and dieters due to its high protein and low calorie content.
Here is a comparison of the protein content of 100 grams of breast according to some extra-European bibliographic sources:
- Chicken breast: 31 g
- Turkey breast: 24 g.
Note: according to the most accredited Italian sources, on the other hand, the two values are almost comparable (+/- 0.7 g).
From a nutritional point of view, this difference would therefore be negligible.
Either choice would be a good protein boost for a meal. The white meat of both chicken and turkey wings is nutritionally very similar to breast meat. The protein content, in particular, is almost the same for both. Thus, the meat of chicken and turkey legs also provides a generous amount of high-quality protein. In this case it is the turkey that is more protein between the two meats.
- Chicken leg: 24 g
- Turkey leg: 30 g.
Why is it called White Meat?
Most white chicken and turkey meat comes from the breast and wings. The color appears whiter than the darker parts of poultry due to a lower protein myoglobin content. Myoglobin stores oxygen within the muscle and is responsible for the reddish-brown hue of darker cuts of meat. The term "dark" is used to describe reddish-brown cuts of meat. The cuts have this pigment due to a high concentration of the myoglobin protein usually found in the most active muscle groups, such as chicken and turkey thighs and thighs. Not surprisingly, in the wild, the turkey has a much darker meat.
o turkey in the diet can be a healthy way to meet protein needs. However, protein is not the only nutrient that turkey and chicken provide. The total nutritional content, including calories, fat, vitamins and minerals, should be considered along with the protein.
Fat is an essential component of a healthy diet, and poultry contains several types of healthy fats. However, fat is a denser calorie source than protein. This means that the fatter cuts of meat will have more calories than the leaner cuts. Overall, dark meat from both chicken and turkey has more fat than white meat. This tends to be true for other types of poultry as well. Dark cuts of chicken have a little more fat and calories than dark cuts of turkey meat. The same goes for the white meat of these two types of poultry.
IMPORTANT: By consuming the skin, the fat and calorie content of any type of poultry will increase.
31 g chest
24 g thigh
24.0 g chest
30 g thigh
Turkey breast provides several vitamins: especially niacin (vit. PP), pyridoxine (vit. B6) and cobalamin (B12); there are also: thiamine (vit. B1), riboflavin (vit. B2) and pantothenic acid (B5). Good quantities of the mineral salts characteristic of meat (both white and red) are appreciated, therefore iron (Fe - type heme), phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn); small doses of selenium (Se) are also present. The amino acid called limiting, since it is less present among the essentials, is tryptophan followed by cystine; as regards the others, in descending order, the most concentrated are: glutamic acid, aspartic acid, lysine, leucine and arginine.
Chicken breast also provides a fair amount of vitamins; among these stand out in particular niacin (vit. PP), pyridoxine (vit. B6) and cobalamin (B12); there is also thiamine (vit. B1), riboflavin (vit. B2) and pantothenic acid (B5).
Also noteworthy are the quantities of mineral salts typical of meat, therefore iron (Fe - type heme), phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn); there is no shortage of small doses of selenium (Se). The amino acid called limiting, since it is less present among the essentials, is tryptophan; as regards the others, in descending order, the most concentrated are: glutamic acid, aspartic acid, lysine, leucine and arginine
