TRAVERSE CITY -- Like most Americans, Jacob Kulhanek expects to overindulge at the Thanksgiving dinner table today.
"I try not to, but I really like food," said Kulhanek, who is celebrating his first Thanksgiving in Traverse City with a turkey and all the trimmings. "My favorite thing is dark meat smothered in gravy."
The average Thanksgiving meal is more than 3,000 calories, thanks to rich foods, bigger-than-usual portions and irresistible seconds. Add snacks before the meal even begins and the calorie count can easily reach 4,000 or more.
"It's alcohol, nuts, cheese and crackers, the dips we dip into before we're even around the table," said Julie Sheerin, a Northwestern Michigan College instructor and registered dietitian in private practice. "Nuts are 700-800 calories a cup."
While the holiday meal usually includes plenty of vegetables, most people go lighter on the broccoli and heavier on the mashed potatoes, Sheerin said. And often even the healthier vegetables are prepared in special -- and fattening -- once-a-year recipes like candied yams with marshmallows and green bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup and fried onions.
"There's a reason we only use them once a year," she said. "The first ingredient is cream, then you add butter ... "
To help offset those calories -- and the attendant fat -- Kulhanek, partner Candace Glosmek and the couple's pet Weimaraner, Lady, plan to start the day with the second annual Traverse City Downtown Turkey Trot.
"It gives you a way to feel good about eating a big meal," said Kulhanek, a construction management worker who tries to stay fit by cycling, walking and running four or five times a week. "Plus if you exercise before a big meal, you can eat more."
More than 600 people are registered for the 5K Run/Walk, which begins at the Holiday Inn at 9 a.m., follows the TART trail along the bay and winds through town before ending up back where it started, said co-founder Enid Hagerty.
"I've heard them say they're not as guilty about the couch potato they know they're going to be later, watching football and eating," Hagerty said.
Both casual runners, Hagerty and husband Brian organized the trot last year as a "motivating event to get people active" after participating in similar events in other cities. Proceeds benefit the new YMCA and TART Trails.
"We're trying to get people to think about creating family traditions," said Hagerty, an application developer for a Chicago firm. "It's something that can balance out a day that doesn't really have a lot of family activity in the morning. It's a family-friendly, active, help-the-community benefit kind of thing. There's no bad side to the event. If you have people visiting, bring them with."
Crystal Mountain is hosting its own version of the event -- the Turkey Vulture Trot 5K Run/Walk and One-Mile Fun Run -- just hours before its traditional holiday feast. Besides turkey with all the trimmings, the Thanksgiving buffet features ham, roasted pork loin, grilled salmon and chicken, with dozens of appetizers, sides and desserts, from pumpkin pie to chocolate caramel parfait.
The fifth annual trot "takes a little guilt out of the Thanksgiving Day feast" while helping to raise money for charity, said resort public relations director Brian Lawson. The run/walk and fun run, which begin at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. respectively, benefit Wings of Wonder, a nonprofit raptor education and rehabilitation program.
"We really try to incorporate a lot of healthy lifestyle things in everything we do out here," said Lawson, who serves as emcee for the event.
At least one study suggests that an unusually heavy meal quadruples the chances of a heart attack in the first two hours after eating. That may be because fat intake, particularly in large amounts, can keep arteries from expanding when they need to. Such a large amount of food also requires a lot of digestive activity, which means the gut needs more blood, making the heart work harder to supply it.
Blood sugar and insulin output also go up, and that may cause blood pressure to rise in some people.
Finally, big meals are often associated with drinking, smoking and other activities that might increase heart risk.
"For most healthy people I think indulging in this meal is not a problem," Sheerin said. "The body is pretty resilient. Most people will come out the other side just fine." But those with diabetes and cardiac issues should definitely watch their intake.
"You're getting a lot of fat all at once, a lot of sugar all at once. It's just more stressful on the body," she said.
Contrary to popular opinion, Sheerin said it's better to exercise before a meal than after, when blood is rushing to the stomach to aid digestion and is less available to muscles. The big payoff?
"People think if you exercise before a meal you get hungrier, but it's opposite," she said. "Go for a walk first because you're also going to suppress your appetite some."
If you do need to exercise after eating, wait an hour and then drink a big glass of water before you go, she suggested. But by all means, go.
"It's better late than never," she said.
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