What is turkey?
Turkey is an excellent protein source. When properly prepared and consumed in moderation, turkey is one of your healthiest meat options.
Turkey — and products made from turkey meat — are excellent protein sources. Both turkey and chicken are poultry-based sources of protein. This means that their meat comes from birds.
On the other hand, red meat is flesh from mammals. This includes beef — which comes from cows — and pork — which comes from pigs. Most diets strongly recommend prioritizing poultry and plant-based protein sources over red meat.
When properly prepared and consumed in moderation, turkey is one of your healthiest meat options.
Turkeys are both domestic and wild birds cultivated or hunted for their meat. Whole-roasted turkey is a popular holiday meal in many American households.
Turkey meat isn’t uniform throughout the bird. A single animal contains regions with dark meat and others with light meat.
Turkey meat is also ground into patties and sausages. It’s sometimes processed into deli meats.
What nutrients are found in turkey?
Not all turkey meat is the same. The relative nutrient composition may vary depending on whether or not you’re eating light or dark meat. Also, processing can significantly impact the nutritional quality of the meat. Deli meats, for example, are considerably less healthy than their unprocessed counterparts. This is because they contain additives that aren’t necessarily good for your health.
You also need to pay attention to how the food is cooked. Baking and broiling your meat are healthier options than deep frying.
When selecting your turkey product of choice, read the nutrition label. Look for low-fat, unprocessed products to ensure that you’re making healthy decisions.
For a baseline, these are the nutrients found in 100 grams of an entire raw turkey:
- Water — 72.7 grams
- Protein — 21.6 grams
- Total fat — 5.64 grams
- Carbohydrates — 0.14 grams
- Sugars — 0.07 grams
- Calcium— 11 milligrams
- Iron — 0.86 milligrams
- Magnesium — 25 milligrams
- Phosphorus — 183 milligrams
- Potassium — 224 milligrams
- Sodium — 112 milligrams
- Zinc — 1.78 milligrams
- Copper — 0.077 milligrams
- Manganese — 0.012 milligrams
- Selenium — 21.3 micrograms
- Thiamin — 0.048 milligrams
- Riboflavin — 0.185 milligrams
- Niacin — 7.63 milligrams
- Pantothenic acid — 0.811 milligrams
- Vitamin B-6 — 0.599 milligrams
- Folate — 7 micrograms
- Choline — 58 milligrams
- Vitamin B-12 — 1.22 micrograms
- Vitamin A — 17 micrograms — all from retinol
- Vitamin E — 0.09 milligrams
- Vitamin D — 0.3 micrograms
In terms of its fat content, this same amount of product contains a fairly even mix of:
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids — 1.47 grams
- Monounsaturated fatty acids — 1.83 grams
- Saturated fatty acids — 1.46 grams
Saturated fatty acids are not good for your health. Too many of them may lead to a number of chronic conditions. The balance of fatty acids found in turkey meat is much better for your health than an abundance of saturated fats.
Compared to 100 grams of whole, raw turkey, 100 grams of pre-packaged turkey breast slices contains significantly more carbohydrates. The packaged meat contains 2.2 grams compared to 0.14 grams. More importantly, prepacked meat has a lot more added salt. The packaged meat has 898 milligrams of sodium compared to the 112 milligrams naturally present in 100 grams of turkey meat.
Is turkey healthier than red meat?
For the most part, turkey is one of the healthiest meat options available. It’s very similar to skinless chicken in terms of its healthy nutritional properties. Both are sources of low-fat, heart-healthy meats.
Lean options— like turkey — are always a healthier choice than red meats. Numerous studies have shown a significant connection between the amount of red meat you eat and specific health conditions, including:
- Type II diabetes
- Heart disease
- Colorectal cancer — and cancer in general
For the most part, this is because red meats are high in saturated fats.
