is to combine this with a high-tryptophan diet and not binge on bad carbohydrates, just eat a decent supply of good carbohydrates.If youy would like to no more about the physical and chemical causes of anxiety and panic attacks please consider Killing Anxiety From The Roots.
A list of food containing tryptophan
- Chicken
- Tuna
- Soya Beans
- Beef
- Lamb
- Turkey
- Halibut
- Shrimp
- Salmon
- Snapper
A list of vegetarian food containing tryptophan
- Mushrooms
- Mustard Greens
- Tofu
- Spinach
- Kelp
- Broccoli
- Cheese
- Eggs
- Beans
- Lentils
A list of good carbohydrates to consume with food containing tryptophan.
- Wholewheat Bread
- Pasta
- Oatcakes
- Fruit Juice
- Fruit
- Sweets/Candy occasionally!
Supplement Tryptophan
Supplementing tryptophan can be much easier than increasing levels through diet. Source Naturals L-Tryptophan is available in the USA.
Swanson Ultra TryptoPure L-Tryptophan is available in the UK/Europe.
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