All isn't lost if you embrace turkey's dark side


So what's behind this bias we all seem to have against dark turkey meat?

You know dark meat is richer, juicier, just plain tastier than white meat, which can turn out bland and dry as the Mojave on this most turkey-centric of all days, depending on the skill and luck of the chef.

The National Turkey Federation says the majority of Americans prefer the white meat on a bird, which makes sense, because there's way more of it: An average turkey is 70 percent white meat.

And it's true that dark meat is fattier than white, but it's not as bad as you might think.

A 3.5-ounce portion (about the size of a deck of cards) of white meat has 147 calories, 2 grams of saturated fat and 80 milligrams of cholesterol, according to Susan Randolph, a registered dietitian and nutrition coach at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton. The same-size portion of dark meat has 173 calories, 6 grams of saturated fat and 128 milligrams of cholesterol.

“I personally don't think that if you're really into dark meat and just love the way it tastes, that it's a bad thing,” Randolph says. “You're not saving that many calories, and it's not significant in terms of calories or fat or cholesterol. And it's got more zinc and iron in it.”

Zinc is good for the body's immune system, among other things. Adult men need 11 milligrams a day, and women need 8 mg. A serving of dark turkey meat provides 3.51 milligrams, compared with 1.72 mg for white meat.

Iron is an essential nutrient, and the lack of it means insufficient oxygen in the blood, causing fatigue and other maladies. Men ages 19 to 50 need 8 mg of it each day, women 18 mg (pregnant women 27 mg). Dark turkey meat has 1.43 mg., light has 0.7 mg.

Of course, 3 1/2 ounces is merely a starter for some people. People who study such things say Thanksgiving diners ingest about 3,000 calories just from the dinner, and around 5,000 during the day, including beverages and snacks during the Detroit Lions' annual defeat.

But if you can keep the portions reasonable, there's not much difference between white and dark meat.

“It really is about enjoying yourself. It's so much more than just a calorie count,” Randolph said. “There's the ceremony and the friends and the communal aspect of it. I think people should just enjoy themselves, but moderation really is the way to go. Don't deprive yourself. But make sure that you eat a good breakfast, and get your physical activity in for the day.”

So why do chickens and turkeys have white and dark meat? Those birds are incompetent at flying, but they have strong legs for running, or just standing around. So they need more oxygen delivered to their legs and thighs, and myoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen through the bloodstream, turns those muscles dark. Since breasts and wings don't get much of a workout, they have less myoglobin.

Ducks, on the other hand, are good flyers, so more myoglobin gets delivered all over their bodies. That's why duck is pretty much all dark meat, and hardly anyone eats duck at Thanksgiving.

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