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White meat. Dark meat. Either way, turkey is lean.

 

Love dark turkey meat but go for white meat thinking it’s a healthier choice? Here’s some good news! All turkey is a healthy choice, but you’ll be happy to know that  dark turkey meat is lean, with just 8 grams of fat per a 100-gram serving. And, dark meat is especially rich in iron, selenium and zinc. Dark meat lovers rejoice!

As for those who love the white meat, it’s considered a low fat choice. Each 100-gram serving of white turkey meat is extra lean with just 3 grams of fat.

What about ground turkey? It’s also extra lean with just 8.7 grams of fat per 100-gram serving. Ground turkey has just over half the fat of lean ground beef, making turkey an ideal choice for your healthy barbecued burgers!

So as you see, all fresh turkey cuts (without the skin) are lean or extra lean; but they do contain a small amount of fat…and that’s okay!

We need some fat for important functions in your body and for good health. For example:

  • Fat provides energy.
  • Fat is needed to build hormones and to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.
  • We need fat for healthy skin.
  • Fat also helps you feel satisfied after meals.

Most of the fat in turkey is monounsaturated and polyunsaturated In fact, almost half the fat in turkey is monounsaturated – that’s the same type of fat found in heart healthy olive oil!

 

Tasty tip: Keep the skin on turkey breast while cooking keeps meat moist and locks in flavour; removing the skin before eating keeps turkey breast a lower fat option.