Nutritional Value of Turkey

Turkey is an important part of many holiday meals. It is easy to enjoy turkey without thinking about the impact that it will have on your diet. There are both positive and negative nutritional facts to think about before eating turkey.

Serving

• One serving is defined by the USDA as 100 grams of turkey breast meat. This assumes that the skin has been left on the turkey breast.

Calories

• 100 grams of turkey breast meat has 125 calories. The majority of these calories come from the high protein content of the meat.

Protein

• Turkey breast meat is considered an excellent source of protein. One serving has 24 grams of protein. This is nearly 50 percent of your daily recommended amount of protein.

Cholesterol

• Turkey meat can be high in cholesterol. One serving of turkey can account for 23 percent of your daily value of cholesterol.

Iron

• Turkey can be a good source of iron, as one serving has 1.2 mg of iron. This is 7 percent of your daily recommended amount.