Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Geek out with Thanksgiving data

As I'm sitting here waiting for the extremely long work day and subsequently work week to end, I read this on Yahoo! Interesting geek tidbits from the article:
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3. We Consume an Average of 3,000 Calories at Thanksgiving
From the butter volcano in the mashed potatoes to the mishmash of sweet potato casserole and cornbread stuffing slathered in gravy, each American is estimated to consume anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 calories at the average Thanksgiving meal.

But the biggest calorie bomb on your Thanksgiving table? [Drum roll, please.] Pecan pie! It packs a whopping 503 calories a slice (compared to 316 calories for pumpkin pie and 411 calories for apple pie). Where does this seemingly innocent pie get all of its calories? Sugar, mostly, and copious amounts of pecans, which harbor lots of fat. But on the bright side, much of that is "good fat" (including omega-3s) and pecans contain more antioxidants--compounds that sweep up tissue-damaging free radicals--than any other tree nut, according to a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Pecans also provide notable amounts of zinc, a mineral that may help combat colds. In second place for calorie-packed dishes, we have sweet potato casserole at 460 calories a serving, and in third, don't forget that wine adds up fast: 382 calories for three average-size glasses.

5. You'd Have to Run a Marathon (Plus!) to Burn Off Your Thanksgiving Calories
If you want to exercise to "erase" the calories from turkey, gravy and everything else you ate at Thanksgiving dinner, I hope you have a comfortable pair of running shoes. A 150-pound person would have to run an average of 29 miles to burn off 2,800 calories. If you weigh more, congratulations! You get to run less. But whatever you weigh, clear your calendar and get out your reflective running gear because you are going to be busy (and winded).
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lol - way to justify that piece of pecan pie, Yahoo! contributor, by throwing in that it's "FULL OF OMEGA-3'S!" *sigh*

DON'T EAT 3000 CALORIES FOR ONE MEAL! DON'T FALL INTO THE TRAP!

You'll feel a lot better at the end of the day if you keep a good head on your shoulders and eat reasonably, stay away from anything with "CASSEROLE" included, and have ONE piece of pie. (Not pecan, obviously.)

5 comments:

  1. Thanks for the hard data... it is hard to be in denial when it's all right there in front of me!!!

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  2. My absolutely favorite part of the meal USED to be dressing and turkey with gravy all over it. YUM. Now it's my family and the conversation and the kids and just being thankful. I can have all the turkey and vegetables I want and I am thankful for that. Have a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving Rae Rae J. Take care.

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  3. So true. I read blogs of people who seriously think they can out exercise a bad diet. I'm not sure why they continue to think that way when they lose one pound and gain three over and over and over and over. Sigh. :)

    Have a great day!

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  4. I have to admit, I'm thinking about pecan pie now sweeping away those free radicals!

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