Last year, Thanksgiving hosts spent an average of $265 on food and drinks to serve 11 people. That cost is offset by 63% of guests bringing their favorite sides. While turkey is the traditional centerpiece, the latest survey from Campbell’s finds 63% of Americans prefer sides to the bird, if they’re prepared the way they like.

Every family’s sides may vary a bit, and in fact, nearly a third of celebrants experiment with new dishes every year. But there are standards almost everyone sticks to, like stuffing, a dish that most people only eat once a year. In the more than 400 years we’ve celebrated Thanksgiving dinner, science has analyzed both the means of preparation and the effects these famous foods have on eaters.

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