First: How much Turkey will you need for this Thanksgiving Holiday meal? If you get one pound of turkey for every hungry mouth you plan to feed, you will get approximately 12 ounces of turkey/per guest. If that seems like a lot to you, you have never seen my family eat! If you want leftovers or more than that, adjust accordingly.

Second: How much time do you need to thaw your frozen turkey? Thaw your turkey (still wrapped) on the bottom of your refrigerator on top of a tray to catch the water and juice run-off to prevent a mess and bacteria from spreading through your refrigerator. The typical refrigerator is set at 37 degrees F (2.8 degrees C), so you will need about 24 hours/4-5 pounds of turkey.

Third: Don’t wash your turkey. You are right to be concerned about the bacteria, but you cannot wash it off. Attempting to do so will only splash the bacteria around your kitchen surfaces that may contaminate your other food preparations. No bacteria will survive the high temperatures of cooking your turkey so your concern should be about spreading the bacteria to other foods.

After thawing, unwrap your turkey in the sink and carefully pour the water/juice down the sink taking care not to spread the fluid. Use paper towels to pat your turkey dry (inside and out). After getting your turkey into position for cooking, wash your hands thoroughly using water as hot as you can stand and soap) before touching any other food, utensils, and/or surfaces. 

Fourth: For safety reasons, cook your stuffing outside your turkey. If you cook your stuffing inside the turkey (a tradition in my home growing up), there is a risk of food poisoning if the stuffing doesn’t get to 165 degrees as it will undoubtedly absorb the juices from the turkey. Unfortunately, waiting till the stuffing gets up to 165, you may end up with a dried-out turkey.

Fifth: What is the healthiest way to cook your turkey? Roasted turkey, unbrined, without butter, added under the skin, roasted in its own juices is the lowest fat option, especially if you remove the skin on the parts you eat. Obviously, white meat will be lower in calories than dark meat by about 7 calories/ounce. 

Sixth: What is the nutritional content of turkey?

Turkey is noted as a Superfood due to being low in fat, highly nutritious, versatile, and easy to get year-round. 

Benjamin Franklin would have been so proud to know that his choice of the national bird would gain such high praise.  

Turkey is being touted as one of the leanest proteins on Earth. 

Our body needs a continuous supply of protein just to remain functioning at an optimal level. Protein is composed of Amino Acids. The non-essential Amino acids are manufactured within the body. The other 9 are known as the essential amino acids and must come from the foods we eat. Besides turkey, other complete protein foods include eggs, meat, poultry, fish, dairy, and soybeans (though there is still some controversy on potential side effects for certain women and me), the only complete plant source of protein.

 All other plant foods are incomplete and theoretically must be combined to become the complete protein needed by the body to build and repair.  A few of the combinations are beans and rice, peanut butter and whole grain bread, and whole grain macaroni and cheese.

Proteins are in every cell in the body, and we cannot live without them. Our hair, skin, muscles, organs, and enzymes are all made up of protein. What building blocks do you want to use to build the best body possible? Answer: Ideally, the highest quality you can eat! 

Your immune system will say “Thank You” every time you eat turkey. The immune system takes a beating with the lifestyles we lead today. Turkey is a rich source of bioavailable Zinc, meaning the body assimilates it in its natural state. Zinc not only boosts the immune system, it also promotes the healing of tissues and wounds and contributes to normal cell reproduction. Four ounces of turkey contributes 20% of the daily value we need. 

The 3 B vitamins, niacin, B-6, and B-12 are all associated with metabolism and DNA health. If you are not consuming enough B-12, B-6, and folate, your risk is increased for having high levels of homocysteine. This is a building block for atherosclerosis which leads to heart attacks and even heart attack deaths. 

Think of turkey as your anti-aging food. Selenium is an anti-aging mineral that is responsible for so many bodily functions: immune, thyroid, and metabolic and it has also been found to help reduce the risk of cancers and heart disease. 

The portions below represent 100 grams, approximately 3 1/2 ounces, of sliced meat from a whole roasted turkey.  

A 3 1/2-ounce portion of turkey is about the size and thickness of a new deck of cards. The fat and calorie content varies because white meat has less fat and fewer calories than dark meat and skin. One gram of fat contains 9 calories, and one gram of protein contains 4 calories.

Turkey provides us with many nutrients including:

• Riboflavin

• Niacin 

• Vitamin B6 

• Vitamin 12 

• Iron 

• Selenium 

• Zinc 

Now you know the many benefits of turkey.  Be sure to include this bird in your nutrition plan throughout the year and not just during Thanksgiving. Turkey is readily available and can be purchased in a variety of ways: whole, the breast, legs, ground, or deli sliced.  

Take advantage of this most nutritious Superfood.

Building better bodies with better protein are what good nutrition is all about. So have some turkey in your next meal…skinless of course!

Food For Thought

Deep-Fried Turkey
Health Grade: D
Let’s talk turkey: Typically, in these recipes, the bird is fried in peanut oil, which is a good source of healthy fats but also high in calories (119 per Tbsp.). Peanut oil also has 22 percent more saturated fat than olive oil (which is what many of us brush on the bird when roasting). The turkey will absorb some of the oil despite the short cooking time. You’re also probably not passing on that super crispy skin, which is where most of the saturated fat in turkey hides, says Jackie Topol, RD, clinical dietician at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell and culinary nutritionist.

Turkey Wrapped in Bacon
Health Grade: C-
Let’s talk turkey: Obviously, a layer of bacon on your bird increases the calorie count and the fat content of the meal, and this is another method that all but guarantees you’ll eat the turkey skin—because it’s attached to that delicious bacon.

Smoked Turkey
Health Grade: C+
This method doesn’t add calories, but it may expose you to carcinogenic compounds called HCAs (heterocyclic amines) and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), which are formed when meat is smoked. Just like with bacon, though, habitual consumption is the problem—the more smoked meats you consume, the higher your risk, explains nutritional epidemiologist Marjorie McCullough, ScD (doctor of science) of the American Cancer Society. There’s no specific amount that’s considered safe, but if you’re a strictly-on-Thanksgiving smoked-meat eater, it’s not something to stress about. Regular smoked-meat consumers may want to consider taking a break on Turkey Day, though.

Turkey Stuffed with Other Birds
Health Grade: B
Let’s talk turkey: There are many ways to cook turducken (they can be fried or bacon-wrapped or roasted, etc.), but the main problem here is portion size. Breaking down calorie and fat content bird-by-bird, 3 ounces of roasted turkey has 135 calories and 3.26 grams of fat; whereas roughly the same amount of chicken has 142 calories and 5.64 grams of fat and a similar portion of duck has 171 calories and 9.52 grams of fat.

Brined Turkey
Health Grade: A-
Let’s talk turkey: The only minor con here is salt—frozen turkeys are often higher in sodium to start with because they’re injected with saline to keep them juicy, says Topol, and the meat will also absorb some more salt from the brine itself (it’s hard to say, for sure, how much).

Roasted Turkey
Health Grade: A
Let’s talk turkey: An unbrined turkey roasted in its own juices (without butter added under the skin) is the most healthful option, especially if you take the skin off your portion to cut down on saturated fat. The calorie difference between the light and dark meat is minimal (22 calories less in the light variety of a roughly 3-ounce serving). Fat-wise, dark meat has about 3.5 grams more calories per serving.

_{©November 2022}