--- title: "Turkey Day Musings From a Psychiatrist | Denver Psychiatry Blog" description: "Thanksgiving: a time of year to celebrate the harvest and, according to some historians, to celebrate the “cooperative interaction” between colonists and Native Americans. 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The staff will help you find a convenient time and answer any questions about your first visit." } } ] }, { "@type": "Blog", "@id": "https://denverpsychiatry.com/#blog", "name": "Denver Psychiatry Mental Health Blog", "description": "Expert insights and articles on mental health topics from Dr. Steve Sarche, board-certified psychiatrist in Denver, Colorado.", "url": "https://denverpsychiatry.com/blog", "author": { "@id": "https://denverpsychiatry.com/#physician" }, "publisher": { "@id": "https://denverpsychiatry.com/#organization" } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "headline": "Turkey Day Musings From a Psychiatrist", "description": "Thanksgiving: a time of year to celebrate the harvest and, according to some historians, to celebrate the “cooperative interaction” between colonists and Native Americans. The origins of Thanksgiving ...", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dr. Steve Sarche", "jobTitle": "Board Certified Psychiatrist" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Denver Psychiatry", "url": "https://denverpsychiatry.com" }, "datePublished": "2008-11-08T18:06:32+00:00", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://denverpsychiatry.com/article/turkey-day-musings-from-a-psychiatrist" } } ] --- [ Denver Psychiatry Dr. Steve Sarche, D.O. ](#home) [](tel:303-393-8808) [ Denver Psychiatry Dr. Steve Sarche, D.O. ](#home) [Home](#home) Services ### Conditions We Treat [ ADHD Treatment Child & adult ADHD specialist care ](/adhd)[ Anxiety Treatment Generalized anxiety, panic, social anxiety ](/anxiety-treatment)[ Depression Treatment Major depression, bipolar, mood disorders ](/depression-treatment)[ PTSD & Trauma Treatment Trauma recovery focused on full healing ](/ptsd-trauma-treatment) ### Specialty Care [ Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship-trained, ages 10 and up ](/child-adolescent-psychiatry)[ Performance Optimization Precision psychiatry for high performers ](/performance-optimization)[ Medication Management Expert prescription and monitoring ](#services) #### Talk to Dr. Sarche Call to schedule your initial evaluation [Call Now](tel:303-393-8808) About ### About Us [ Dr. Steve Sarche, D.O. 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Learn what to expect at your first visit [Learn More](#services) Contact ### Get In Touch [ Contact Form Send us a message ](#contact)[ Call Us (303) 393-8808 ](tel:303-393-8808)[ Our Location 720 S Colorado Blvd, Suite 910N ](#contact) [Call Dr. Sarche](tel:303-393-8808) [Back to Blog](/blog) Wellness & Lifestyle # Turkey Day Musings From a Psychiatrist Dr. Steve Sarche Board Certified Psychiatrist • Saturday, November 8, 2008 • 4 min read Share: [](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fdrsteve.lovable.app%2Farticle%2Fturkey-day-musings-from-a-psychiatrist)[](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdrsteve.lovable.app%2Farticle%2Fturkey-day-musings-from-a-psychiatrist&text=Turkey%20Day%20Musings%20From%20a%20Psychiatrist)[](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdrsteve.lovable.app%2Farticle%2Fturkey-day-musings-from-a-psychiatrist&title=Turkey%20Day%20Musings%20From%20a%20Psychiatrist)[]() Thanksgiving: a time of year to celebrate the harvest and, according to some historians, to celebrate the “cooperative interaction” between colonists and Native Americans. The origins of Thanksgiving go way back, to at least the 17th century. It is a time of year to get together with family and friends and focus on eating, watching football and movies and relaxing. Most people get a four day weekend as well. What a great holiday. The US Census Bureau has come up with some interesting facts in regards to Thanksgiving. It is estimated that 271 million turkeys will be raised in the United States in 2008. The cumulative weight of them is 7.9 billion pounds, valued at $3.7 billion. The state that tops the union in number of turkeys raised is Minnesota at 49 million. How did Minnesota become the turkey raising capitol of the United States?    I’m not sure; maybe turkeys prefer it there for the diverse culture in the twin cities or for the amazing hockey. Either way, I am not surprised Minnesotans chose to call their state the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” versus “The Turkey State”.    It is also known as “The Gopher State”, so go figure. Anyway, there are a total of three places in the entire United States named “Turkey”. These three lucky places are in Texas, Louisiana and North Carolina. The cumulative population of these three hot­spots is 1,098 people with Turkey, Texas being the most populous at a whopping 465. Why wouldn’t more people want to call “Turkey” home? At an average of about $1 dollar per pound frozen, turkey is an excellent bargain at the grocery store. Interestingly, it is much cheaper than chicken and beef, but far behind them in terms of what Americans choose for the meat that they eat. Turkey even falls behind pork in this category. Actually, most of us don’t really eat turkey unless it is the holidays. Approximately half of all turkeys consumed in the US are consumed during the holidays, approximately 46 million during Thanksgiving and 22 million during Christmas. We should eat more turkey. Besides being cheaper, it tends to be low in fat and high in protein. It is good for you. It is a source of iron and zinc as well as selenium, potassium and B vitamins.    Selenium is considered to be an antioxidant that may help prevent prostate cancer. Zinc is important in cell function and immunity. While on the subject of nutrition, there is also, of course, tryptophan. Tryptophan is indeed in turkey. It is an essential amino acid which means the body needs it, but cannot produce it by itself. It is important in the synthesis of serotonin, which is good for mood and anxiety and can help with sleep. That is why people have taken tryptophan as a supplement. Actually, the tryptophan likely is not the culprit; you need to synthesize the serotonin first in order to get sleepy and tryptophan works best on an empty stomach. In a normal Thanksgiving meal, it competes with all of the other amino acids and food you have just filled up with, so you probably do not get a big dose of it. My guess is that what makes a person sleepy is all of the sitting around and eating in general that is “accomplished” (not to mention the alcohol if you so choose to imbibe) on Thanksgiving. There are an estimated 116 million households in the United States. That provides plenty of places to celebrate Thanksgiving. I hope that you have a place to go to be with friends and family and to reflect on the good things and blessings you have. That is what is most important in life. Have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. 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Subscribe ## Related Articles [ Wellness & Lifestyle ### The Low Effort High Reward Paradox Managing internet harm May 13, 2026 4 min read ](/article/the-low-effort-high-reward-paradox)[ Wellness & Lifestyle ### ADHD Awareness ADHD Awareness If you are seeing orange awareness ribbons around this month, they are not to raise awareness for Halloween. They represent ADHD awareness month. I think October is an apt month for hav... Oct 4, 2024 5 min read ](/article/adhd-awareness)[ Wellness & Lifestyle ### The Osteopathic Approach to Mental Health Care Understanding how osteopathic medicine's holistic philosophy enhances psychiatric treatment. Jun 10, 2024 1 min read ](/article/osteopathic-approach-mental-health) ### Denver Psychiatry Dr. Steve Sarche, D.O. Providing compassionate, comprehensive psychiatric care to children, adolescents, and adults in the Denver area since 2004. 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