Thursday, January 14, 2010

Save calories and fat; substitute lean turkey for your beef recipes!

As discussed before in order to maximize fat loss and build lean muscle mass, we need to make the bulk of our diets lean protein meats and other protein sources. We also need to keep fat counts low and only choose slow digesting complex carbs; meaning to opt for high fiber whole grain and whole wheat sources of carbs.

You might be tempted to use ground turkey for a low-fat substitute for ground beef, but check the label before you assume too much. Not all ground turkey has the fat and calorie savings you might believe.

If a package is labeled "ground turkey," what it means is that it can be any combination of breast and leg meat, and even skin. A 3-ounce cooked portion of this kind of ground turkey has about 200 calories and 11 grams of fat. A 3-ounce cooked portion of extra-lean ground beef contains 218 calories and 13 grams of fat, so you aren't really getting reduced calories and fat from using this type of ground turkey.

What you want to look for is a label on ground turkey that says "ground turkey breast." This type has 100 calories and 1.5 grams of fat for the same cooked 3-ounce portion.

Of course if you use the lean ground turkey, you will lose some moistness and flavor. If you are making turkey burgers, for example, they won't be as tasty as the combination ground turkey. But if you're making chili or something else with a lot of flavor and spices, you probably won't notice a difference.

I also look for 97/3 percent lean. I use turkey instead of beef in maid rites, burgers, meatballs and anything else that calls for beef. This saves a ton of calories and you feel like you are eating a cheat food but its actually lean protein! Little changes like this are what lead to big success in the long run.

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