Ground Turkey In A Weight Loss Diet

Ground Turkey In A Weight Loss Diet - Chicken and turkey meat without the skin is an excellent source of protein and is low in fat, making it ideal for a high-protein, low-carbohydrate, low-fat weight loss program. Many people on such programs consider using ground turkey in place of ground beef, hoping to save on fat content. 

This may be a useful thing to do, provided you keep an careful eye on what you are buying. Some pre-packaged ground turkey can contain much more fat than lean ground beef. This is because unscrupulous food producers use grinding as an opportunity to add fat or skin to the meat. Also, dark turkey meat has a higher fat content than white meat and is often included in ground turkey. 

To be safe, do not buy pre-packaged ground turkey if it does not have a label showing the nutrient composition. Check any packs that are labeled and compare them against the labels for ground beef. You should be aiming for no more than 10% fat content, and preferably lower. 

Best of all, select the pieces of lean turkey meat you want and grind them yourself at home or ask the butcher to grind them for you. That way, you know exactly what you are getting. You will find that for equivalent fat content, turkey will cost significantly less than beef. 

You can use ground turkey in any recipe where you would otherwise use ground beef. However, the turkey is a lot blander than beef. Using spices to pep up the flavor of ground turkey will give you tastier results. Many spices can also help to boost your metabolism, and so help you burn more calories. Spicy ground turkey dishes are therefore especially useful in a weight loss diet. 

For a Middle Eastern touch, try: 

Ground Turkey Kebabs 

For 6-8 portions 

• 2 lbs ground turkey 
• 1 egg 
• Half onion finely chopped 
• Half green bell pepper finely chopped 
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (or garlic puree without oil) 
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint 
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder 
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder 
• Half teaspoon each of salt and pepper 

Mix ingredients together. Mould the mixture around 6-8 skewers Broil the kebabs or for a truly authentic taste barbeque over charcoal. Serve with a sauce made from plain low fat yogurt with chopped mint added to taste. 

If you prefer a Far Eastern flavor: 

Asian Turkey burgers 

For 6-8 servings: 

• 2 lbs ground turkey 
• Half cup minced onion 
• 4 tablespoons minced green bell pepper 
• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 
• 4 crushed garlic cloves 
• 4 tablespoons Worcester sauce 
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce 
• 2 tablespoon water 
• 2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 
• Salt and pepper. 

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well until well combined (best using hands!) Form into 6-8 burgers, about 2 cm (3/4 inch) thick Spray pan with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Cook burgers for about 5 minutes each side. Make sure they are cooked all the way through. 

These are typical examples of metabolic cooking recipes. They based on high-protein and can use many other ingredients. As well as using ground turkey, it is possible to ring the changes cooking recipes containing other high-protein foods such as shrimps, pork or steak. Remember to check the fat content of the pork and steak and make sure you select good, lean meat, ideally with less than 10% fat. 
Also read another useful article about spinach for weight loss.

Article Source: http://www.streetarticles.com/weight-loss/ground-turkey-in-a-weight-loss-diet 
Article Author: http://www.streetarticles.com/about/krys-w/3605