Why it makes the traditional versions skinnier and healthier
Turkey meat is now more widely available whereas in the past that was not the case. Was very rare and was considered special hence turkey was used for Thanksgiving and Xmas. The traditional versions were using different meat as the lasagna, for example, that uses beef or pork mince meat or sometime a combination of both. But we use turkey mince meat instead in most of our dishes.
Why? In general, turkey has less calories and fat than the average minced beef. Surprisingly, the same amount of turkey can have more calories than the skinny version of minced beef i.e. 10% fat and below (used USDA nutritional info as a reference).
However, the saturated fat content of turkey is less than the one in beef, if/when the beef has a fat content of more than 5%. Eating too much saturated fat, other than making you fatter, it can increase the LDL (the bad cholesterol) and therefore the risk of strokes and heart disease.
| 100 gr minced meat | Calories | Fat gr | Cholesterol mg | Protein gr | Saturated Fat gr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| minced turkey | 203 | 10 | 93 | 27 | 2.7 |
| minced beef | 95% meat – 5% fat | 136 | 5 | 62 | 21 | 2.3 |
| minced beef | 90% meat – 10% fat | 176 | 10 | 65 | 20 | 4.1 |
| minced beef | 80% meat – 20% fat | 254 | 20 | 71 | 17 | 8 |
| minced beef | 70% meat – 30% fat | 332 | 30 | 78 | 14 | 11 |
| Source: USDA |
