Here it comes: flavorful stuffing, creamy vegetables, heavenly pumpkin pie, and warm turkey drowned in gravy.  Although the immediate connotation of Thanksgiving is the food, sometimes that supply of food is too much to be beneficial.

          Almost all Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, so this issue does not just impact one religion or group of people, according to Pilgrim Hall Museum’s website.  Americans should celebrate Thanksgiving, but having massive amounts of food should not be a necessary component to celebrating the day.

Throughout the year, people should be watching what they eat and be sure not to eat excessively, but even more so during Thanksgiving.  Even though one day might not make a difference, the aftermath of Thanksgiving is enough to change one’s habits.  According to Diet Tips’ website, people are “traumatized” by the sight of leftovers and, in result, people eat the extra food instead.

The single day of Thanksgiving is not the only problem with this holiday.  The following week can also be an issue.

“[Leftovers] no longer concerns the holiday and people have to develop self-control.  Americans can’t handle saying no to overstuffing themselves with leftovers from an annual holiday,” Briana Harris, junior, said.

There is no doubt Americans are already struggling with obesity, and the amounts of food eaten on holidays does not help the cause.  The food may be healthy, including vegetables or turkey pieces, but having massive amounts of food, healthy or not, is still bad for people.

“I think [the impact towards obesity] depends on the family,” Chelsea Han, sophomore, said.  “Once in a while, having a lot of food on Thanksgiving is okay as long, as families don’t eat like this too often.  If families eat a lot of food frequently, it could lead to obesity.”

          Besides the health aspect of Thanksgiving, this holiday also slightly impacts the financial status of many families.  Buying excess food, most of which just goes to waste, is a major toll on a problem America faces today.

In general, about 25 percent of food that enters each home is not eaten per year.  The leftover food that is thrown into landfills is a major contributor towards global warming, according to an article on Culinate’s website.

“Because of the standard that had been made by society today, [people feel] it is necessary for this meal to be one of the best and biggest meals,” Harris said. “You just have to know your limits and be smart about your purchases.”

By thinking ahead to the amount of food each person will eat during the holiday, the hosts are able to prevent not only food waste, but financial waste too.  By only buying what is necessary, people are able to save money on food as well.

If people know their eating limits and only buy the necessary items, then less money will go to waste.  Therefore, money in America will go towards useful actions instead of just going to waste.

According to Han, many people may feel forced to buy mass amounts of food because they feel they need to show their capability to provide for their family as much as other families can.

By not buying as much food for Thanksgiving, the health and financial statuses of families in America will be improved.  The final consequence of the mass purchases for Thanksgiving is the unbelievable amount of that food goes to waste.  According to Recycle Work’s website, 28 billion pounds of food are wasted during Thanksgiving each year.

“I think this is a problem because leftover food is wasteful and could have been eaten, but instead it has been thrown away,” Han said.  “I think we live in a society where food is taken for granted sometimes.”           

There is a way of having a great Thanksgiving without breaking these rules.  American should watch what they eat and make sure to not overdo that limit, but they should also plan proactively.  Everybody must think about their limits when planning a Thanksgiving get-together and should only buy the food that will be eaten during the meal.  

The holiday of Thanksgiving is supposed to be about being grateful for what everybody has.  Even when donating food to charity, the food is still going to a useful cause and will not be wasted. 

A feast should be allowed for Thanksgiving, but Americans should think carefully before they go shopping about how much food to buy and try to not surpass this limit.  By doing this, each person will improve his or her health, financial state, and lend a helping hand towards less waste in the world.