Let's Talk Turkey

The traditional holiday feast – turkey, stuffing, and all the fixin’s provides between 1,000 to 3,000 calories and at least 45 grams of fat per serving! This – and the onslaught of cookies, chocolate, fruit cake, and other festive treats – is partly to blame for the 3-7 pound weight gain many of us experience over the holidays. Thankfully, there are ways to carve some calories and fat off your celebratory meal.

Turkey remains the number one choice for fall and winter holiday meals. More than 8% of all turkeys consumed are purchased for Christmas dinner. Three ounces provides 25 grams of protein with only 1 gram of fat. Turkey is also an excellent source of L-tryptophan (the precursor to serotonin), zinc, iron, potassium, and selenium. Overall, it is a healthy meat. To keep it healthy, avoid pre-basted turkeys or turkeys injected with fat. You pay more for the added fat, which is often hydrogenated or saturated. Most of a turkey’s natural fat is in the skin, which is easy enough to remove after roasting. Try to eat mainly light turkey meat, which has about half the fat of dark meat.

As the time for feasting approaches, early birds seek out the biggest, tastiest turkey available. There are plenty of options: fresh, frozen, free-range, natural, organic, heritage, self-basting, kosher, pre-stuffed, pre-basted… With more consumers discovering the benefits and great taste of eating organic food, organic, free-range turkey is making its way to dinner plates around the country. Earlier this year, the Organic Trade Association predicted that organic poultry sales would be the fastest growing category of organic product sales.

Like most conventionally-raised animals, turkeys are fed growth hormones to accelerate growth and size, and antibiotics are given to ward off infection in cramped living quarters. Some turkey growers allow the birds access to the outside to qualify for the free-range label, and thus charge a higher price. A turkey grower might label their birds as free-range, but free-range does not necessarily mean organic. Nor does it guarantee a humanely-raised bird. Unless you know the farmer or turkey grower personally, to ensure your bird was ethically raised, read labels carefully and if you are not certain, purchase organic turkeys.

Like every organic animal food, turkeys raised on a natural diet taste better. After all, great taste is the ultimate crowd-pleaser when it comes to holiday dinners.

Organic turkeys are sometimes a challenge to find and are more expensive. Typically costing $1.99 per pound or more, where conventionally-raised turkeys are priced under $1.50, is an organic turkey worth the extra cost? Apparently, many consumers think so. The extra cost is justified. Because organic turkeys are hormone-free, they grow more slowly, requiring more feed, and rarely grow over 15 lbs. More space is required to raise healthy, organic, free-range turkeys mainly because antibiotics are not administered (if there’s an outbreak of illness, a grower can lose all his birds). As a result, organic growers cannot produce nearly as many turkeys as a conventional grower.

To get the best deal for your dollar, do your research. Some growers avoid the use of antibiotics and hormones but do not bother with the cost of certification. You may find locally raised birds that have been raised humanely and on natural feed for less than the cost of an organic turkey.

To secure a large organic turkey for your holiday meal, pre-order. Here is a list of websites to browse:

* Local Harvest http://www.localharvest.org

* Heidi’s Hens http://www.diestelturkey.com

* Organic Prairie http://www.organicprairie.coop

* Grassfed Tropical Traditions Pastured Turkeys http://www.grassfedtraditions.com

* Organic Valley http://www.organicvalley.coop

* Applegate Farms http://www.applegatefarms.com

* Diamond Organics http://www.diamondorganics.com

* Good Earth Farms http://goodearthfarms.com


Happy Holidays from all of us at Naturally Savvy!