FitSugar

Turkey Breakdown: Light, Dark, and Tofurky

FitSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:00:29 -0800

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.

Turkey: White vs. Dark Meat vs. Tofurky

FitSugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:00:00 -0800

I know you know that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, but do you know the nutritional differences between white and dark turkey meat? I'm a fan of all parts of the bird, but I know many people who avoid dark meat because they think it's much more unhealthy than white meat. So I made a handy chart so you can see how they compare. I also added the nutritional info for turducken (for you serious poultry lovers), and Tofurky (for you vegans and vegetarians).

To see get a gander at the chart, just read more.

Meat Type (3.5 ounce serving)	Calories	Total Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Protein (g)
White meat	156	3.2	1	29.7
White meat with skin	188	7.4	2.1	28.5
Dark meat	186	7.2	2.4	28.4
Dark meat with skin	220	11.5	3.5	27.3
Turducken, dark meat	187	8.6	2.8	27.4
Turducken, light meat	161	4.9	1.5	29.4
Tofurkey	280	16	1	24

While dark meat does contain a few more calories and fat, 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 Tofurkey, I'm surprised to see that it contains so much fat and calories. At least it's low in saturated fat.

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

Source

Test Your Turkey Washing Smarts

FitSugar — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:00:00 -0800

Turkeys are not just for Thanksgiving. They are a Winter holiday staple. Most of us like to wash our whole turkey before cooking it, but should we even bother? Take this short (one question) mini quiz to test your turkey-washing smarts.

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Take the quiz

Does Turkey Make You Tired?

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 07:30:00 -0800

I can't get through a Thanksgiving meal without someone mentioning tryptophan. We all know that we'll gorge ourselves on turkey, mashed potatoes, and pie galore. Then plop ourselves on the couch in exhaustion, blaming the turkey's tryptophan for our comatose state. Is turkey really the culprit?

To find out read more

While it's true that turkey does contain the sleep inducing chemical tryptophan, its effects are only felt if you eat turkey on its own. Who just eats plain turkey with nothing else?

The truth is it's not the turkey that makes you sleepy. It's the fact that most people tend to overeat since the Thanksgiving table is laden with delicious food. Plus, if you eat a lot of high-carb foods like mashed potatoes, rice, corn bread, stuffing and apple pie, your body uses all its energy to digest it, which makes you feel really tired. If you've had some wine with dinner, forget it. The alcohol adds to your sleepiness.

Fit's Tips: If you want to avoid passing out before you get to try Aunt Elaine's famous apple peach cobbler, try eating a little taste of everything instead of stuffing your face. That way you can still indulge in the meal, and feel awake enough to enjoy it.

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Which Thanksgiving Staple Will You Indulge In?

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 03:30:00 -0800

As much as we all like to talk about eating healthy on Thanksgiving day, there is always that one item (or two, or three) that you just can't resist. So which Thanksgiving treat is worth hitting the treadmill for few extra sessions?

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Turkey Talk: White Meat vs. Dark Meat

FitSugar — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 11:45:00 -0800

When it comes to eating turkey, I like to dabble on the dark side of things and eat a drumstick. It gives me that old English monarch feeling. Yet dark meat has a bad rap, so I wanted to know just how bad it really is.

First off, to satisfy your curiosity as to why there is dark meat in the first place, you need to know that since turkeys don't really fly much, their legs and thighs are the birds' primary mode of transportation. The muscles of the legs and thigh are full of myoglobin proteins, which ship oxygen to the muscle cells so the turkeys can run around all day and not get tired. Myoglobins make the flesh darker, and consequently, dark meat is considerably higher in iron.

So how do all the different types of meat compare nutritionally? To see just read more

Meat Type (3.5 ounce serving)	Calories	Total Fat (g)	Protein (g)
Breast w/ skin	194	8	29
Breast w/o skin	161	4	30
Wing w/skin	238	13	27
Leg w/ skin	213	11	28
Dark Meat w/ skin	232	13	27
Dark meat w/o skin	192	8	28
Skin only	482	44	19

While I certainly hope no one would choose to eat three and a half ounces of turkey skin, I found it instructive to see how much fat it actually contains. So have a few bites of skin to indulge your taste buds and then put the skin aside.

I am curious if you avoid eating dark turkey meat. So vote in the poll and let me know.

Source

5 Tips for Cooking with Lean Meats

FitSugar — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 03:30:00 -0700

There are many ways to cut down on meat fat in your life, aside from participating in Meatless Mondays. You can basically aim to cook with lean meats.

Seems simple enough, but I always like a few tips when it come to healthy cooking. Here are a few tips from the Mayo Clinic on cooking with lean meat that I found helpful, so I thought I'd share them.

