2023 Survey: What is America Eating This Holiday Season?

The holidays are approaching, and for many of us, that means a lot of good food! Eating meals with our loved ones is something many Americans anticipate each year—but that can look different to everyone.

At Ensõ Superfoods, we wanted to get an idea of what holiday eating looks like across the United States. We surveyed 1,000 Americans to find out what everyone is eating during the most wonderful time of the year, and how age and gender affect our preferences.

Thanksgiving Turkey

Turkey is thought to be a Thanksgiving staple and some might think you’re off your rocker if you don’t eat it when celebrating. Roughly eight out of ten Americans will be enjoying turkey at Thanksgiving this year. Those that won’t be gobbling it up have their reasons—10% simply don’t like turkey, 5% will be eating a vegetarian or vegan-friendly turkey alternative, and the remaining 3% either don’t celebrate Thanksgiving or are avoiding anything turkey-like altogether.

And it seems that age plays a part in our turkey preferences. Americans are more likely to eat turkey on Thanksgiving the older they are—those who are 55 and older are 15% more likely to have turkey than those under the age of 24. On top of that, the younger crowds seem to not like turkey at all, with 15% of 18-24-year-olds claiming to not like turkey at all, versus only 5% of those 55 and up.

What else are people eating during the holidays?

There are plenty of other delicious foods to eat this time of year, from glazed ham to steamed vegetables to pie and eggnog. It seems that men really love their meat—17% more men than women will be eating beef.

As with turkey, it seems that pie consumption goes up with age. When compared to respondents under the age of 24, those who are older than 55 are 12% more likely to eat some type of pie over the holidays.

Though the youngest group of respondents is skipping the pie this year, that doesn’t mean their holiday diet plans include more of the healthy stuff. In fact, they are eating far fewer vegetables than any other age group!

There’s no doubt that what we put into our bodies is important and eating healthy should be your focus over the long term. There are plenty of holiday dishes that are both tasty and healthy that you can enjoy. However, when it comes to the holidays, it’s okay to indulge in food and desserts that may not be quite as healthy, so don’t be afraid to munch on some candy canes and enjoy eggnog for a few days!