The issue is tryptophan?
Published 7.1.2025: The next presentation from the vegan seminar, "The Truth about Weight Loss," was given by Dr. Eric Walsh. I have very few notes from this talk, but they state that his topic was neurotransmitters, and it's all down to not enough tryptophan— hence the title.
I had very little time to watch this presentation, although I do have his slides. Not sure it makes much sense to synopsize something I don't really remember, and I have so few notes about. So I won't. But isn't tryptophan what you get from turkey? I thought that was the chemical that made people sleepy after eating a huge meal at Thanksgiving?
Per my notes, eating animals does not guarantee adequate tryptophan, and I don't think people eat turkey often (in the US anyways) besides Thanksgiving. And vegans wouldn't be eating turkey in any event. (Most vegans would consider Thanksgiving a day of mourning, given the number of animals killed for the day.)
Plant foods high in tryptophan (after a quick google search) are nuts, seeds, and tofu. As usual, plant based tryptophan is less bioavailable than animal sources— which doesn't mean that you can't get adequate tryptophan from plants, just means you have to eat more to get the same benefit.
So per his slides, which I flipped through even though I'm not going to outline them, tryptophan is the important chemical to establish mood. I'm not even going to try and explain the biochemistry of it, I'll just note that mood is related to tryptophan, and you don't get enough, even if you eat animals (or so says Dr. Walsh.)
Not sure what mood has to do with weight loss, though I suppose depressed people might eat more or less healthily? I do know that depression drugs are supposed to be not as good as exercise… but if you're depressed… would you exercise? I think using exercise or diet (which I feel certain was his point) to get off the drugs is one thing. Saying that depressed people just need to exercise or change their diet is completely different. I am fortunate in that I've never had a major depressive period, but I have had depression, and the very last thing I wanted to do was alter my lifestyle.
Maybe he said something completely different.
DISCLAIMER: I am NOT any type of medical professional. Do NOT take medical advice from me!! PARTICULARLY IF YOU SUFFER FROM DEPRESSION!
I had very little time to watch this presentation, although I do have his slides. Not sure it makes much sense to synopsize something I don't really remember, and I have so few notes about. So I won't. But isn't tryptophan what you get from turkey? I thought that was the chemical that made people sleepy after eating a huge meal at Thanksgiving?
Per my notes, eating animals does not guarantee adequate tryptophan, and I don't think people eat turkey often (in the US anyways) besides Thanksgiving. And vegans wouldn't be eating turkey in any event. (Most vegans would consider Thanksgiving a day of mourning, given the number of animals killed for the day.)
Plant foods high in tryptophan (after a quick google search) are nuts, seeds, and tofu. As usual, plant based tryptophan is less bioavailable than animal sources— which doesn't mean that you can't get adequate tryptophan from plants, just means you have to eat more to get the same benefit.
So per his slides, which I flipped through even though I'm not going to outline them, tryptophan is the important chemical to establish mood. I'm not even going to try and explain the biochemistry of it, I'll just note that mood is related to tryptophan, and you don't get enough, even if you eat animals (or so says Dr. Walsh.)
Not sure what mood has to do with weight loss, though I suppose depressed people might eat more or less healthily? I do know that depression drugs are supposed to be not as good as exercise… but if you're depressed… would you exercise? I think using exercise or diet (which I feel certain was his point) to get off the drugs is one thing. Saying that depressed people just need to exercise or change their diet is completely different. I am fortunate in that I've never had a major depressive period, but I have had depression, and the very last thing I wanted to do was alter my lifestyle.
Maybe he said something completely different.
DISCLAIMER: I am NOT any type of medical professional. Do NOT take medical advice from me!! PARTICULARLY IF YOU SUFFER FROM DEPRESSION!