Turkey dinner: Not as healthy as you think

Turkey better alive than on your plate.

It’s all about the turkey. Isn’t it?
 

Well, if you knew how fatty, how bacteria-laden, and how damaging to your health this holiday dinner-bird can be, you might not be so anxious to eat it.
 

More fat than you know: Three and one-half ounces of the turkey’s white meat without the skin contains 22% calories from fat. When you move on to the other parts of the bird, the same size portion renders 50% of its calories from fat. Don’t even touch the skin; fat accounts for 82% of its calorie total.

Baceteria transferred to you.

Poultry fed antibiotics make you resistant: Before slaughter, chickens and turkeys are given antibiotics, such as penicillin and erythromycin, to prevent illness and to speed their growth. Unfortunately, these drugs create resistant bacteria -- bacteria which become stronger than the killing power of the antibiotics. The super-bacteria remain in the meat and are commonly passed onto humans when consumed. As a result, humans become resistant to the antibiotic. The antibiotic, Cipro, is a good example.
 

In spite of this drug-feeding regimen, supermarket poultry is loaded with bacteria. While proper cooking and immaculate handling of raw poultry may eliminate the harmful effects, most of us are not skilled enough to eradicate the disastrous outcomes.

Obesity -- Out of control.

Turkey protein: Americans think of protein as a good thing, and it is. Protein helps to repair damaged tissues, and it is needed for growth. There exist two glaring facts that we are overlooking; Americans eat far too much protein and the wrong kind of protein. The protein of a turkey, as well as the protein of all animal-derived foods, creates havoc in the body and sets it up for disease.
 

Don’t believe me? Consider the rates of obesity, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes: Out of control. Protein that is derived from plant sources, such as beans and whole grains, is safer and better used by the body to support good health.