Fun Facts About Turkey


By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom
Today I’d like to share some interesting facts about turkey in honor of the day most often associated with eating this bird – Thanksgiving! Here’s a list of my favorites:
  • Nearly 95% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving. That translates to 45 million birds!
  • Turkey has more protein, ounce per ounce, than chicken or beef.
  • White meat and dark meat turkey have almost the same number of calories per serving. Dark meat has four calories more per ounce, or 24 calories in a six-ounce serving
  • A 15-pound turkey has 70% white meat and 30% dark meat.
  • Eating turkey does not put you to sleep. While the old wives’ tale about the sleep-promoting effects of tryptophan-containing turkey remains active, it’s not true. The metabolic explanation is that the large caloric load consumed with the Thanksgiving meal drives more energy to the digestive tract, often causing drowsiness.
  • Benjamin Franklin originally proposed the turkey as the official bird of the United States, instead of the bald eagle.

A happy and healthy Thanksgiving to all!

Komentar

Posting Komentar

Postingan populer dari blog ini

The Truth About Sea Salt

Gambar
By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom We’re all well aware of the recommendation to trim our daily salt intake and aim for less than 2500 mg per day (1500 mg for those with high blood pressure or related risk factors). As I’ve discussed before, cutting back on processed foods is the first and easiest way to do so. Most boxes, cans, and packages are loaded with sodium, contributing about three-quarters of our daily intake. And while the salt shaker contributes only about 10% of our daily salt intake, it’s important to make some smart choices here. Herbs and spices contribute loads of flavor, but it’s not the same as the flavor enhancement of salt – and most people have a hard time down-regulating their “salt tooth.” Used smartly, a little bit of salt added to a salt-free dish can go a long way toward boosting flavor while still keeping your sodium intake in check. That’s where sea salt comes in. While sea salt is not healthier or lower in sodium than regular table salt, it is processed differently,
Baca selengkapnya

Making (and Keeping) New Year’s Resolutions

Gambar
Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom It’s almost time to welcome in the New Year. Whether you plan a quiet evening with family and friends or a night on the town – thoughts of New Year’s resolutions for 2012 are no doubt close to mind. Whether you want to lose weight, stop smoking, or start an exercise plan, when you think about a new change for a new you, I hope you’ll consider the smartest goals for you. This doesn’t mean heroic efforts toward an unattainable goal, the kind you’ll try for a week and then give up. A successful resolution requires some reasonable goal-setting and realistic thinking. Instead of saying you’ll lose 20 pounds in January, make the goal eating more fruits and vegetables, keeping a food log, monitoring your daily calories, and losing 5 pounds during the month. You might lose more, but you’ll have achieved your goal, which is the most motivating tool of all! Trying to stop smoking? Perhaps skip the “cold turkey” approach, aim to cut back on your current habit, and sign up fo
Baca selengkapnya

Got Chocolate Milk?

Gambar
By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom Did you know that most teenagers (and adults!) don’t get enough daily calcium? For most people that’s about 1,000 mg per day - about 3 servings of dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese (low or non-fat if you please!). Dark green vegetables can also make a modest contribution, but it takes nearly 3 cups of broccoli to equal the calcium in an 8 ounce glass of milk. The steepest drop in dairy intake is the start of the teenage years. Enter 1% chocolate milk, popular in Pittsburgh area schools, where it’s offered in all 24 school districts in Allegheny County. In fact, about 80% of the milk consumed at lunch is the low-fat chocolate variety. The extra sugar in low fat chocolate milk – about 50 calories – is a cause for concern from some nutrition policy groups, who don’t like the message that “a few extra calories” don’t matter, and connect it to the expanding waistlines of teens and adults. But for those who just don’t like the taste of plain milk, low fa
Baca selengkapnya