Looks like the bird isn't the only thing that's stuffed during Thanksgiving dinner. While we all know this is the holiday you eat the most, many people are not aware of just how many calories they are consuming during Thanksgiving dinner. When you find out how much the average American is eating during this one meal it will blow your mind, and stomach!
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How Many Calories Do We Eat During Thanksgiving Dinner?
If your family is anything like mine, Thanksgiving dinner is a marathon, not a sprint. What I mean by that is you start off with the appetizers like shrimp cocktail and various breads and cheese. This is paired with wine or light cocktails. Then you move into the main dish, with the turkey, gravy and all the fixings. Then, only a few short hours later the pie and more decadent cocktails come out to play.
I am just stuffed thinking about it. The NY Post shares that the average America will consume a typical day's worth of calories during that one meal on Thanksgiving day. Researchers spoke with over 1,000 people who celebrate turkey day and got to know what they ate to celebrate the holiday. They found that the average person consumes around 2,092 calories during Thanksgiving dinner.
To put that into perspective I typically eat 1,800 calories in an entire day. That is how many calories are eating during Thanksgiving dinner, just one meal. However, other boasted that they planned on consuming 3,000 or even 5,000 calories during their dinner feast.
Different People And How Many Calories They Eat
The Department of Health shares that "adults over the age of 21 need between 1,600 and 3,000 calories per day." Naturally your age, weight, gender, and many other factors affect this. Additionally, the NY Post shared a chart that showed different generations consumed different amount of calories on Thanksgiving day. Gen Z consumed more calories than both Gen X and Millennials. Similarly, men consumed more calories than women.
If you thought people ate too many calories during Thanksgiving dinner it doesn't end there. After all, someone has to eat all of the leftovers too. The Post shares that the average person eats "roughly 2,270 calories worth of leftovers." If you are wondering what foods add up to these calories, the average person ranked turkey as their favorite Thanksgiving food that they consumed the most off.
That was followed by mashed potatoes, then stuffing, then mac and cheese. Apple and pumpkin pie were favorites among the dessert category.
If you want to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner and all of the fixings but worry about how many calories you will be consuming, here are some tips.
- Eat the same foods but in smaller portions
- Drink plenty of water, it helps to fill you up
- Focus on the foods you actually enjoy instead of eating everything
- Balance your plate with lean proteins and vegetables
- Limit alcohol and sugary drinks
