Dark or White? Which Part of the Turkey is Healthiest?
By Julie Kent. Published on 11/17/2007 - 2:01pm
Dark meat or white meat? Leg, breast or wing? you may want check and see if your favorite part of the Thanksgiving turkey is also the healthiest.
Looking at that chart, dark meat clearly has more calories and fat than the white meat, but as far as protein levels go there's not much of a difference. And here's something else you might not know that isn't displayed on the chart: dark meat is considerably higher in iron content than white meat due to the presence of myoglobin proteins.
Here's a quick breakdown of the calories, fat, and protein found in various sections of turkey:
| 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 |

