Many of us have just enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and so much more. It tastes good and we may have enjoyed sharing a meal with family and friends. But what about our waistline and our health? How many calories and how healthy is a traditional Thanksgiving meal?

Estimates start at perhaps 2,200 calories, more than enough for a full day’s worth of food for an average-sized adult. However, the calorie count doesn’t end there. Calorie intake can be as high as 3,000 to 5,000 calories or more. But it’s not just the calories, it’s the number of calories from fat that could add up to 229 calories. Check any good diet book and you’ll know that the Thanksgiving meal you just devoured contains so much fat that it far exceeds the recommended daily amount for a reasonably healthy diet, not less for a weight loss diet.

Let’s start with the turkey, high protein, lean meat with delicious gravy. The estimate is 340 calories, 11 grams of fat. The next not-so-innocent ingredient is the stuffing. It tastes delicious, feels hearty, but contains a lot of sodium, carbs, and fat (depending on added ingredients and if it’s cooked in turkey juices). The estimate is 165 calories, 4 grams of fat, 515 milligrams of sodium. Read more:

Then there are the potatoes, often sweet potatoes candied with marshmallows which are high in beta carotene but packed with sugar if toasted with marshmallows. The estimate is 305 calories, 4 grams of fat. And mashed potatoes can be stuffed with butter. The estimate is 185 calories, 3 grams of fat. But add extra fat and calories if you add cheese.

Then we add some vegetables like spinach to the cream which sounds very healthy. After all, Popeye ate them for energy and they are a deep dark green with lots of vitamins. The estimate is 135 calories, 11 grams of fat. Now, throw in some bread or crackers (especially if they’re buttermilk) and you’ll see maybe 250 calories, 10 grams of fat (if you add butter and soak up the gravy), and very little colon-friendly fiber.

Finally, we have a sweet and familiar pumpkin pie recipe or maybe pumpkin cheesecake and maybe some whipped cream or ice cream on top. The estimate is 310 calories, 20 grams of fat. And let’s not skip the cranberry sauce, only 90 calories if taken from a can but possibly a lot more calories if cooked with sugar and combined with other ingredients. The saving grace is that cranberries are very good for the urinary tract, so they can add just a little bit of digestive support.

If you’re one of the many Americans who’s indulged in a typical high-calorie, high-sodium, high-fat, high-carb, low-fiber Thanksgiving meal, don’t be discouraged. Sometimes spending quality time with family and friends is just as important as eating nutritious food and exercising your body. But now that heavy eating is over, it’s up to each and every one of us to take control, move our bodies, lighten up our diet, and get back to healthy, low-calorie eating that can add quality years to our lives.