Are turkey legs high in calories?
A raw turkey leg, skin and meat, has 144 calories per 100 grams, which is roughly a 3 1/2-ounce serving. Roasted, each 100 grams measured after cooking, has 170 calories, meat and skin. If you remove the skin, a 100 gram serving has 159 calories, according to the USDA nutrient database.
Turkey Drumsticks (1 serving) contains 1g total carbs, 1g net carbs, 4g fat, 22g protein, and 120 calories.
Diet Disaster: Giant Turkey Leg
Why should you hold off on your turkey fix till November? Each drumstick contains 1,136 calories and 54g of fat. You'd have to walk for 5 hours and 15 minutes to undo that kind of damage.
Chicken breast has slightly more protein than turkey breast, but turkey thigh is minimally higher in protein than chicken thigh. The other meat cuts provide equal amounts of protein. Which type is healthier depends on your personal health and nutrition goals.
Turkey is considered a lean protein—regardless of the cut, it supplies over 20g per serving for a relatively small amount of fat. Turkey meat also packs potassium, selenium, and a spectrum of B vitamins, most notably niacin (Vitamin B3).
A whole turkey leg easily feeds four to six and is super economical too. Even better? You will be amazed how incredibly easy it is to prepare!
Fat | 4.3 g |
---|---|
Carbs | 0 g |
Fiber | 0 g |
Protein | 33 g |
Turkey is generally lower in saturated fat than beef. As such, it may be a better choice for heart health. Fat-free turkey is also the lowest calorie option if you're interested in weight loss.
Meat Type | Calories | Total Fat |
---|---|---|
Leg w/skin | 213 | 11 grams |
Dark meat w/skin | 232 | 13 grams |
Dark meat w/o skin | 192 | 8 grams |
Skin only | 482 | 44 grams |
Liver. Liver, particularly beef liver, is one of the most nutritious meats you can eat. It's a great source of high-quality protein; vitamins A, B12, B6; folic acid; iron; zinc; and essential amino acids.
Can you eat turkey wings on a diet?
According to the MedlinePlus website, healthy adults should aim for getting two to three servings of lean protein, such as the protein found in a roasted turkey wing, per day. Eating a roasted turkey wing, with the skin, adds 27 grams of protein to your diet.
Ounce for ounce, ground turkey has slightly more calories, fat, cholesterol, and sodium compared to ground beef. However, ground beef has more protein, iron, zinc, and B vitamins. Saturated fat is where they differ (though not by a ton), and that's usually why turkey generally gets more “healthy” points than beef.
“The heart is probably the healthiest of the bunch since it's mostly pure muscle, with only some fat striated within,” she says. “Muscle is healthier than fat, because it tends to be leaner, and thus, has less saturated fat.” As for those claws?
Dark turkey meat typically contains more vitamins and minerals than white turkey meat but also more fat and calories. Turkey should be cooked until its internal temperature reaches 165º Fahrenheit. Pasture-raised turkeys typically have higher omega-3 content than factory-farmed turkeys.
On the show, he said, "I have friends that have worked for Disneyland, and I was talking about how the turkey legs tasted more like ham than they did like turkey, and they said, 'Well, they're actually emu.
Smoked turkey is a healthy lean meat choice for most people, full of vitamins and minerals, although it is high in sodium and might not be appropriate for a low-sodium diet.
Calories 416 | (1741 kJ) |
---|---|
Protein | 69.8 g |
Calcium | 56 mg |
Potassium | 617 mg |
Iron | 6 mg |
Turkey breast is especially high in protein
Turkey breast meat is naturally high in protein – cooked turkey breast meat contains 28g of protein per 100g, which is over ½ of an adult's recommended daily allowance!
Thighs run from half a pound to a pound and a half each, and drumsticks run from half a pound to one pound. Plan to have about 1/2 to 3/4 pounds of meat (minus the bone) per person.
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Total Sugars 0g | 0% |
~% | |
Protein 25.6g | 51% |
Vitamin C 0mg | 0% |
Is turkey better than chicken?
Chicken is higher in calories and fats, both saturated and polyunsaturated, while turkey is richer in protein and cholesterol. Turkey is also richer in vitamins and minerals, such as magnesium, copper, vitamin B12, and folate. However, chicken has more vitamin A, vitamin E, and less sodium.
Meat Type | Calories | Total Fat |
---|---|---|
Leg w/skin | 213 | 11 grams |
Dark meat w/skin | 232 | 13 grams |
Dark meat w/o skin | 192 | 8 grams |
Skin only | 482 | 44 grams |
There are 255 calories in 1 small Roasted Turkey Drumstick.
There are 1306 calories in 2 pounds of Turkey Leg Meat and Skin. * The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet.
Calories: | 240 |
---|---|
Total Carbohydrates: | 0g |
Dietary Fiber: | 0g |
Sugars: | 0g |
Protein: | 37g |
Turkey is generally lower in saturated fat than beef. As such, it may be a better choice for heart health. Fat-free turkey is also the lowest calorie option if you're interested in weight loss.
Fat | 4.3 g |
---|---|
Carbs | 0 g |
Fiber | 0 g |
Protein | 33 g |
Adult females need anywhere from 1,600 to 2,400 calories a day and adult males need anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 calories a day, according to the USDA's latest “Dietary Guidelines for Americans” report released in 2020.
Thighs run from half a pound to a pound and a half each, and drumsticks run from half a pound to one pound. Plan to have about 1/2 to 3/4 pounds of meat (minus the bone) per person.
Chicken is higher in calories and fats, both saturated and polyunsaturated, while turkey is richer in protein and cholesterol. Turkey is also richer in vitamins and minerals, such as magnesium, copper, vitamin B12, and folate. However, chicken has more vitamin A, vitamin E, and less sodium.
How much sugar is in a turkey leg?
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Total Sugars 0g | 0% |
~% | |
Protein 25.6g | 51% |
Vitamin C 0mg | 0% |
Smoked turkey is a healthy lean meat choice for most people, full of vitamins and minerals, although it is high in sodium and might not be appropriate for a low-sodium diet.
With that said, it is worth noting that the jumbo turkey leg is probably the single worst thing you can ingest at Walt Disney World or Disneyland, with the average leg containing 1,093 calories, 54 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, and 5,284 milligrams of sodium.
It is possible to cook a turkey from a frozen state—yes, really! And not only will it be thoroughly cooked, but it'll also be beautifully browned, moist, and delicious.
Cave-man Turkey Legs
While you might be thinking that turkey sounds like a healthy option, this is not true at the fair. Cave-man turkey legs are fried and have about five times the amount of turkey that should be consumed in a meal. A cave-man turkey leg contains approximately 1400 calories and 46 grams of fat.
Turkey wings are dark meat, which makes them higher in fat and calories than white-meat turkey. However, turkey wings are a source of protein and other nutrients, such as selenium, iron and calcium. A roasted turkey wing makes for a protein-packed main course.