Today?s turkey serves up more pounds to go around, but it?s not the same bird the Pilgrims ate or that Benjamin Franklin wanted as our national bird.
“Turkeys in the days of the Pilgrims were similar to the wild turkeys that are now abundant in most states of the nation. They have dark plumage and can fly,” said University of Maryland professor Nickolas Zimmermann.
The turkey Franklin admired would have been a sharp-witted survivor.
“Wild turkeys grow up in woodlands where only the alert survive. At any moment, a fox or a hawk could threaten their life and they must constantly look for food,” Zimmermann said.
By comparison, modern turkeys are bred for large breast muscles and white feathers, he said, “so that pigment from dark feathers does not blemish the skin.”
Turkey consumption has also evolved as turkey became a popular low-fat alternative for an increasingly diet-conscious nation.
National Turkey Federation statistics from 2005 show per-capita consumption was 16.7 pounds per person in the U.S. ? up 106 percent since 1970.
How much is too much?
While Americans eat more turkey and take more antacid each Thanksgiving, Dr. Ibrahim Razzak, with Greater Baltimore Medical Center, said he also sees more digestive emergencies after Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year?s feasts.
Family gatherings, distractions, alcohol and excessive quantities of food in every shape, size and color make for a perfect storm for the stomach.
“Overeating is the issue here, it?s the amount and the type of foods that people are eating over the holidays,” Razzak said. “People eat too fast and they don?t chew their food well.”
Drinking can compound eating problems because it makes it harder to pay attention to what and how you eat, he said.
As far as foods that get people in trouble, the turkey itself is usually innocent, unless it?s fried.
“Fried rich, greasy foods and gravies can delay the stomach opening,” he said. “So can too much fiber, raw vegetables and fruits.”
Although he did not have statistics, Razzak said they see a spike in cases of acid reflux and impaction around the holidays, especially when drinking is a focus.
