...and the question is: Do I REALLY want to know the answer to this?

M

marilynfl

Moderator
I rejoined WW yesterday (again!) and stopped at the store for some meat. Standing at the ground meat section, I read the following nutritional information on each package:

Ground Chicken: 4 oz: 12 grams of Fat

Ground Turkey: 4 oz: 17 grams of Fat!

Ground Pork: 4 oz: 10 grams of Fat

"Lite" Ground Beef: 4 oz: 4.5 grams of Fat

Now this flies in the face of EVERYTHING I thought I knew about meat and the amount of fat in them.

I went so far as to get out my reading glasses and re-read the package label to make sure they actually said "Ground Turkey" and "Ground Chicken" and not "Recycled Fat from Roseanne Barr's Liposuction Operation."

Is anyone else confused? Normally, I would have just picked up the package of ground turkey or chicken (because everyone KNOWS they have less fat than pork or beef) and walked out, but today I decided to do my WW duty and look at Fat info first.

So...what EXACTLY is in ground chicken and ground turkey?

I'm feeling like someone confunded me with their wand.

PS: I bought the "lite" beef until I know more facts.

PPS: I think I may have just found out why I always regain the weight.

 
Boy, I knew it was high fat but was not aware of those #'s! I just did a search....

and confirmed what I thought was true;ground poultry is high fat because it is mostly dark meat and they put the skin in also. I just didn't think it would be that high.
This was on the Mayo Clinic website.
They said you can find ground breast meat, or I suppose you could grind it yourself, maybe a mix of white and dark, but no skin?
Good Luck with your plan, know several peopple who swear by WW.
Happy Autumn!!!!

 
Marilyn, it's interesting how assumptions don't always hold up!

My guess is that they're grinding up the darker parts of the poultry, which is fattier, saving the breasts for selling whole. As for the beef, they're selling the more marbled pieces whole, and grinding up the tougher (leaner) cuts.

I think that if you were comparing the fat content of chicken breasts to prime rib, your faith in what you thought you knew would be restored.

 
With chicken, I've always understood it was because they put the skin and fat in. Turkey...that has

me baffled. Turkey doesn't have as much fat as chicken, in my experience. A mislabeling? Nasty stuff, anyway, you're better off with the ground beef, lol.

 
What the heck is "lite beef"? Do they list any other ingredients?

...like styrofoam peanuts? LOL

 
I found this out not long ago when I started buying buffalo....

I couldn't believe that the buffalo was lower in fat than the chicken and all but did some investigating just like you and it does seem that most ground chicken and turkey processors throw in a lot of the fat and don't do any trimming whereas, they actually trim beef pretty well before processing it because they use the fat for other products.

Also during my nutrition class, found out a lot of lite meals such as those at McD's aren't nearly as low fat or as good of an option as people think.

It just all goes to show that you really do have to read labels and it pays to buy products in their most natural state and portion and process them yourself as you want it because you can control things.

 
There are brands of ground turkey that sell "white meat" which is much leaner...

the other writers are correct in that dark meat and fat is added to the regular ground turkey and chicken for flavor and moisture. Which it delivers. If you want lower fat, you just have to grind your own or look for the packages that state lean white meat only. We just can't do away with all fat. Our bodies need some, just not tons. I adore WW, and it has much to do with portion size too. I like "The Turkey Store's" lean white ground turkey for chili.

 
Happened to shop yesterday and checked out the Jenny-O ground turkey BREAST meat...

Only 1.5 grams fat per serving.

 
What's in the ground chicken and turkey? all that skin and fat taken from those boneless, skinless

poultry pieces. We didn't think they threw it away, did we?

 
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