Fun Thanksgiving Day Facts

Thanksgiving is an interesting time around the country. Every family has its own traditions and ways of preparing food. According to the National Turkey Federation, 88% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving. Most of the remaining households partake in a ham instead. The average weight of a turkey purchased for Thanksgiving is about 16 pounds. It doesn’t seem like too much, but remember, the USDA classifies a portion of turkey as being just 2-3 ounces. So the average family is getting enough turkey to feed 85 people a serving of protein.

Maybe it has something to do with the two different meats. A typical turkey has about 70% white meat and 30% dark meat. Nutritionally, white meat has fewer calories and less fat than dark meat. Perhaps that’s why we buy such large birds to try to eat as many calories as we can. The average American will consume about 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving. Even stuffing in all these extra calories and sometimes putting ourselves in a “food coma,” a study conducted by the National Institute of Health and the Medical University of South Carolina found that the average person only gains just over a pound in the time between Thanksgiving and the New Year.

So be kind to yourself, you work hard, and have that extra slice of pie! Pumpkin pie is particularly popular around Thanksgiving with over 50 million pies being made every year. Sweet potato or a yam pie is also very popular. Interestingly enough, even though many people use the terms “yam” and “sweet potato” interchangeably, they aren’t even related to each other! Maybe instead of the pie, you prefer going in for a second plate of sides (arguably the best part of Thanksgiving dinner). After all, 50% of Americans put stuffing in their turkeys and after being created by the Campbell’s Soup company, green bean casserole will be on 40 million tables during the holiday as well. Cranberry sauce is a staple of many people’s Thanksgiving dinner spread. In fact, 400 million pounds of cranberries are consumed by Americans every year, and 20% of that is during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Go ahead and eat up! You are going to need your strength if you plan to go on a turkey trot! The turkey trot was first run in Buffalo, NY, when a man, Henry A. Allison, and six other runners competed in a five-mile race Thanksgiving morning. Now, there are marathons, races, and walks all over the country around Thanksgiving time. This means that local traffic patterns may change, and things may be a bit hectic during race time. Sometimes when we are confused or trying to find our way, we stop paying attention to the people around us. Occasionally, this can result in an accident. Heuser & Heuser, L.L.P. is here to help make sure you can focus on what you have to be grateful for during Thanksgiving, not dealing with insurance companies and bill collectors. If you find yourself trying to wade through the headache of a car accident this holiday season, give us a call at (719) 520-9909 to schedule your free consultation.