For example, 100 grams of cooked ground beef contains:
- Water — 58.7 grams
- Protein — 25.1 grams
- Total fat — 14.5 grams
- Carbohydrates — 0.62 grams
- Calcium — 25 milligrams
- Iron — 2.67 milligrams
- Magnesium — 22 milligrams
- Phosphorus — 213 milligrams
- Potassium — 353 milligrams
- Sodium — 85 milligrams
- Zinc — 6.19 milligrams
- Copper — 0.081 milligrams
- Manganese — 0.012 milligrams
- Selenium — 20.5 micrograms
- Fluoride — 22.3 micrograms
- Thiamin — 0.043 milligrams
- Riboflavin — 0.18 milligrams
- Niacin — 5.68 milligrams
- Pantothenic acid — 0.681 milligrams
- Vitamin B-6 — 0.38 milligrams
- Folate — 9 micrograms
- Choline — 81 milligrams
- Vitamin B-12 — 2.73 micrograms
- Vitamin A — 7 micrograms — all from retinol
- Vitamin E — 0.43 milligrams
- Vitamin D — 0.2 micrograms
Regarding fat content, that same beef product contains:
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids — 0.486 grams
- Monounsaturated fatty acids — 6.4 grams
- Saturated fatty acids — 5.6 grams
As you can see, the most significant difference between these two meat sources is their fat content. Otherwise, they contain many of the same vitamins and minerals in comparable quantities. The main exception is that turkey usually has a much higher concentration of B vitamins. Remember that this isn’t a direct comparison because the meats have been handled differently.
Plus, beef products can come with a variety of fat content. If you must have beef in your diet, aim for low-fat options — like 93% ground beef. Otherwise, only indulge sparingly for the sake of your long-term health.
Is turkey healthier than pork?
Just because turkey is better for you than beef doesn’t mean it’s healthier than all red meat products. Pork, for example, is sometimes referred to as another white meat. But pork still comes from a mammal — so pork products are a type of red meat.
For comparison, 100 grams of fresh, broiled pork loin contains:
- Water —62.3 grams
- Protein — 25.6 grams
- Total fat — 11.1 grams
- Calcium — 24 milligrams
- Iron — 0.79 milligrams
- Magnesium — 25 milligrams
- Phosphorus — 220 milligrams
- Potassium — 344 milligrams
- Sodium — 55 milligrams
- Zinc — 2.14 milligrams
- Copper — 0.078 milligrams
- Manganese — 0.009 milligrams
- Selenium — 43.6 micrograms
- Thiamin — 0.599 milligrams
- Riboflavin — 0.234 milligrams
- Niacin — 8.15 milligrams
- Pantothenic acid — 0.658 milligrams
- Vitamin B-6 — 0.669 milligrams
- Choline — 73.2 milligrams
- Betaine — 2.7 milligrams
- Vitamin B-12 — 0.59 micrograms
- Vitamin A — 2 micrograms — all from retinol
- Vitamin E — 0.11 milligrams
- Vitamin D — 0.8 micrograms
In terms of fat content, this same pork product contains:
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids — 1.36 grams
- Monounsaturated fatty acids — 4.22 grams
- Saturated fatty acids — 3.52 grams
Again, the same amount of pork contains much higher amounts of unhealthy fats than turkey does. But it has less than ground beef. So if you choose red meat, a nice pork loin is better than many other options.
How much turkey should you eat?
Even though fresh turkey meat is a reasonably healthy food selection, it can still become unhealthy if you eat too much of it. The recommended daily amount depends on a number of factors like your:
- Age
- Sex
- Height
- Weight
- Amount of daily physical activity
For example, the average adult female needs somewhere from five to six grams of protein a day while the average adult male needs six to seven grams. Check out the USDA MyPlate Protein page for the best recommendation for your body.
Try to consume a wide variety of protein sources throughout the day. This will lead to a healthier, more balanced nutrient intake. Alternate protein sources include:
- Seafood
- Eggs
- Beans
- Peas
- Lentils
- Nuts
- Seeds
In general, turkey can be a delicious addition to your diet as long as you also remember to consume plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
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Medically Reviewed on 11/9/2022
References
SOURCES:
Diabetes Care: "Red and Processed Meats and Health Risks: How Strong Is the Evidence?"
Health Hub: "Turkey, One of The Healthier Sources of Protein."
USDA FoodData Central: "Beef, ground, unspecified fat content, cooked," "Pork, fresh, loin, center loin (chops), bone-in, separable lean and fat, cooked, broiled," "SR Legacy Foods (170): Turkey," "Turkey breast, sliced, prepackaged," "Turkey, whole, meat and skin, raw."
USDA MyPlate: "Protein Foods."