Choose lean cuts of meat and poultry. The leanest poultry choice is white meat from the breast of chicken or turkey, without the skin. Lean cuts of beef include round, chuck, sirloin or tenderloin. Lean pork includes tenderloin and loin chops.
Check labels on ground meat. When buying ground beef, look for packages with the highest percentage lean meat - 90 percent or higher. Most grocery stores offer several types of ground beef with varying percentages of lean meat by weight.
Try low-fat ground turkey or chicken breast meat. Ground poultry can have as much fat as ground beef has, or more, because it often includes dark meat and skin. To make the leanest choice, choose ground breast meat, or look for low-fat ground chicken or turkey.
Trim off any visible, solid fat from meat and poultry. This includes the skin on poultry. When roasting a whole chicken or turkey, leave the skin on during cooking, but remove it and the fat underneath before eating. Also, remove any visible fat from pork and beef after cooking. Remember beef labeled "choice" will have a lower fat content than those labeled "prime" or "select."
Use low-fat cooking methods. Low-fat cooking methods include grilling, broiling, roasting, sautéing and baking. When cooking meat in your oven, be sure to put the meat on a rack within a baking pan so that the fat drips away.

Subway Breakdown

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 14:00:00 -0800

Subway has done a good job marketing themselves as a fresh, low-fat alternative to other fast food chains. Turns out, Subway isn't half bad for you! I'm actually impressed.

	If you can stand to be in a sandwich place and not get a sandwich, then definitely go for the: Grilled Chicken and Baby Spinach Salad with olive oil and vinegar because it only has 185 calories, 8 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 450 mg of sodium and 11 grams of carbs.
	You should probably get the: Turkey Breast 6-inch Sandwich on wheat bread (lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, pickles and olives) with 280 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1020 mg of sodium and 46 grams of carbs.
	You could also get the: Roast Beef 6-inch Sandwich on wheat bread (lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, pickles and olives) with 290 calories, 5 grams of fat, o grams of trans fat, 920 mg of sodium and 45 grams of carbs.
	I know it may sound tempting, but do not get the: Meatball Marinara 6-inch Sandwich on wheat bread (lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, pickles, olives and cheese) with 560 calories, 24 grams of fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 1610 mg of sodium and 63 grams of carbs.

For other ways to watch your calories at Subway, read more

Breads:	Subway offers some other lower calories options to the sandwich such as the wraps and deli style sandwiches. For comparisons sake, one 6" wheat bread has 200 calories, one deli style roll has 170 calories and the wrap has only 120 calories (8 grams of fiber). If you must stick with the 6" breads then don't get the Honey Oat or Italian Herbs & Cheese because both pack on 250 calories.
Condiments:	Stay away from Mayonnaise (110 calories) and Chipotle Southwest Sauce (96 calories). Use mustard instead (yellow or brown) and you're only adding 5 calories.
Veggies:	The more the merrier. Load your sandwich up with veggies as all of the veggies on Subway's menu are 5 calories or less.
Cheeses:	Pass or add 40-60 calories.
Double Meat (DM):	That's a double NO - NO.
Cookies:	Sorry, that's a pass too. At upwards of 200 calories, you could have another 6" sandwich.

Snack Attack: Thanksgiving Leftovers!

FitSugar — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 09:01:18 -0800

After a heavy Thanksgiving meal, many of us want to snack on lighter things the following week-- especially dieters who are trying to make it through the holidays without the inevitable weight gain! So for something lighter, make a salad with plenty of fresh vegetables topped with cubed or sliced leftover turkey.

Other ingredients to consider:
Dark purple salad greens, cherry tomatoes, green peppers, celery, leftover peas, chopped almonds and hard boiled eggs (peeled, sliced and yolks removed).

Top with a cranberry salad dressing that you can make on your own by mixing some leftover cranberry sauce with olive oil and a touch of balsamic vinegar.

Why we love this snack:
Salads are great for you period.
Turkey is high in protein.
Cranberry is among our list of foods that are really good for you.
Vegetables provide you with a natural source of fabulous nutrients like vitamin c and lycopene.
Olive oil and Almonds are great sources for monounsaturated fat (the good fat).

Fit's Tip: Lots of people love to have bits of cheese on their salad. Cheese is a great source of Calcium but can be high in fat. Try topping with a cheese that is a little bit lower in fat naturally like Parmesan or Sap Sago (made from whey).

Happy Thanksgiving and Good Night

FitSugar — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 17:30:00 -0800

By now, everyone has heard that there's a chemical in turkey meat that makes you want to take a nap. Did you know it's also found in oats, bananas, dried dates, milk, yogurt, chick peas, and peanuts? Turkey does contain tryptophan, which has a documented sleep-inducing effect. But tryptophan works best when taken on an empty stomach. When's the last time you skipped all the fixings?
It's actually the nature of the typical Thanksgiving meal that causes your sleepiness. You just plain eat a lot. And the meal is full of heavy, high-carb foods like mashed potatoes, stuffing, bread, and pie. People tend to eat way more than they would normally. Your body is working overtime to digest all that food. Drinking alcohol with your meal adds to your drowsiness.

So if you love the effects, pile on the food. I'll see you in napland.

Fit's tip: If you want to avoid passing out before you even make it to dessert, try eating a little taste of everything. That way you can still indulge in the meal, and feel awake enough to enjoy it.