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Turkey, famous for its starring role in holiday 9 feasts, should also have a starring role in the diet of a bodybuilder. You don't have to put on oven mitts, hoist a 20-pound bird into the oven and wait seven hours for it to cook; turkey parts, including breasts, wings, and thighs, are readily available at supermarkets. Pieces of turkey can be cooked and served just like chicken ? quickly and with a minimum of prep time. When baking turkey, you may prefer to leave the skin on in order to trap moisture and ensure that the meat is tender, but remove the skin before eating to avoid extra fat and calories. Skinless turkey breast is an excellent low-fat protein source, lower even than skinless chicken breast. Nine ounces of cooked skinless white-meat turkey has only 345 calories, an impressive 72 grams (g) of protein, and only 3 g of fat. Turkey is also an excellent source of niacin, vitamins B6, and B12, iron, selenium and zinc. We don't think it's necessary to totally avoid dark meat ? although higher in fat than its white counterpart, nine ounces of cooked skinless dark-meat turkey has 450 calories, 72 g of protein and 18 g of fat. These numbers compare well to nine ounces of cooked skinless chicken breast (white meat), which has about 400 calories and about 80 grams of protein, although its fat content, at approximately 9 g, is lower. Another common turkey product is ground turkey, which can often contain more calories and fat than either white or dark meat. Ground turkey is often hyped as a healthier low-fat substitute for ground beef. Don't be fooled: Three ounces of 90% lean ground turkey actually has very similar fat and calorie content to three ounces of 90% lean ground beef. Unless you select very lean turkey (such as 99% lean), the choice between turkey and beef should be based on taste and other factors, rather than fat content.
Carrie Curtis-Sacco
Carrie Curtis-Sacco
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