Your Thanksgiving plate
Posted on November 3, 2015 by bob in Features
Before you pick up your fork, know this: The average American will consume more than 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving Day alone, according to the Calorie Control Council. Add that to the fact that studies show the average person gains an average of 10 pounds during the holiday season, and well, you get the picture.
So rather than be a statistic, know the facts and arm yourself with information about what you’re eating—and how much of your favorite food will set you over the edge when you hop on the scale. Read on for the calorie details!
Biscuits
Serving Size: 2 store-bought refrigerated biscuits
Calories = 340 | Fat = 12 grams
About the same as drinking: 1 large Caramel Mocha Coffee with Cream from Dunkin Donuts
Fun Fact: “Biscuit” is derived from the Latin word bis (twice) and the French coquere (to cook). Biscuits were originally cooked twice — first baked and then dried in a low-heat oven, according to the Oxford Dictionaries.
Cranberry Sauce
Serving Size: 1/4 cup
Calories = 110
Fat = 0 grams
About the same as eating: 5 1/2 Dum Dum lollipops
Fun Fact: Only 5 percent of cranberries are sold fresh. The remaining 95 percent are turned into cranberry juice, cranberry sauce, and other cranberry products.
Homemade Pumpkin Pie
Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8 of 9-inch pie)
Calories = 320 | Fat = 14.5 grams
About the same as eating: 22 Mini Oreos
Fun Fact: According to the University of Illinois, 90 percent of the pumpkins grown in the United States are raised within a 90-mile radius of Peoria, Illinois. Most pumpkins are processed into canned pumpkin and canned pie mix. A Libby’s® processing plant in Morton, Illinois, (near Peoria) cans more than 85 percent of the world’s pumpkin each year.
Mashed Potatoes
Serving Size: 2 large spoonfuls (about 1 cup)
Calories = 237 | Fat = 9 grams
About the same as eating: 1 regular-size bag M&Ms
Fun Fact: The average American eats about 124 pounds of potatoes per year, according to the Idaho Potato Museum, while Germans eat about twice as much.
Gravy
Serving Size: 3 small ladles-ful (1/2 cup)
Calories = 100
Fat = 8 grams
About the same as eating: 4 heaping tablespoons of guacamole
Fun Fact: Fear of lumpy gravy is common. The two main reasons gravy gets lumpy can both happen during the thickening process: 1) adding flour directly to gravy and 2) adding liquid to a roux too quickly without proper whisking.
Roast Turkey
Serving Size: 4 slices (3/8 inch thick)
Calories = 320 | Fat = 12 grams
About the same as eating: 1 McDonald’s Grilled Honey Mustard Snack Wrap and Side Salad
Fun Fact: More than 45 million turkeys are cooked and eaten every year at Thanksgiving, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Sweet Potatoes
Serving Size: 2 large spoonfuls (about 1 cup)
Calories = 285 | Fat = 7 grams
About the same as eating: 1 Chicken Alfredo meal from the Lean Cuisine Market Collection
Fun Fact: Sweet potatoes are the official vegetable of North Carolina.
Green Bean Casserole
Serving Size: 2 large spoonfuls (about 1 cup)
Calories = 350 | Fat = 17 grams
About the same as eating: 1 Celeste Original Pizza for One
Fun Fact: Green Bean Casserole was created 50 years ago by Campbell’s. The famous soup company came up with the idea when it was making new recipes for its annual cookbook.
Creamed Spinach
Serving Size: 1 spoonful (about 1/2 cup)
Calories = 150 | Fat = 10 grams
About the same as eating: 2 poached eggs
Fun Fact: Popeye is known for his strength due to eating spinach. But this portrayal was based on
incorrect iron calculations. German scientist Emil von Wolff misplaced a decimal point, making the
iron content 10 times higher than it actually is.
Bread Stuffing
Serving Size: 2 large spoonfuls
(about 1 cup)
Calories = 350 | Fat = 17 grams
About the same as eating: 1 chili cheese dog
Fun Fact: About 60 million boxes of Stove Top Stuffing are sold on Thanksgiving, according to Kraft foods.
Courtesy: grandparents.com
