Gobble up your turkey!

If you’re one of my Canadian readers, you may rather not talk about turkey since you just celebrated Thanksgiving up there! But down here in the US, we’re looking forward to that turkey dinner that will be served this month on that special holiday where we sit back, give thanks and in some households, watch football.

Turkey is a healthy food that deserves to be eaten on a regular basis. Now, some of those health benefits are negated when covered in gravy and served with stuffing and mashed potatoes, but turkey itself is very good for you!

Thanksgiving turkey

High Protein. A 4-oz serving of turkey has 32 grams of protein in it, giving you 65% of your daily recommended intake of protein. Per portion, turkey has more protein than pork, beef, or chicken. This high amount of protein keeps food moving steadily through your digestive tract – neither too slowly nor too quickly. This helps keep blood sugar levels nice and steady.

Vitamins and Nutrients. Turkey gives us lots of vitamin B, B1, and B6, phosphorus, zinc, niacin, calcium, potassium, and selenium. Turkey is also chock full of folic acid. All of this nutrition helps boost our immunity, keep energy levels high, promote thyroid health, protect against cancer, heart disease and birth defects. They help to regulate blood pressure and aid in nerve function. Home run if you ask me. Or should I say touchdown! 🙂

Low in fat and calories. Turkey’s white meat is essentially fat-free, having only 1 gram of fat per ounce of flesh. That makes turkey the leanest of all meats. Turkey is also lower in calories than any other meat, including chicken. The darker meat does contain more fat, but it is still a lean source of protein.

Low in cholesterol. Turkey is extremely low in cholesterol and has less saturated fat than other meats do.

I don’t know about you, but I think we should all sit back and give thanks to the turkey this year for all the nutrition it provides us with!

And don’t forget to save the bones for a delicious broth!

Looking for delicious holiday recipes that can be made ahead? Check out our Celebration for the Freezer ebook here!

One Response

  1. I have used your roasted turkey and pumpkin cheesecake recipes at Thanksgiving for the past 15 years. My turkey this year literally fell off the bone when I tried to move it out of the roasting pan. And I get compliments on the cheesecake every year. I was terrified to cook the turkey my first year but you made it so easy!! Thank you!

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