Most People Eat Thanksgiving Dinner Around This Time, According To A Survey
Thanksgiving is special for many people in different ways. For some, it's a way to bond with their families over delicious food, such as slow-roasted turkey with rich gravy and mashed potatoes, while for others, it's a holiday that calls for the resurrection of old family recipes that have been passed on through generations. A Thanksgiving celebrator on Reddit said that the holiday has been a rare occasion that allows them to see all their cousins for some true quality time. They wrote, "we sat at the dining room table for 12 hours, from 2 PM to 2 AM, eating, talking, fighting, it was a lot of fun."
People also have different habits associated with the holiday. For example, some folks like to have their Thanksgiving meal relatively early in the day, as per HuffPost. For others, it's more ideal to eat in the evening. And this may be a bit of a surprise, but there's one time period in particular that is preferred by many Americans.
There is such a thing as eating too late, experts say
As reported by HuffPost, a YouGov poll of 1,000 participants revealed that most Americans like to eat their Thanksgiving dinner sometime between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., with many eating between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. as well. These early eaters may be onto something. According to Columbia University associate professor of nutritional medicine Marie-Pierre St-Onge, the trick to feeling your best on Thanksgiving Day is to eat early instead of delaying your meal until the end of the evening. She explained that "having large meals closer to bedtime is less than ideal because then you're full and you have undigested foods in your gastrointestinal system that can potentially lead to some gastric reflux in individuals who are prone to that." This may be why significantly fewer poll respondents said they eat the big meal after 5 p.m.
But hey, there are people who prefer their Thanksgiving celebrations to last all day. As one person shared on Reddit, "My family usually has an all day get together that starts around 2pm." Another interesting solution from a Redditor? Eating the delicious food items at lunchtime, then saving the rest for round two at dinner. What a tempting idea!