Thanksgiving dinner is beloved by millions around the world for its whopping size and wonderful taste.
After all, who doesn't love roast turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and mashed potatoes?
But did you know that some Thanksgiving dinners weigh in at an eye-watering 4,500 calories?
It's probably quite a relief then that it only comes around once a year.
Some dishes such as roast turkey and cranberry sauce are quite healthy, but others like pumpkin pie and sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows are, unsurprisingly, loaded with fat and sugar.
But just how healthy is Thanksgiving dinner, and what are the biggest culprits on the dinner table? We take a look at the best and worst offenders.
Turkey
A bird loved by gym-goers worldwide for its low fat and high protein content, turkey is perhaps the only non-negotiable dish at Thanksgiving.
Roasted in the oven and not deep fried, turkey contains high levels of vitamins B-6 and 12, niacin, choline, selenium and zinc, along with the aforementioned high protein count.
Removing the skin will cut a lot of the fat content, while the dark meat has more calories and fat than white - but does have more nutrients and vitamins.
Mashed potato
Don't listen to the low carb and paleo brigade - potato is good for us, albeit when it's not mashed with tonnes of butter and salt.
Technically a vegetable, potatoes have plenty of vitamin C, fibre, potassium, starchy carbohydrates and even some protein.
But when you add things like butter and milk to the mix, you are inevitably upping the calorie, saturated fat and cholesterol content, while peeling the skins also removes much of a potato's fibre content, which is essential for weight management and digestive health.
Cranberry sauce
Cranberries are loaded with antioxidants and nutrients, and are often touted as a miracle fruit famed for their ability to cure urinary tract infections.
While cranberry sauce itself isn't necessarily too harmful, it does contain a lot of suger - and shop-bought ones tend to be rammed full of the sweet stuff, so it's best to make your own.
Gravy
What's a Thanksgiving dinner without a mountain of gravy to go with it? Unfortunately for the health conscious, it's perhaps not the most calorie-wise choice.
Homemade gravy, made from the drippings of the roast meat, is unsurprisingly going to be pretty high in fat, while shop-bought versions will add a load of sodium to it as well.
Using less fat in your homemade version will cut the calories somewhat, and not dousing your food with gravy will again cut calories - but let's face it, that's what makes it so delicious and Thanksgiving is only once a year.
Stuffing
Who doesn't love some delicious stuffing? But is it healthy? Well the short answer is, like all your favourite things, a short, sharp no.
Stuffings usually contain some form of processed white bread and meats, and they spend a few hours inside the turkey soaking up all the fat and roasting juices.
Consumerreports.org says that an ice cream scoop of stuffing contains around 195 calories and a whole load of sodium, while the benefits of having vegetables in the stuffing will be outweighed by the amount of fat and sodium lurking in it.
Green bean casserole
One of the most quintessentially American dishes on the table, green bean casserole was invented in 1965 by the Campbells soup company.
Consisting of a can of cream of mushroom soup, crunchy fried onions and green beans, the dish is really not one for the health conscious.
The only truly healthy thing in here is the green beans and while they contain a wealth of nutrients, such as vitamin K, C and manganese, vegetables lose their nutrient content through cooking.
Not only this but the fried onion topping is a fat-and-sodium bomb, while canned soups can have high amounts of sodium. A single serving of this casserole is reputed to have around 140 calories.
Sweet potatoes with marshmallows
Yes this is a thing in America apparently. Sweet potato is really good for us, containing high levels of betacarotine, fibre, vitamins A, C and B6 and slow release carbohydrates.
But topping them with marshmallows - which are just puffy balls of sugar and contain virtually no nutrients - is a nutritional no-no and should be nixed.
To top it off, usually the potato has been mashed along with a healthy dollop and butter and salt. Not one for the waistlines, then.
Cornbread
Corn is a whole grain, and the bread is a good source of calcium, iron, potassium and a number of different vitamins, but apart from that it's not hugely great for you.
The fibre content is pretty low and they can come loaded with salt, sugar and fat, especially some store bought ones, which are often made with refined white flour.
That being said, the protein content is quite high for bread, but topping it with lots of butter and cheese is not a healthy move.
Pumpkin pie
Like sweet potato, pumpkin by itself is pretty good for you. It's a good source of nutrients such as carotenoids, vitamins C and B, fibre and postassium.
But pumpkin pie is often made with cream, condensed milk and cream cheese, while whipped cream is often pipped on top, and most recipes call for a healthy serving of sugar.
However, it's better than most other sweet, seasonal pies, such as apple and pecan, so if you're going to splurge it's probably the best option.
