Everyone including me desires to be healthy and in shape with less or no effort. One of the easiest way to do that is to follow a diet chart and include healthy and low-calorie ingredients and food items in our diet to reduce inches. The market is flooded with ingredients, diet charts, food supplements and pills to help you achieve this dream. Bu it is always healthy and advisable to follow a natural path to achieve your weight goals. Turkey isn’t only a festive meal of holiday season, but it can benefit your overall well-being throughout the year. It is a powerhouse of many nutrients and contains minimum fat and cholesterol content than other meats such as beef, lamb and chicken. You can incorporate turkey into your diet in various ways such as adding grilled turkey leg and sliced turkey breast pieces, boneless meat into your salads and sandwiches. Also, when it comes to blood cholesterol and heart health, you need to pick out the very leanest meats. Too much cholesterol, saturated fat and sodium in your diet can greatly affect your risk of cardiovascular disease. When you compare ground turkey with its beef counterpart, they’re relatively even. But ground turkey comes in a fat-free version that could be the best option for your heart and overall well-being.
If you’re already at risk of developing heart disease, fat-free ground turkey might be your best option. This type of ground turkey is derived from very lean cuts of the bird, and although it still has some unhealthy components, it has very minimal amounts. One 3 1/2-ounce cooked ground turkey patty has just 65 milligrams of cholesterol, a minimal 0.7 gram of saturated fat and less than 60 milligrams of sodium. Nutritionists recommend consuming turkey meat without skin to avoid excess calories. Moreover, you should only opt for fresh turkey meat and avoid buying frozen one as it contains preservatives. Consuming preserved turkey can increase your sodium intake which is not considered healthy for your body. Turkey is also considered a whole meal due to its high nutritional value. It can work well to boost your metabolism. I often include turkey in my diet in my sandwiches or my meat and vegetable soups.
Consuming turkey meat is not only beneficial to reduce weight but to maintain your body weight too. This meat is a powerhouse of nutrients like riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin B, Vitamin C, Phosphorous, protein and more. A single serving of grilled turkey breast contains only 23 calories, which is a delight to people who want to reduce weight but can’t imagine a meal without meat.
It is an ideal meat for great cardiovascular health. You can consume 2-3 servings of turkey in a week but avoid preparing it in excess oil, it will contain zero fat content and fewer calories. Enriched with high protein content, turkey is your safe and natural source to treat various skin, hair and nail problems. These body parts are made of proteins and require frequent doses of this substance to help you steer clear of hair and nail related problems.
Our body needs several essential vitamins and nutrients like vitamin D, Vitamin K, calcium and then phosphorous. Phosphorous facilitates your body to produce protein and allowing it to use obtained carbohydrates and fats. One serving of turkey meat contains 190 grams of phosphorous which can help you keep your bones and teeth’s healthy in long term.
High cholesterol levels contribute to various cardiovascular problems. That is why nutritionists emphasise on consuming food with minimum cholesterol content. Turkey has been blessed with such a quality and like zero fat and fewer calories, it contains minimum cholesterol levels as well. So, if you are prone to high cholesterol, you can still incorporate it into your diet. However, go slow and do not just replace all the meats in your diet with turkey at once.
People with diabetes do not have much food options due to calories and sugar content in them. Studies have revealed that consuming moderate servings of turkey can be helpful to curb diabetic symptoms. That is possible mainly because it contains minimum calorie, fat, cholesterol, etc. Thus, people with diabetes shouldn’t be worried as they can consume turkey at least thrice a week and can satisfy their meat cravings. People diagnosed with anemia are suggested to incorporate foods enriched with nutrients like iron. These properties promote red blood cells in your body that help ward off anaemia. Consuming turkey can help in this regard as it is a powerhouse of minerals and vitamins. However, more studies are underway in this context.
Turkey and Healthy Greens Soup
Ingredients
Ground Turkey 800 gm
Olive oil 3 tbsp
Yellow onion, Diced 1 nos.
Garlic, minced 4-5 cloves
Ginger, minced 1 tbsp
Celery, diced 1 cup
Vegetable broth 10 cups
Butternut squash 300 gm
Kale 250 gm
Red kidney beans 250 gm
Black beans 250 gm
Basil leaves, chopped 3 tbsp
Thyme, dry 1 tsp
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Black pepper crushed to taste
Lemon juice 1 tbsp
Garnish
Coriander leaves chopped 4 tbsp
Method:
Boil the red kidney beans and black beans in a heavy bottom stock pot with some salt till they are cooked, Drain and keep aside.
In another heavy bottom stock pot, heat oil over medium heat
Add diced, onion, celery, ginger and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes without turning them brown
Add ground turkey and stir to cook evenly, cover and cook over slow flame for 3-5 minutes.
Add the boiled red kidney beans and black beans and vegetable stock.
Add diced butternut squash, kale leaves, basil leaves and thyme leaves.
Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and simmer over slow flame for 15 minutes.
Cook until the vegetables are tender and cooked well.
Check the seasoning and add freshly chopped coriander leaves on top as garnish and serve hot.
Note; you can also choose your choice of ingredients like avocado, bell pepper and jalapeno t make your signature style of this soup.
*Chef Tarun Kapoor,
Culinary Mastermind, USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]
NUTRITIOUS: Turkey and Healthy Greens Soup garnished with freshly chopped coriander leaves is served hot.
