It's not the turkey that's the problem on Thanksgiving Day.  If you're a calorie counter, there are two things on your plate that really make the calorie tally tick up in a hurry.  Ya gonna eat 'em anyway?  

It's hard to say how many total calories are on the plate, and frankly by the time Thursday rolls around and we're ready to eat, we don't give a hoot!  Just let us dig in already.

There has been some dispute over the Calorie Council's claim that most Thanksgiving meals bring with them a 4500 calorie tummy ache.  While 4500 calories may be excessive, most nutritionists seem to agree that 3000 calories is pretty standard for the turkey, trimmings, and of course, the pie.

The two things that pack the highest number of calories are the sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top, and the pecan pie.  Both delicious!  But they are a meal in themselves.

ABC News says the sweet potatoes can run you 610 calories if it's a heaping scoop, and one dietician estimates that one slice of pecan pie with ice cream can equal that.  The corn syrup and sugar that's packed into pecan pie can make it a 500 calorie adventure, and the ice cream on top adds another 100 calories.

Apple pie and the double crust usually carries 360 calories, and a slice of pumpkin pie has 310 calories.

Hungry?  Yes!  All this means is that we need allow a little time for the sweet potatoes to digest before we eat the pie, and that a nap is in order in between.  Happy Thanksgiving!

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