Nutrition Tip Tuesday: Turkey

I hope you had a very happy Thanksgiving with family and friends this past week. We are now in the throws of the holiday season. The time in which we are all going to eat, drink, and be Merry is finally here! So, the likelihood your fridge is going to become overrun with leftovers from many traditional meals is very high. So let’s talk about how the main event, the turkey, is actually beneficial to our bodies!

Turkeys contain the following vitamins and minerals:

• Vitamin B-6 (helps with the formation of antibodies and white blood cells)
• Vitamin B-12 (great for energy, cell division and the production of red blood cells)
• Niacin (B3) (can help with increasing brain function)
• Choline (improves memory, mood, and athletic performance)
• Selenium (needed for good eyesight; reduces inflammation)
• Zinc (helps maintain sense of sight, taste, and smell)

The dark meat of turkeys do contain more vitamins and minerals than the white meat, however, this section and the skin have a higher fat content. So if you’re monitoring your fat maybe stick to just the leaner white meat option.

Turkey as we all know contains the amino acid tryptophan. This is the amino acid which folks typically blame their post Thanksgiving sleepiness upon. While tryptophan does cause drowsiness, turkeys do not contain enough of it I’m afraid. In fact, all meat contain a bit of tryptophan, so you should be no more tired eating turkey than if you had had a chicken breast or a pork chop. Tryptophan is also known for supporting the body’s serotonin levels. Serotonin is a chemical released within the brain which helps alertness and mood. (So, if eating your turkey and taking a nap is what you want and love post turkey dinner–then take it and enjoy!)

The question is: what do we do with all the leftover meat? Aside from some Thanksgiving sandwiches, what else is there?? The answer: TONS! There are loads of soup recipes in which you can easily exchange the protein source for turkey. Also, think stir fry. Saute some seasonal vegetables (zucchini, squash, broccoli) add in some fresh herbs, your turkey and pour on top of rice, seasoned cauliflower rice/mash and voila! You could also keep it really simple and make a big (@$$) salad using a whole load of fresh veggies and top it off with your roasted turkey.

Leafy Greens; Cucumber; Reduced Sugar Craisins; Fat Free Feta; roughly 4oz Turkey! “BAS (BIG @$$ Salad)”

I’ve included some recipe ideas–one of which I made and it was a success–hubs and child approved.

If you have any great tips and ideas on how to use up your leftover turkey, leave a message in the comments below and let us know!

Turkey and Wild Rice Soup : https://www.theseasonedmom.com/wild-rice-leftover-turkey-soup/

Turkey and Veg Stir Fry: https://healthyrecipesblogs.com/leftover-turkey-stir-fry/

Cajun Turkey Stuffed Sweet Potato: https://www.tasteabounds.com/leftover-turkey-stuffed-cajun-sweet-potatoes/

Happy re-purposing those leftovers, ya’ll!

Until next time,

-E

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