Calories in Turkey

Turkey Breakdown: Light, Dark, and Tofurky

November 19, 2009

The main course for Thanksgiving has traditionally been turkey. This meat can be a great source of lean protein, but some parts of the bird are healthier than others. To see how your turkey choices add up, check out the nutritional info of this meat and also a meat-free option.

Which has more calories, white or dark meat? To find out read more.

Meat Type (4 ounce serving)	Calories	Saturated Fat (g)	Cholesterol (g)	Protein (g)
White meat	158	.4	97	34.1
White meat with skin	185	1.4	107	32.5
Dark meat	183	1.6	127	32.6
Dark meat with skin	206	2.4	132	31.3
Wing (2.1 oz.)	98	.7	61	18.5
Wing with skin (3.2 oz.)	186	2.4	104	24.9
Leg (thigh and drumstick)	180	1.4	134	333
Leg (thigh and drumstick) with skin	192	1.9	79	32.2
Tofurky Feast (1/5 of the roast, 5.2 oz.)	250	6	0	34

While dark meat does contain more calories, fat, and cholesterol, it also contains a considerable amount of iron, so go ahead and eat that drumstick you crave. Keep in mind that the skin contains a ton of calories and fat, so feel free to indulge a little, but don't go overboard. As for the Tofurky, I'm surprised to see that a serving size contains so many calories, but at least it's low in saturated fat and high in protein.

Enjoy whichever main course you choose, but remember that these numbers don't include stuffing, mashed potatoes, or gravy on the side. If you want to save room for a slice of grandma's famous pumpkin pie, limit the turkey fixings.

Source: Getty

15 Comments

3 years 25 weeks

Thanks for including a non-meat option for us vegetarians!

lilxmissxmolly 3 years 25 weeks

The Tofurky roast DOES include the stuffing, which is why it's all high in everything.

insanitypepper 3 years 25 weeks

Has tofurkey gotten any better? The last time I tried it was over ten years ago.

Spectra 3 years 25 weeks

I wonder how many people out there eat Tofurkey instead of regular turkey because they think it's lower in calories than meat. Weird meat substitutes are kind of mystifying to me...sounds to me like it'd be better to eat lentils or beans or stuff like that instead.

chloe bella 3 years 25 weeks

From the picture on the box, it looks like the Tofurkey feast includes stuffing and gravy - maybe that's why the calories are higher than just turkey alone?

weffie 3 years 25 weeks

This info isn't entirely correct... A serving of Tofurky has 6g TOTAL fat, but 0g saturated fat. http://tofurky.com/tofurkyproducts/nutri/nutri_feast_roast.html I like the deli slices a lot more than the roast but it's pretty good as a novelty dish for holidays.

Camarogirl67 3 years 25 weeks

6g of saturated fat and no cholesterol? Weird. I tried tofurky once, and I didn't like it because of what others here have said - it mimics juicy turkey. Gross (i'm veggie). When I ate meat it always had to be dry. Good to see how things stack up though.

Camarogirl67 3 years 25 weeks

biarose 3 years 25 weeks

I tend to use the food combining method of getting protein rather than eating meat substitutes.

biarose 3 years 25 weeks

Those vegetarian meat substitutes are generally quite high in fat. I'm a vegetarian and I don't eat them.

FireFly44 3 years 25 weeks

I think Fit meant to say Tofurkey is low in cholesterol. It certainly is NOT low in saturated fat, even if the serving size is slightly bigger.

J Rabbit 3 years 25 weeks

I don't eat Tofurky, but it's nice to see non-meat options represented.

laellavita 3 years 25 weeks

i'm a vegetarian and have been for nearly eight years now, and while my mother has always offered to buy a tofurkey for me every year, i've refused. i don't supplement my diet with "meat" -- i stopped eating it since i hate the taste of it, so why would i want to substitute something in that's supposed to mimic it? my main course every thanksgiving is a baked sweet potato instead, and while it might look a little meager, i don't think it's giving it up at all.

3 years 25 weeks

maybe the tofurkey has so many more calories because the serving size you are listing is 5.2 oz, but the meats you list at 4 oz?