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Healthy Eating

The Ugly Truth: Holiday Foods and Their Caloric Content

It's that time of year - when we start eating and don't stop until after the Super Bowl. Let's look at the shocking reality of the caloric content of our favorite holiday foods.

Tom Kelso

Written by Tom Kelso Last updated on November 18, 2012

It’s that time of the year. You know what I’m talking about. That stretch of days that run from the calorie-hoarding period of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday through Christmas and into the New Year. Wait. Don’t forget the extended college football season that runs through the first week of January. While we’re at it, let’s include the NFL playoffs and ultimately the Super Bowl, which occurs the first week in February. Yes, that is over two months of food consumption. It’s time to cook. It’s time to bake. It’s time to eat. It’s time to hold a party. It’s time to over-consume calories.

I will admit it is a great time of the year: holidays with the family and championship football. Amen, sister! But why do we hoard calories during this time? For some reason food consumption goes hand-in-hand with the holiday celebrations and post-season football. The chips and dip, chicken wings, guacamole and cheese dips, beer, other high-calorie drinks, apple pies, cookies, and casseroles. Those options – coupled with the main course menu – can create a mega-calorie intake. Similar to an all-you-can-eat buffet, it’s the perfect recipe for calorie hoarding.

Let’s take a look at seasonal food intake, their calorie content, and amount of exercise required to expunge them. Using one of my favorite web sites, calorieking.com, I’m going to reveal to you the ugly truth of this two-month holiday food consumption period.

thankgiving calories, christmas calories, holiday calories, super bowl calories

thankgiving calories, christmas calories, holiday calories, super bowl calories

thankgiving calories, christmas calories, holiday calories, super bowl calories

Tom Kelso

About Tom Kelso

Tom Kelso is currently an Exercise Physiologist with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. He also trains clients through Pinnacle Personal & Performance Training in Chesterfield, Missouri.

For 23 years he was in the collegiate strength and conditioning profession, serving as the Head Coach for Strength and Conditioning at Saint Louis University (2004-2008), the University of Illinois at Chicago (2001-2004), Southeast Missouri State University (1991-2001), and the University of Florida (1988-1990). He got his start in the strength and conditioning field as an Assistant Strength Coach at Florida in 1984 where he was also a weight training instructor for the Department of Physical Education from 1985 to 1988.

In 2006, Tom was named Master Strength and Conditioning Coach by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association for his years of service in the field. In 1999, he was named NSCA Ohio Valley Conference Strength and Conditioning Professional of the year. In 2001, he received an honorary certification from the International Association of Resistance Trainers (I.A.R.T.).

Tom possesses C.S.C.S. and S.C.C.C. certifications with the NSCA and CSCCA, respectively. Additionally, he is certified by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board in basic instructor development and as a specialist instructor by the Missouri Department of Public Safety. In 2012, he became certified by the IBNFC as a Certified Nutrition Coach.

Tom has worked with athletes at the Olympic and professional levels, presented at various clinics/seminars, and worked several athletic-related camps. He is a strong advocate of safe, practical, and time-efficient training and has published a collection of periodical articles, book chapters, complete books, and user-friendly downloads promoting such.

Tom received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Iowa in 1981(It's great to be a Hawkeye!) and a Master's Degree in Physical Education from Western Illinois University in 1984. He was a member of the Track and Field team at Iowa and served as a Graduate Assistant Track & Field Coach while at Western Illinois.

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