Turkey Legs in the Headlines

[fillerup]

Today's O'Sentinel Calendar section:

Talking turkey at the theme parks: The legs, the legend

First few paragraphs:

"From a safe distance at Disney's Animal Kingdom, I watched a momma and her three cubs snack on something fowl. They tore into the meat, chewing down to the bone, maneuvering around cartilage to get at every morsel.

Nearby, the poppa removed the skin from his portion of the feast and popped it into a trash can.

This fair-haired British family of five was consuming, for the first time, the ubiquitous theme-park snack: the turkey leg.

"I used to feed them to my dog," says Paul Scott, father of the carnivorous clan."

Later in the article, yikes :hammer:

"WebMD.com, in an article about food at fairs, festivals and amusement parks, reported that a "giant turkey leg" has 1,136 calories and 54 grams of fat."

Full article

by Dewayne Bevil

 

[Master Yoda]

I wish I liked the turkey legs. They smell and look so good and there is just something so cave man like about them, but much to my chagrin, I just do not care for dark turkey meat.

 

[MissM]

I wish I liked the turkey legs. They smell and look so good and there is just something so cave man like about them, but much to my chagrin, I just do not care for dark turkey meat.

I'm with you. They smell divine, but I can't get behind dark turkey meat either. Bleck.

 

[Phonedave]

I love them, but they are just so damn bad for you that I rarely buy one.

-dave

 

[wdwmagic]

Good lord that is some pretty bad nutrition. They should come with a warning sticker.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I always get a turkey leg or two during my WDW stay. I don't care how many calories they have or grams of fat... or if they are considered to be bad nutrition. I saved My money for My vacation and I'm gonna have My turkey legs. :lol:
Any way vacations are meant for you to relax and spoil yourself. It's not like I get massive turkey legs at home every day!!

 

[wdwmagic]

I always get a turkey leg or two during my WDW stay. I don't care how many calories they have or grams of fat... or if they are considered to be bad nutrition. I saved My money for My vacation and I'm gonna have My turkey legs. :lol:
Any way vacations are meant for you to relax and spoil yourself. It's not like I get massive turkey legs at home every day!!

It is true that things like this occasionally won't be a problem. But American has the highest rate of obesity in the world. People are obviously not following the "occasionally" rule.

 

[real mad hatter]

Och Aye,it's only a leg.

Aye,a leg of whit?it's no fae the turkey i had at Xmas,it's a dinosaurs leg.And to think some folk think haggis is rubbish.My god,talk about calories.

 

[DisneyDebNJ]

It is true that things like this occasionally won't be a problem. But American has the highest rate of obesity in the world. People are obviously not following the "occasionally" rule.

Very true, which is why I do weight watchers 3 months before I head to Disney! Takes me 3 months to lose and a week at Disney to gain!! (and of course we always go during Food and Wine!) So when I tel my husband I really worked for a vacation, I REALLY mean it :slurp:

 

[rkelly42]

I do not eat turkey legs other than on Thanksgiving and when we go to wdw. I do not think that one turkey leg during the trip is going to do much harm, especially with all the walking we do, of course I do not speak for everyone.

 

[wdwmagic]

I do not eat turkey legs other than on Thanksgiving and when we go to wdw. I do not think that one turkey leg during the trip is going to do much harm, especially with all the walking we do, of course I do not speak for everyone.

This is an area where I always think people have a false expectation about walking. I regularly run 10 miles, and measured by a heart rate monitor, it burns around 900 calories.

A typical guest in the Magic Kingdom does not walk 10 miles, nor do they run it. So if they're lucky, something like 400 calories will be burnt by walking around the park. So that is less than half of the turkey leg burnt off through walking, and that is assuming that nothing else is eaten.

Having a turkey leg, a few cokes, a burger and fries, and a mickey bar, would put someone well over 3000 calories in the day, and over 3 times a daily fat allowance.

Not saying you should't eat what you want, but just wanted to put some real numbers out there.

 

[Dwarful]

I've never had a turkey leg. But I wonder compared to other things people consume at WDW how much damage one turkey leg would do. It is a lot of calories and fat. I guess it has to be compared to what else will be consumed that day. But as others have said...if you plan ahead enjoy your time at WDW and eat what you'd like...not what you'd normally eat.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Maybe I've been lucky, but in all my trips to WDW I've never come back with weight gained. I definitely eat more meals with deserts and snack like crazy while there but with all the walking and standing I guess it burns the calories off. I'm not typically one to count calories, am active throughout my normal day so I'm fortunate that weight gain hasn't been a worry of mine. Therefore bring on my turkey leg!!:sohappy:

 

[Pioneer Hall]

This is an area where I always think people have a false expectation about walking. I regularly run 10 miles, and measured by a heart rate monitor, it burns around 900 calories.

A typical guest in the Magic Kingdom does not walk 10 miles, nor do they run it. So if they're lucky, something like 400 calories will be burnt by walking around the park. So that is less than half of the turkey leg burnt off through walking, and that is assuming that nothing else is eaten.

Having a turkey leg, a few cokes, a burger and fries, and a mickey bar, would put someone well over 3000 calories in the day, and over 3 times a daily fat allowance.

Not saying you should't eat what you want, but just wanted to put some real numbers out there.

This is true to a degree but there is a caveat that does help with burning more calories. While the walk itself might only burn 400 calories, the metabolism boost for most should help burn a few more. I definitely eat far worse than normal in WDW, but never gain weight and even sometimes lose a pound or two while there. I probably walk a bit more than most, but it shouldn't be enough for me to simply shed pounds after a dinner at Biergarten :ROFLOL: