TURKEY vs. BEEF

I recently decided to switch from ground beef to ground turkey. My first dish to try was spaghetti. I bought the ground turkey from Wal-Mart, but it wasn’t until I got home that I read the nutrition label. To say the least I was shocked because I had just become the victim of the next health fad.

The ground turkey nutrition label read 230 calories with 160 of those coming from fat!! WOWZERS! After reading this I was baffled and needed a better understanding because I always thought turkey was “healthier” than beef.

I began to research and found the secret! You MUST read nutrition labels. Ground turkey often contains skin and fat (something they don’t tell you on the label). So, if you just pick up a package of ground turkey thinking that you’re about to healthy…STOP and read the label.

Typically, I use lean ground beef or extra lean (when I can find it). Lean ground beef usually has about a 30% fat and extra lean has about 15% fat. If you’re like me and sometimes prefer the flavor of ground beef, GO FOR IT! If ground turkey is your forte’ I would strongly encourage you to read the label and make sure you get lean ground turkey.

What it all boils down to: Read nutrition labels and don’t fall into the “healthy foods” trap as I did. Ground beef and ground turkey are only as healthy as you make them.

HELPFUL HINT:

Eat This, Not That books are my favorite resource points when I’m struggling to figure out whether or not something is healthy.