Gobble! Gobble! Here are some fun fest facts on Thanksgiving Day:
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According to the National Turkey Federation, 88% of Americans surveyed eat turkey on Thanksgiving.
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The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 16 pounds.
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A turkey typically has 70% white meat and 30% dark meat. Nutritionally, between the two types; white meat has fewer calories and less fat than dark meat.
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According to a study conducted by the National Institute of Health and the Medical University of South Carolina, the average person’s weight gain between Thanksgiving and the New Year is just over 1 pound.
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While turkey does contain Tryptophan, a natural sedative, the “food coma” you experience on Thanksgiving is not caused by this. Instead, you get sleepy because your body is working hard to digest all the food.
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The first Turkey Trot was run in 1896 in Buffalo, New York, when Henry A. Allison and six other runners competed in a five mile cross country race on Thanksgiving morning.
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The Dallas Turkey Trot is the largest Thanksgiving race in the United States.
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Pumpkin pie is the most popular pie for Thanksgiving and over 50 million are made every year.
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Some typical Thanksgiving foods that were not a part of the first Thanksgiving: potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie.
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Turkey bowling is an event that takes place annually in Cincinnati’s Fountain Square ice skating rink, where contestants see who can knock down the most pins while sliding a frozen turkey across the ice.
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Green bean casserole was created in 1955 by the people at Campbell Soup and has become a popular Thanksgiving side dish. 40 million green bean casseroles are served on Thanksgiving.
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While many people use the terms yams and sweet potatoes interchangeably, they are not even related to one another.
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50% of Americans put the stuffing inside the turkey.
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Americans consume around 400 million pounds of cranberries a year, and 20% of them are consumed during Thanksgiving week.