We’ve shared many wonderful low-carb Thanksgiving recipes. We haven’t shared any for turkey because turkey is low in carbs to begin with.
On big holidays, allowing yourself to enjoy your food is essential. Otherwise, you can obsess over food you aren’t eating and make unhealthy decisions in the long run. While all the recipes are healthier options, not all of them are healthy. That’s why we encourage you to pay attention to the nutritional information. The most important thing on the big day is to ensure your blood sugar stays healthy and you enjoy time with friends and family.
One food you don’t have to think about regarding its health impacts is turkey.
“It’s very healthy. It’s actually really hard to make it unhealthy, because the only thing that’s really loaded in fat or loaded in anything is going to be the skin,” said dietician Kylie Bensley. “The majority of turkey is extremely healthy, especially the darker meat, which has more nutrient density. It’s higher in iron, zinc, B vitamins than white meat and contains more myoglobin, which provides oxygen to muscles.”
Brining can add sodium to a turkey. Basting it with its own juices helps keep it moist without adding salt or fat. But if you want to add butter, you don’t have to worry much about the nutrition change.
“If you think about the amount of butter you’re using in proportion to the turkey, you’re not going to be getting a lot of that saturated fat,” said Ms. Bensley. “Even if you use two or three sticks, it’s spread over the entire turkey and a lot of it will be just in the juices.”
A 100-gram serving of roasted turkey with skin has 190 calories, 0 grams of carbs, 30.9 grams of protein and 7.4 grams of fat. It is lower in fat and higher in protein than chicken. Because it is lower in fat and higher in protein, it can dry out faster; that’s why basting is so important. The ratio of fat to protein makes it a heart-healthy food. Some research has found that replacing a serving of red meat with poultry can lower heart health risks by 19 percent.
A serving of turkey contains 70 percent of the daily recommended amount of vitamin B3. That’s needed for cellular energy production and cell communication. It also contains 54 percent of daily B6 to help make amino acids in the body. And it has 30 percent of the daily recommended amount of B12 to make blood cells. Turkey is also rich in selenium, zinc and phosphorus to aid the metabolism, support hormones and aid healthy aging.
Many dishes on holiday spreads are things you eat sparingly as you enjoy them. But turkey is something you can enjoy without having to worry about. It’s a healthy, carb-free, delicious protein with excellent benefits.
