Does coconut milk have tryptophan?

Are you one of those people who think that getting tryptophan from your food means lounging on a couch and watching Netflix all day? Well, let me enlighten you. Getting enough tryptophan is important as it helps the body build new proteins, support immune health, and promote healthy sleep patterns.

One popular source of this amino acid is coconut milk. But does coconut milk have tryptophan? Let’s get to the bottom of this creamy question!

What is Tryptophan?

Before we delve deeper, let us understand what exactly Tryptophan is.

  • Tryptophan is an essential amino acid
  • It’s “essential” because our bodies cannot make it so we must obtain it from our diet.
  • It plays a crucial role in synthesizing vitamins and neurotransmitters like serotonin – which regulates mood among other things.

Now coming back to our original question:

Coconut milk has been touted for years as being full of wonderful nutrients–and some even claim it can help burn calories! So does this mean that they too are in on this whole “getting enough trytophan” craze? Let’s find out.

The Nutritional Breakdown

Let’s take a look at what actually makes up 1 cup (240 grams) comes off canned coconut milk:

Nutrition Facts
Calories: 552
Fat: 57 g
Saturated Fat: 50 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 38 mg
Carbohydrates :12 g
Dietary Fiber:6g [½] banana eq.
Total Sugars:6g
Protein: 5 g
Vitamin D 0mcg [0%]
Calcium :41 mg[3% of the Daily Value (DV)]
Iron:2.7mg

Rumor has it that coconut milk contains a mere 70 milligrams of tryptophan per one cup serving.

Yes, you read it right! Cocount milk does have some amount of tryptohan per one cup serving. It might not be as much as turkey, which clocks in at about 350 milligrams‘ for every three ounces consumed But still, having coconut milk can make a positive impact on reaching your daily recommended intake.

Now that we have answered the crucial question let’s see what good comes out from consuming foods rich in tryptohan:

1.It may lead to better sleep quality—plus some studies show supplementing with this amino acid is beneficial to those suffering from insomnia.

2.Tryptophan supports cognitive function by increasing serotonin levels –which involves improving attention and memory performance time.

How much do you need?

The RDI(recommended dietary intake) is set at 3.5 mg/kg/day according to NCBI.

For an average sedentary adult male weighing approximately
68kg ,the requirement would come around
238mg/day approximatly .
And for an adult female who weighs around 63 kg ,
they would require a little over
200 mg every day or so.

Foods Other than Coocnut Milk Rich In Tryptophan

  • Turkey (This is the ultimate tryptophan rich food!)
  • Salmon
  • Eggs
  • Seeds like pumpkin and sesame seed etc.

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it! Coconut milk does indeed contain a slight amount of tryptophan. While it might not be your biggest source of this amino acid–it should still make for an excellent addition to any recipe or even just a standard glass of milk, especially if you are lactose intolerant.

Although consuming foods high in Tryptophan doesn’t harm our body anyways but consulting a healthcare provider before going forth with trying anything new is always recommended.
Hope we could help!

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