Is white meat healthier than dark meat?
THE CLAIM: White meat is healthier than dark meat. THE FACTS: As Americans carved up their Thanksgiving turkeys this year, an age-old question came into play: dark meat or white? Health authorities have long advocated choosing white meat, saying it contains less fat and fewer calories. But the nutritional differences between the two are not so great. In general, what makes one cut of turkey — or any other type of poultry — darker than another is the type of muscle it contains. Meat is darker if it contains higher levels of myoglobin, a compound that enables muscles to transport oxygen, which is needed to fuel activity. Since turkeys and chickens are flightless and walk a lot, their leg meat is dark while their wing and breast meat are white. Many people choose white meat over dark because of its lower caloric content. But according to the Department of Agriculture, an ounce of boneless, skinless turkey breast contains about 46 calories and 1 gram of fat, compared with roughly 50 calo
