Nutritional Guidelines For Turkey Breast

Like many people, you might roast a turkey only once or twice a year for holidays. Bit turkey is more than a tradition. It has many health benefits, as well. Without the high-fat side dishes that folks serve at holiday meals, turkey is a nutritious food choice, especially the lean white meat of the breast.

Calories and Protein

A 100-g, or about 3.5-oz., serving of roasted turkey breast with skin contains 189 calories, about 120 of which come from protein. One serving contains 28.7 g of protein, which provides 62 percent of the dietary reference intake for protein for women and 51 percent for men. Dietary reference intakes are the recommended daily amounts for each nutrient. Like all meats, turkey breast is a complete protein, since it contains all nine of the essential amino acid--those that the body doesn't produce.

Tryptophan

One of the nine amino acids contained in turkey breast is tryptophan, which many people believe contributes to the sleepy feeling they get after a big turkey dinner. The brain uses tryptophan to manufacture the neurotransmitter serotonin, which affects the mood and promotes normal sleep patterns. The minimum requirement for tryptophan for a 175-lb. person is 240 mg per day. One serving of turkey breast provides 318 mg.

Fat and Cholesterol

One serving of turkey breast contains 7.4 g of fat, which provides close to 70 of the 189 calories. Removing the skin from the turkey lowers the fat content to only .74 g per 100-g serving, and brings the saturated fat content from more than 2 g to only .24 g. One serving of turkey breast with skin contains 74 mg of cholesterol, which is nearly 25 percent of the maximum recommended daily amount. Removing the skin from the turkey does not lower the cholesterol content. In fact, a 100-g serving of skinless breast contains more cholesterol--83 mg.

Minerals

Turkey breast is high in the minerals selenium and zinc. One serving provides 53 percent of the daily reference intake for selenium, as well as 18 percent for zinc for men and 25 percent for women. Zinc is important for immune system health, carbohydrate metabolism and wound recovery. Turkey legs provide even more zinc, with one serving supplying more than twice as much as turkey breast.

Vitamins

One serving of turkey breast provides more 20 percent of the daily reference intake for three B vitamins: riboflavin, pantothenic acid and B-6. While all of the B vitamins are important for energy production, each also plays a role in specific body functions. B-6 is necessary for the formation of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen throughout the body. Pantothenic acid assists in hormone and neurotransmitter production. Riboflavin aids in iron and B-6 absorption.