A Thanksgiving plate, item by item
Every family's table is different, so instead of one number, here's a typical plate built from USDA values, with portions you can compare with your own.
| Serving | Weight | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roast turkey, white and dark meat with skin, 2 medium slices (about 4 oz) | 120 g* | 220 kcal | 33 g | 0 g | 9 g |
| Stuffing, ½ cup | 100 g* | 177 kcal | 3.1 g | 21.7 g | 8.5 g |
| Mashed potatoes, ½ cup | 125 g* | 143 kcal | 2.7 g | 22 g | 5.1 g |
| Gravy, ¼ cup | 60 g* | 29 kcal | 0.4 g | 3.2 g | 1.6 g |
| Green bean casserole, ½ cup | 115 g* | 64 kcal | 2.3 g | 8.1 g | 2.5 g |
| Sweet potato casserole, ½ cup | 125 g* | 124 kcal | 2.4 g | 21.5 g | 3.2 g |
| Cranberry sauce, ¼ cup | 70 g* | 111 kcal | 0.6 g | 28.3 g | 0.1 g |
| Dinner roll, medium | 43 g | 120 kcal | 4.2 g | 21.5 g | 1.7 g |
| Butter, 1 pat | 7 g | 52 kcal | 0.1 g | 0 g | 5.8 g |
| Total | 765 g | 1,040 kcal | 48.8 g | 126.3 g | 37.5 g |
* Serving sizes chosen by NutriPixel; nutrition calculated from USDA's per-100 g values. The roll and pat of butter use USDA's own portion weights.
Dessert
A slice here is one-eighth of a 9-inch pie, which is USDA's regular slice.
| Serving | Weight | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pumpkin pie, 1 slice (⅛ of a 9-inch pie) | 150 g | 374 kcal | 7.1 g | 54.5 g | 14.7 g |
| Pecan pie, 1 slice (⅛ of a 9-inch pie) | 150 g | 674 kcal | 9 g | 74.3 g | 37.8 g |
| Whipped cream, ¼ cup | 10 g* | 35 kcal | 0.2 g | 0.9 g | 3.3 g |
Dinner plus a slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream comes to about 1,449 kcal, around 72% of the 2,000 calories US food labels use as a reference for a whole day.3
What changes the total
- Seconds. Another half cup each of stuffing and mashed potatoes with a ¼ cup of gravy adds about 349 kcal.
- Pecan pie instead of pumpkin. About 300 kcal more for the same size slice.
- Toppings USDA's recipes leave out. USDA's green bean casserole has no fried-onion topping, and its sweet potato casserole has no marshmallows or pecan streusel. If yours do, they add to the numbers above.
- Butter you don't see. A tablespoon of butter stirred into the mashed potatoes or brushed on the rolls adds about 104 kcal.
- White meat without the skin. The same 4 oz of turkey breast with the skin removed is about 53 kcal less than white and dark meat with skin, with a little more protein.
Have seconds and a slice of pecan pie instead of pumpkin, and the same dinner comes to about 2,098 kcal, before appetizers, drinks or leftovers.
Where the protein is
The turkey supplies about 33 g of the plate's 48.8 g of protein. Most of the rest of the plate is carbs: stuffing, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and the roll. The roll and its pat of butter alone are about 172 kcal.
Making it a steadier meal
- Start with the turkey and green beans. In a small study of adults with type 2 diabetes, eating a meal's vegetables and protein before its carbs led to a lower blood-sugar rise than eating the carbs first.1
- Go for a walk after dinner, even a short one. In trials, breaking up sitting with short, light walks lowered blood sugar after meals compared with staying seated.2
- Pick the dessert you actually want. A slice of pecan pie has about 300 kcal more than a slice of pumpkin pie.
General information, not medical advice. If you manage diabetes or another condition, follow your care team's guidance.
How NutriPixel logs Thanksgiving dinner
Photograph your plate and NutriPixel lists each food separately: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, each side and the roll, with calories, protein, carbs and fat for each. Change any portion before you log it, like a full cup of mashed potatoes instead of a half. Gravy poured over everything and butter mixed in are hard to see in a photo, so add them as their own items if you know they're there. No photo? Type it, like turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy and a roll
.
See how NutriPixel handles American meals on the US food calorie counter page, or browse calories in popular US foods.
Sources
Values from USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023, published October 2024), which is in the public domain. Weights marked * are calculated by NutriPixel from USDA's per-100 g values; the rest are USDA's own portion weights. Numbers are rounded.
- USDA FoodData Central: “Turkey, light and dark meat, roasted, skin eaten” (FDC ID 2706114)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Turkey, light meat, roasted, skin not eaten” (FDC ID 2706109)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Bread stuffing” (FDC ID 2707687)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Potato, mashed, from fresh, NFS” (FDC ID 2709499)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Gravy, poultry” (FDC ID 2707144)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Green bean casserole” (FDC ID 2710040)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Sweet potato, casserole or mashed” (FDC ID 2709708)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Cranberry sauce” (FDC ID 2709280)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Roll, white, soft” (FDC ID 2707654)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Butter, stick” (FDC ID 2710155)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Pie, pumpkin” (FDC ID 2708011)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Pie, pecan” (FDC ID 2708015)
- USDA FoodData Central: “Cream, whipped” (FDC ID 2705598)
- USDA ARS: Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS)
Other sources
- Shukla AP et al. Food order has a significant impact on postprandial glucose and insulin levels. Diabetes Care 2015;38:e98–9
- Buffey AJ et al. The acute effects of interrupting prolonged sitting time with standing and light-intensity walking. Sports Med 2022;52:1765–87
- US FDA: Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts labels