Giving Thanks

Happy Sunday, everybody! Thanksgiving is fast approaching, which means two things: no school, and TONS of food. Thanksgiving (these days) is a holiday based around being with friends and family, sharing love, thanks, and delicious meals, which I absolutely love. I want to share some tips and tricks for having the best Turkey day you can have!

Thanksgiving is a lovely time for so many people, but I know from all my Thanksgiving experiences that it's super easy to overeat. Over-eating is extremely common among Americans who can afford to do so, especially around the holidays. According to calorie control.org, the average Thanksgiving meal is about 3,000 calories, and could be up to 4,500 (keep in mind that’s 1,500 calories more than USFDA recommends for an entire day). Overconsumption of calories is a major contributor to obesity in the U.S. today, and very easy to fall prey to. While the Americans who can afford to put food on the table often put too much, there were still about 15.6 million households in the United States that were food insecure as of 2015 (meaning they can’t afford nutritious food or that they can’t afford enough food the sustain the household at all). Foodforward.org, states that, “According to a 2014 EPA study, America throws away more than 38 million tons of food every year”, so of the American households that can afford enough food, a large portion of it is simply thrown in the garbage. This Thanksgiving, I encourage you to not let that tryptophan get the best of you, and eat just until you’re satisfied. In addition, you can donate canned goods and even Thanksgiving leftovers to those in need! If you’re looking to donate leftover Thanksgiving food, most food pantries will take them, and you can find one near you by following this link: https://www.foodpantries.org/.You can also look into donating leftovers, canned goods, or other food to your local food bank! You can find the nearest one here: http://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank/.

Giving back is a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving. Get some friends and family together to donate food or volunteer (here’s a website to find some awesome non-profits in your area:https://greatnonprofits.org/categories/view/homeless-and-housing?gclid=CMqoofGOybgCFcqe4AodiWoA9A). Give thanks this year by spreading the love and helping someone out! I hope you all have a happy, healthy, lovely Thanksgiving!
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Sources:

https://news.vice.com/article/heres-how-much-food-youre-going-to-waste-on-thanksgiving
https://food52.com/blog/18506-where-to-donate-your-thanksgiving-leftovers
https://foodforward.org/2017/09/how-much-food-is-wasted-in-america/?gclid=CjwKCAiArrrQBRBbEiwAH_6sNARv-PR39O3-UOLYM37eRsns2uKIrygVtyQWIi2fT2hldKE8DIjA5BoCmqgQAvD_BwE
https://caloriecontrol.org/stuff-the-bird-not-yourself-how-to-deal-with-the-3000-calorie-thanksgiving-meal/
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe/causes

Oona Albertson

Foods and Nutrition Major. SDSU.