Editor’s Note: This was written well before the Pandemic had an impact on U.S. food supplies. To read the latest for Thanksgiving 2022, click here. To read about my 2021 turkey quest, click here. To read which items have disappeared from store shelves during the Pandemic, click here.
White-meat turkey is one of the only meats allowed on most low-fat diets. So a traditional Thanksgiving turkey should be no problem right? Think again, I’m afraid. As I’ve written before, any self-basting turkey is loaded with salt, upwards of 300 mgs in four ounces.
If you’re likely to eat much more than four ounces, there goes your salt count for the day. So scout out a fresh or organic turkey with no added salt. I found a great deal on a fresh turkey at Costco today, $1.09 a pound, considerably cheaper than the $2,49 a pound I saw at other retailers carrying fresh birds.
My Butterball fresh has only 70 mgs of sodium per four ounces, what’s naturally in the turkey itself. Always read the nutrition label before buying, I saw some Butterball fresh turkeys at local retailer Jewel that had more salt, I couldn’t tell what the difference was other than the salt content, the labeling looked identical.
When Thanksgiving day arrives, inject your low-salt turkey with salt-free chicken broth to make your own basting and moistening solution for it. You can buy an injector, which looks like a big needle, at many supermarkets or cooking supply stores. Injection both breasts which need moisture the most, legs and thighs have more fat and so tend to be moist as they are.
Once this prep is done, follow the cooking directions normally on the turkey wrapper regarding how long to cook your bird.
Come back all this week for more low-salt, low-fat Thanksgiving meal recipes. Thanksgiving is the hardest holiday not to go over your limits if you’re on a low-fat, low-sodium diet as I am, but I have tips that can minimize how much over you go. Check out my recipe page for more low-salt Thanksgiving recipe ideas.
John
The No Salt, No Fat, No Sugar Journal 