Nathan GianniniThanksgiving is here, which means millions of Americans will travel across the country to spend time with their loved ones, maybe watch a little football... and stuff an obscene amount of food into their faces.
According to the Calorie Control Council, the average American will consume a quite-astounding 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat during a traditional Thanksgiving feast! To be fair, that number includes around 1,500 calories in snacks and drinks, but still, that’s A LOT. (Via Calorie Control Council)
To put it into perspective, that’s roughly equivalent to:
- 7 KFC Double Downs
- 48 traditional wings with Honey BBQ sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings
- or 95 chicken McNuggets from McDonald’s (Via Flickr / megan.chromik)
However you spin it, that’s way more than we should probably be eating — around twice the recommended daily calorie intake and more than three times for fat.
Gizmodo came up with 10 ways to burn off all that Thanksgiving goodness that just went straight to your thighs. Although, they don’t sound like much fun. They include:
- Running for six-and-a-half hours, or roughly 33 miles
- More than 9 hours of jazzercising — about as long as the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy
- Or play some football ... for nearly seven hours. So strap on some pads and get ready for that Turkey Bowl.
Dieticians would, of course, recommend you skip the dinner table gorging — as well as the post-meal marathon — and practice portion control.
Overeating is, of course, not the only Thanksgiving Day danger you need to watch our for. According to insurance company State Farm, there are more cooking fires on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year.
Deep frying the turkey can be particularly risky — fire departments respond to around 1,000 deep fryer-related fires a year, which cause more than $15 million in property damage. (Via National Journal)
Well, even if we’re not safe, at least those two birds President Obama pardoned last week will be having a fun-filled Turkey Day, right?
Well, apparently not. Despite White House claims that the birds live out their days in comfort and care, they usually only last a few months. (Via The White House)
“The presidential birds, bred to be eaten, are so fat that by the time of their pardon, their days are numbered. A farmer told ABC News: ‘Their flesh has grown so fast, and their heart and their bones and their other organs can't catch up.’”
And on that uplifting note, we wanted to wish you a happy Thanksgiving. Maybe we’ll see you when we’re out jogging after eating that second slice of pumpkin pie ...
