Here are my top three tips for a healthy turkey:

 

1. It’s all about the Butter.The Holdernesses in North Caroline claim (or sing) it’s all about the Baste. We believe it’s all about the butter.  

 

Don’t buy cheap butter or margarine for your meal.  Instead, use Kerrygold grassfed butter.  Slide cubes of Kerrygold butter between the skin and meat of your bird before cooking. It will make the skin golden delicious and your meat oh-so-tender.

 

If you need help cooking your turkey or chicken this year, see our How To video for full instructions.

 

2. Buy Free Range Organic Turkey.   The myth that turkeys are fed hormones and steroids to make them larger isn’t true.  In fact, the FDA bans the use of such hormones.

 

So seeing “No Hormones Added” isn’t really a perk.  This is the law.

 

The risk with non-organic turkeys is the diet they consume. Many turkeys are fed a diet full of corn and soybean meal, which are two big GMO foods.  Turkeys can also be fed low doses of antibiotics.

 

My two favorite choices for a healthy turkey are:  Kroger’s Simple Truth Organic Turkey or a turkey from your local farmer. 

 

 

3. Don’t let the carcass go to waste.  The most “nutrient-dense” part of your bird lies not in the meat, but in the bones

 

As soon as you take the meat off of your turkey, it’s time to make stock (sometimes referred to as bone broth).  In doing this, you are pulling all of the healthy minerals from the bones of the animal to create a healthy stock.

 

Once complete that stock can be consumed as is, used in soups, or to flavor grains.  Truly, this is my favorite part of the entire meal.

Need some help getting started?  Check out our recent How To video for full instructions.

           

And here’s one last tidbit of information. Many blame L-tryptophan, found in turkey, for the extreme fatigue after eating. Tryptophan is actually an essential amino acid and good for the body?  While it can cause feelings of relaxation, it is generally not the reason that we want to sleep after a big meal. 

 

The fatigue is a result of the quantity of food we consume and massive carb intake (mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, rolls, pie) that weighs down the digestion process and zaps our energy.  

 

Now we know (although it was so much better when we could just blame the turkey). 

 

That wraps up our 3 tips for a Healthy Turkey.  I hope you and your family have an amazing Thanksgiving.  We are certainly grateful for our many blessings and for your friendship in the Connect-Bridgeport community.